Already packages!
While the Handball World Cup in Egypt has not yet started, two teams have already announced that they will ultimately not participate.
After the Czech Republic (replaced by North Macedonia), it was the United States which decided, on the eve of the opening of the competition, to withdraw due to numerous cases of Covid-19 in its ranks.
The Czech Republic and the United States threw in the towel just before flying to Egypt.
The Czechs were at home and the Americans were preparing in Denmark, where they played a friendly match last Thursday.
🚨 2021 IHF World Cup - The USA withdraw.
🇫🇷 Les Bleus will face Switzerland in group E of the preliminary round. # BleuetFier https://t.co/ZrE9WeOHNl
- France Hand Teams (@FRAHandball) January 12, 2021
Tuesday the American selection, opponent of France in Group E, has indeed counted, after the tests carried out Monday evening, 18 positive cases within its group.
“Two PCR tests revealed that the majority of our players and staff were positive for the virus,” the Federation said in a statement.
All were placed in quarantine, without any symptoms.
The Americans' package benefits Switzerland.
It is therefore the Helvetians who will face France in the third and last group match on January 18.
North Macedonia and the Helvetians, drafted as 15th and 16th in the last Euro, stood ready in case of withdrawal, explained the Egyptian organizer.
Watch out for Andy Schmid
The replacement of the United States, which had not participated in the World Cup for twenty years, is not necessarily good news for France, which now finds itself with three European opponents in the first round.
The Swiss are notably led by the brilliant Andy Schmid.
At 37, the German club Rhein Neckar Lowenpar is considered one of the best center-backs in the world.
The Helvetii disembark without pressure.
Their last participation in a World Cup dates back to 1995, in Iceland.
For the record, only the last of the group will be eliminated, but the points acquired against the other qualified teams will be retained in the second round, the stage which precedes the quarter-finals.
In other words, a defeat is allowed for the Blues, opposing entry to Norway, finalist of the last two editions, but a second against Austria or Switzerland would be almost synonymous with elimination.
Morning essentials newsletter
A tour of the news to start the day
Subscribe to the newsletterAll newsletters
However, Guillaume Gille's team, appointed coach after the Euro 2020 fiasco which cost his predecessor Didier Dinart his post, was not reassured during its preparation, failing twice to beat Serbia (a defeat , a draw) in qualifying for Euro 2022.