Here is the draw in the prestigious national team tournament EOC - Partille Cup
Partille World Cup

Here is the draw in the prestigious national team tournament EOC

European Open Championship is for Boys 17 this year. Now, the groups have been drawn.

Sweden faces Iceland, Poland, Latvia and Estonia in the group stage of the national team tournament European Open Championship in Partille Cup. Toni Johansson is the head coach for the Swedish B17 national team. He gives his take on yesterday's EOC draw.

Regarding the draw and Sweden's chances for advancement, Toni Johansson says:
– It's hard to say in advance because we haven't played any international matches yet with this vintage and therefore we haven't seen any other nations. Looking at the countries' handball culture, I would guess that the matches against Iceland and Poland will be the toughest ones.

There will be plenty of national team debutants in Sweden's squad.
– EOC is the first national team tournament for the year 06/07 and we haven't selected a squad yet. What I can say is that there are a lot of exciting players in this vintage and based on my feeling and experience, I also think that the quality will be high in comparison to other nations. The squad will be selected around the middle of May, says the coach, who usually trains OV Helsingborg.

What are your goals with EOC 2023?
– Our goal with the first international matches is to set frameworks and values for how we want 06/07 to perform over time where many different players will be involved. The goal in EOC is to win handball matches based on good performances. It will be much "new", because everyone will be national team debutants, says Toni Johansson.

A total of 20 nations will be participating in European Open Championship this summer. This is how the draw looks in full:

Group A:
Croatia
France
Czech Republic
Romania
Brazil

Group B:
Sweden
Iceland
Poland
Latvia
Estonia

Group C:
Norway
Portugal
Switzerland
Lithuania
Belgium

Group D:
Spain
The Faroe Islands
Israel
Finland
Netherlands

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