Bojana Popović will join the coaching staff of the Denmark women’s national handball team as assistant coach, linking up with Helle Thomsen, the new coach of the Scandinavian side. 

A legendary former player and with plenty of experience as a coach over the last five years, Popović will start her role on 1 September , ahead of the team’s gathering in Frederikshavn on 15 September, as Denmark prepare for the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship, hosted by Germany and the Netherlands, between 26 November and 14 December.

Popović, a four-time Player of the Year in Denmark and a six-time winner of the Champions League with Slagelse DH, Viborg HK and Buducnost, featured for eight years for Danish clubs, starting her stint in Slagelse in 2002, before moving to Viborg in 2007, where she stayed until 2010.

“I have had good contact with Bojana for several years, and it will be fantastic to have her commitment and temperament on our team. Coming from Eastern Europe, she brings a passion for handball that will complement and energize our Scandinavian culture. Bojana is very talented, and I am looking forward to working closely with her,” said Denmark’s new coach, Helle Thomsen, for the official website of the Danish Handball Federation (DanskHåndbold).

Popović was part of the Montenegro team which secured the silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, the only medal won in history by the nation in the competition. She was also part of the Yugoslavia team which won the bronze medal at the 2001 IHF Women’s World Championship.

After retiring, in 2016, Popović worked her way on the ladder, becoming the head coach of the Montenegro women’s national team, a position she held between 2021 and 2024, finishing seventh at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship and leading her side to a bronze medal at the EHF EURO 2022.

Popović, a former left back known for her penchant of scoring, is also the current head coach of Budućnost Podgorica, the Montenegrin powerhouse which she has been leading since 2020.

“It is a great honour and privilege to become part of the Danish national team’s coaching staff. I am aware of the responsibility and the high expectations, but I believe in the quality and experience within Denmark that give us every reason to aim even higher. My task will be to support Helle Thomsen and the entire team to reach new levels. I believe in hard work, discipline, and unity, and together with the players and fans, we can continue to write history,” said Popović.

The first test for Helle Thomsen and Bojana Popović will be the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship. Denmark will feature in Group A, in Rotterdam, where they face Croatia, Japan and Romania.

Denmark have finished third, winning the bronze medal, at the last two editions of the IHF Women’s World Championship, in 2021 and 2023, and ended second at the last two editions of the EHF EURO, in 2022 and 2024, under Jesper Jensen’s guidance. The Scandinavian powerhouse also finished third at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, finishing on the podium in the past five major international competitions.