Building from the base of the pyramid, Switzerland have made it a priority to produce young talents and that was seen on display in the previous edition of the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, when the team ended up on the eighth place, their best-ever performance, securing a place in the quarter-finals.

Switzerland will miss coach Martin Albertsen, who left his position to take over FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria last summer, but they still maintained quite an interesting and experience core of the team, albeit without their star performer, right wing Mia Emmenegger, who made the leap to the senior side. Albertsen was replaced by Manuel Schnellmann, who will make his debut at a major international competition at North Macedonia 2024.

Nevertheless, Switzerland are still a strong team and have finished seventh at the W19 EHF EURO 2023 last summer, continuing their growth. They can be a dangerous team to play against, as proven in the friendlies played against France last April, when they won once, 30:24, and lost the next match, 24:30.

In Group B, Switzerland will be favoured against Egypt, Tunisia and Chile, but the most interesting thing to watch will be whether they can withhold the favourite status and deliver good performances, as they have been absolutely excellent in the role of the underdog.

With several players having already performed at senior level in the domestic league, Switzerland will aim again for a place in the quarter-final, but if they start with two points in the main round, they will probably have their work cut out with teams like Romania or the Netherlands waiting in the wings.

Key players: Charlotte Chappuis (goalkeeper), Nuria Bucher (centre back), Nora Snedkerud (line player)
Qualification: W19 EHF EURO 2023: 7th
History in the competition: 1989: 13th, 1997: 15th, 2022: 8th 
Group at North Macedonia 2024: Group B (Switzerland, Egypt, Tunisia, Chile)