SUMMARY: Teams excited about what the EHF Finals will bring

• the four finalists arrive in Graz on Friday ahead of Saturday's semi-finals
• media calls take place in the afternoon
• read the semi-final previews here
• find out how to follow the weekend's action or join the fan zone party
• grab the last few tickets here
• photos copyright Kolektiff Images

Friday 12 May

19:20

That's all our coverage from Friday's arrivals day - we'll be back on Saturday at 10:00 CEST for build-up to the games. Ikast play Thüringer at 15:30 CEST, and Dortmund go up against Nykøbing at 18:00 CEST. It's going to be epic.

18:45

The media calls are over. Everyone is thrilled to be in Graz and excited about the games ahead. Of course nobody is giving too much away, but it seems clear the expectation is for two semi-finals played at a fast tempo and with a key role for the defence and goalkeepers. Bring it on, we say!

16:55

We'll pull out some of the best media call quotes soon, but in the meantime, here's where all the quotes will come in!

16:30

Media calls are beginning - first up, it's Thüringer!

15:15

At the hotel in Graz teams are checking in and preparing for the media calls - we'll bring you the best quotes from these, starting from about 16:30 CEST. 

14:25

We've already looked at a few players for whom the EHF Finals will be a highlight before they leave their clubs for pastures new. In another of these pre-tournament features, it's Dortmund captain Alina Grijseels under the spotlight.

Grijseels is absolutely essential to Dortmund's success. Their nine-goal loss to Nantes in the first leg of the quarter-finals took place when she was nursing an injury; luckily, she was back the next week and scored nine times to help Dortmund take the 10-goal win which booked their ticket to Graz.

The centre back has played for Dortmund since the start of her senior career nine years ago but next season she is moving club and country and heading to EHF Champions League side Metz Handball. And so, like her teammate Yara ten Holte, Grijseels really wants to leave having held the European League trophy high. 

13:55

Each week the Home of Handball Twitch show 'The Spin' talks to stars of the sport and this week Ikast goalkeeper Jessica Ryde made an appearance. Ryde is currently the most efficient goalkeeper in the competition, saving an incredible 41 per cent of shots so far. Enjoy what she had to say when she caught up with Chris O'Reilly and Martin Vilstrup on Monday.

13:30

Nykøbing made the journey to Austria yesterday and already had a training session - they posted a picture of the team looking relaxed afterwards.

13:10

It's a somewhat rainy day in Austria but as they left Dortmund this morning Borussia seemed to be in a sunny mood. They hope to be followed to Graz by a planeload of fans plus others driving the nearly 1,000km across Europe - now that's dedication to your team!

12:45

The final team appearing in Graz is Nykøbing Falster Håndbold. Their incredible run has seen them come all the way from qualification round 2 to the finals in their debut season in the European League. Along the way they eliminated the likes of last year’s EHF Finals hosts Viborg and former Champions League participants SCM Ramnicu Valcea.

As with several payers in Graz, Elma Halilcevic is preparing to move on at the end of the year. She’s joining Odense (alongside her European League semi-final opponent Yara ten Holte) for 2023/24. At only 22, Halilcevic is fighting with Thüringer’s Annika Lott to become the competition’s top scorer this season. She talked to EHF journalist Danijela Vekić recently about her expectations for the EHF Finals – see what she said!

12:20

Tomorrow’s second semi-final is between BV Borussia 09 Dortmund and Nykøbing Falster Håndbold, both in their first season in the European League.

Dortmund entered the competition after two seasons in the EHF Champions League, where they reached the play-offs twice. They were eliminated last year by Metz Handball – and in the European League found Nantes as their quarter-final opponents. In a thrilling second leg, Dortmund somehow managed to overturn a nine-goal deficit into a one-goal aggregate win with an amazing 10-goal home victory.

Goalkeeper Yara ten Holte has been on great form all season, saving 104 shots (37 per cent) in the 10 matches she has played. Ten Holte is leaving Dortmund at the end of the year to join Odense Håndbold in Denmark, but she is clear that going out on a high is the aim. Read more here.

12:00

For Thüringer HC this is their first EHF Finals and their first opportunity to win a European trophy. Thüringer have had a bit of a reinvention this season, welcoming nine new players at the start of the year. Björn Pazen spoke to one of the new arrivals, Dutch right wing Nathalie Hendrikse, to discover what the transition to the club has been like and how Thüringer are looking to surprise Ikast tomorrow. Read that piece here.

Björn also asked Thüringer left wing Sonja Frey about her hopes for the EHF Finals in front of almost a home crowd. Frey, alongside teammates Johanna Reichert and Josefine Huber are all Austrian; their coach Herbert Müller is also the Austrian national team coach. So Frey is hoping Austrian handball fans will pick her team to cheer for in Graz.

11:20

The first semi-final tomorrow sees Ikast Handbold go up against Thüringer HC. It’s Ikast’s third successive EHF Finals but they have not yet won a semi-final, and have finished fourth and third in the competition. Could this be their year? They’ve had a perfect season, winning every game, and are definitely the favourites in Graz.

Last week EHF journalist Ida Hummeluhr chatted to Ikast line player Sarah Iversen about what a win would mean for the Danish club, and how she has balanced being a mum to her son Elliott with being a professional handball player.

11:00

It's time! After months of exciting clashes across Europe, the first final weekend of the European club handball season is upon us. We're heading to beautiful Graz in Austria for the EHF Finals Women 2023, where the Raiffeisen Sportpark will host two days of games and one team will lift the trophy. 

What is guaranteed is that the winning team will be either Danish or German, and that we'll have a new winner of the competition. 2022 champions SG BBM Bietigheim were in the EHF Champions League this year, and Dortmund eliminated 2021 champions Les Neptunes de Nantes in the quarter-finals. 

To start our coverage of the weekend, have a look at the semi-final preview.