The European handball public today, when the final of the European Championship 2022 is played, will expect the new European champion. There will be anticipation in Macedonia for the outcome of the draw for the qualifying round for the 2023 World Cup (13.30). It is known that our national team, in order to qualify for the next World Cup, will have to go through two barrage stages. At the current European Championship 2022, we recorded a poor ranking (22nd place), due to which we will have to play two barrage stages to reach the World Cup, instead of one.

In the first barrage phase, we expect an easier obstacle, and our possible opponents are the national teams of Belgium, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Israel, Greece, Italy, Romania and Switzerland. These are national teams that reached this stage through pre-qualifications. Macedonia is among the holders along with Austria, BiH, Ukraine, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Belarus.

This should be the first easy obstacle, and the matches will be played between March 14 and 20. Everyone agrees that the most dangerous potential opponents would be Romania and Switzerland. This is the opinion of the national team member Goce Georgievski.

- I think we are generally better than all our possible opponents in the first phase of the playoffs. However, if we could avoid Romania and Switzerland, it would be good, because they are among the best in this group. Others should not be a more serious obstacle. Playing two barrage stages is certainly not good, but there may be a positive side. The first barrage would be welcome as "preparation" for the second barrage phase in which (if we pass the first) we will have a more serious opponent - says Georgievski.

Goalkeeper Martin Tomovski believes that whoever the opponent is in the first phase, should be welcomed with maximum readiness.

- I can not say which opponents we would like to avoid or would prefer in the first phase. But, whoever it is, we should take ourselves as seriously as possible. This team needs matches, to play as much as possible, to raise the level of the game and to achieve better results - says Tomovski.

In the second barrage phase (April 11-17), if we pass the first, we will not be winners. We will face opponents who placed from fourth to 15th place in the current European Championship. The current world champion Denmark and the hosts Poland and Sweden have a direct placement in the World Cup.

The countries that through the placement at the European Championship 2022 from the fourth to the 15th place directly placed in the second phase of the World Cup qualifiers (with the exception of Denmark, Poland and Sweden) are Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Montenegro, Netherlands, Russia, Serbia and Iceland / Norway (depending on which of these two selections will be placed on the 6th place at this European Championship.

It is clear that if Macedonia is placed in the second phase, it will not be easy at all, for any of these selections to be our opponent. Otherwise, the World Cup will be played from 11 to 29 January 2023.