For the first time in more than a decade, Norway’s women’s team will be without the presence of legendary coach Thorir Hergiersson on their bench at an IHF Women’s World Championship.

The Icelandic coach, who started with the team as assistant coach under another legendary coach in Marit Breivik back in 2001, graduated to the top position in 2009 and continued the medal haul across European and world championships, plus the Olympic Games.

In fact, Norway’s women are record world championship medal winners with 12 (4 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze), behind Russia in golds won (7), but with less overall, 11 (7 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) – Hergeirsson coaching the team to three of those golds (2011, 2015, 2021), two silvers (2017, 2023) and a bronze (2009). Norway have won medals seven times in the last nine world championships.

Stepping into those big boots is Ole Gustav Gjekstad, who took over the role on 1 January 2025, after Hergeirsson had guided the team to Paris 2024 Olympic Games and European Championship gold.

Gjekstad is a former player, who featured 151 times and scored 561 goals for Norway men’s national team, before moving into coaching as soon as his playing career was over, leading Larvik HK between 1999 and 2005, before moving to Drammen HK, between 2005 and 2008, the only men’s club he coached in his career.

A return to Larvik HK followed, between 2011 and 2015, where he led the team to the runners-up position in the EHF Champions League Women, which was followed by a three-year sabbatical for Gjekstad, who returned to Vipers Kristiansand in 2018.

There, the coach secured three EHF Champions League Women in 2021, 2022 and 2023, before signing for Odense Handbold, his last club engagement. After taking the national team role, Gjekstad talked with the former coach and current players with the idea of maintaining the current, successful set-up. 

Helping maintain that success is a galaxy of medal-laden players, who have won enough between them at club and national level to open their own museum. Leading them is captain Henny Reistad, alongside the experienced Veronica Kristiansen, Nora Mørk, Malin Aune, Vilde Mortensen Ingstad and legendary goalkeeper Katrine Lunde, who will be breaking her own national team appearance record with every match played.

Currently sitting on 377 games ahead of their final preparation period, Lunde will be approaching nearly 400 appearances should her side reach the final in the Netherlands. Kristiansen, Mørk and Ingstad are all returning to the squad after missing the European championships a year ago, with Gjekstad admitting that Mørk “...won’t get as much playing time and pressure as before.”

With the new coach also comes new players and new rotation, some forced. Camilla Herrem has retired from national team duties while Silje Solberg Østhassel, Sanna Solberg-Isaksen, Kari Brattset Dale and Marit Røsberg Jacobsen are all either pregnant or on maternity leave.

This has freed up space for two Norway-based club players to make their championship debut with the national team – just like their coach: Storhamar’s goalkeeper June Krogh and Sola’s line player Selma Henriksen.

“Selma has taken big steps this season and stands out as a huge talent,” said Gjekstad to handball.no.

“She can remind a bit of Kari Brattset Dale in terms of playing, and I think she can be important for Norwegian handball in the future. It is also gratifying that we have June as an ‘up and coming’ goalkeeper. It will be exciting to follow her in the first championship, together with the two more experienced goalkeepers (Lunde and Eli Marie Raasok).”

In Trier, Norway will meet Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan and Angola – three teams they have a winning record against.

Norway and Korea have a storied history, with the glory days of the Asians ending as those of the Norwegians were starting.

At the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Korea beat Norway for gold, while Norway beat the Koreans for bronze at Sydney 2000, in the semi-finals at Beijing 2008 and in the preliminary round of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

In recent years, Norway took a 36:25 main round win at the 2019 IHF Women’s World Championship and followed it up with a preliminary group, 33:23 victory, last time out.

They have beaten Kazakhstan in all three of their clashes, with the gap growing from 16 goals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, 35:19, to 21 goals at Denmark 2015, 40:19, and 28 goals at Spain 2021, 46:18.

Angola have been seen off in all 12 of their match-ups, including six times at world championship, most recently at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, 37:19 – their largest-ever win against the African champions.

“Korea is a nation that usually starts championships very well, so we have to watch out for them. They play with a lot of speed and energy, and they’re strong when they’re fresh,” said Gjekstad.

“Kazakhstan is a nation with few handball achievements, while Angola is by far the best team in Africa and has a strong, very physical squad. We need to watch out for both Korea and Angola.”

The Sotra Arena near Bergen will see Norway’s final preparation for Germany/Netherlands 2025 as The Posten Cup gets underway in late November. Norway will face Spain (20 November), Hungary (22 November) and Serbia (23 November) before travelling south to Trier to get their global campaign underway.

Key players: Henny Reistad (centre back), Katrine Lunde (goalkeeper), Veronica Kristiansen (left back), Nora Mørk (right back), Vilde Mortensen Ingstad (line player), Maren Aardahl (line player)

Coach: Ole Gustav Gjekstad

Qualification for Germany/Netherlands 2025: EHF European Championship 2024 - Winners

History in tournament: 1971: 7th, 1973: 8th, 1975: 8th, 1982: 7th, 1986: 3rd, 1990: 6th, 1993: 3rd, 1995: 4th, 1997: 2nd, 1999: Winners, 2001: 2nd, 2003: 6th, 2005: 9th, 2007: 2nd, 2009: 3rd, 2011: Winners, 2013: 5th, 2015: Winners, 2017: 2nd, 2019: 4th, 2021: Winners, 2023: 2nd

Group at Germany/Netherlands 2025: Group H (Angola, Norway, Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan)