“I will never forget it as long as I play handball. This world title is not a burden for us, it’s like an eternal light,” said Greece goalkeeper Magda Kepesidou on the eve of the 2022 IHF Women’s World Championship.

The championship will be played in Greece, in Crete, in Heraklion and it is not often you get a chance to play at a home World Championship, let alone play at one as world champions, but that is what Kepesidou will be doing tomorrow when her side opens their campaign against Mexico on the central court at 12:20 EEST.

The seemingly non-stop smiling Kepesidou was key for the Greeks in Kazan back in 2018 when she saved a number of shots at crucial times in both normal match action and in the ever-present shoot-outs. 

Coach Maria Karantoni is still in charge and will be overseeing a squad doing battle with both new and traditional international heavyweights.

The big names are all here – the only ever-present women’s side Brazil with their star-studded squad welcoming back the inspirational Nathalie Sena, who missed the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games in Doha, Qatar, Denmark – who won that championship – and European champions Germany, returning to World Championship action for the first time since 2006, when they won silver.

We also have the strong Hungarians, Norway – who have medalled every time since 2010 and the new powerhouses – Argentina, coached by Leticia Brunati, gold-medal winning coach of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games side who have a number of players now in the senior squad, including the global superstar, Gisella Bonomi.

There are debutants too – Portugal and Netherlands, plus Vietnam, USA and Mexico who are returning for just the second time ever after debuting in 2018.

Hungary play Norway in their opener at 10:40 EEST, a repeat of their continental clash last year, which Norway won 2-0 in the preliminary round. In their second match of the first day, Hungary face another European championship rival, Germany (16:40 EEST), who they also lost to in Bulgaria, 1-2 via a 6:7 shoot-out loss. 

Norway play Brazil in their second game of the opening day in what will be a cracker of a game and a repeat of the 2018 semi-final which the Europeans won 2-0. Vietnam face Spain (18:20 EEST) in a repeat of their clash in Doha, won by the Spanish side via a shoot-out.

16 teams, five continents, 72 games, one winner – who will it be?