The European Men’s Handball Championship is due to be held in Hungary and Slovakia next year ©EHF

Reigning champions Spain are set to meet four-time winners Sweden in the preliminary round group stages of next year’s European Men’s Handball Championship.

The European Handball Federation (EHF) has completed the draw for the tournament, scheduled to be held in Hungary and Slovakia from January 13 to 30 in 2022.

A total of 24 teams were split into six groups of four with the top two in each advancing to the main round groups.

Spain will be looking to claim a third successive title after their victories in 2018 and 2020, but Sweden will hope to stop them in their tracks.

The two teams battled it out in the final of the 1998 and 2018 editions but will face each other in the preliminary round next year.

Spain and Sweden have been placed in Group E which also features the Czech Republic and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Three-time winners France have been pitted against 2020 finalists Croatia, as well as Serbia and Ukraine in Group C.

Germany, winners of the title in 2004 and 2016, headline Group D which comprises of Austria, Belarus and Poland.

Group A includes Slovenia, Denmark, North Macedonia and Montenegro, while Portugal, Hungary, Iceland and The Netherlands make up Group B.

Russia, the 1996 champions, have been drawn in Group F along with Norway. Slovakia, and Lithuania.

Each of the host countries will be home to three preliminary round groups.

In Hungary, Group A are scheduled to play in Szeged, Group B will be in Budapest and Group C will be in Debrecen.

In Slovakia, Group D and E are due to be based in Bratislava, while Group F will play in Kosice.

The two main round groups are set ti ve hosted in Bratislava and Budapest which will also stage the semi-finals and final.

SELECT Sport has created the ball that will be used at the 2022 European Men's Handball Championship ©EHF
SELECT Sport has created the ball that will be used at the 2022 European Men's Handball Championship ©EHF

Spain’s Rodrigo Corrales, Hungary’s Bence Banhidi, Croatia Luka Stepancic and Slovakia’s Marian Zernovic helped conduct the draw in Budapest alongside EHF President Michael Wiederer and EHF secretary general Martin Hausleitner.

Tickets for all tournament phases in Kosice, Bratislava and Budapest have already gone on sale.

Day tickets for all venues are expected to be made available later this year.

The EHF has also revealed the design of the ball which will feature in all 65 matches at next year’s European Men’s Handball Championship.

Danish ball manufacturer SELECT Sport has created the ball which features elements in dark and light blue as well as in green and red.