Three hosts to don the court at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 in fantastic handball display
01 Dec. 2023

Co-hosts Denmark and Sweden are entering the fray at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship in Herning and Gothenburg, with both sides being favoured against Serbia and the People’s Republic of China.
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The two opening day preliminary group C match winners go face-to-face in the late game, while the two opening day losers get the second round of group action underway at the DNB Arena in Stavanger, Norway, while Spain and Brazil, which also won matches in the first round, will aim to make it to the main round when they face Ukraine and Kazakhstan in Group G.
GROUP A
18:00 CET Croatia vs Senegal
At Spain 2021, Croatia returned to the IHF Women’s World Championship after a 10-year break, but the 18th place was a letdown for the team who had surprisingly won bronze at the EHF EURO 2020.
Now the ’Queens of Shock", as they were labelled for their unpredictable performances, hope to do better than two years ago. Although line player Ana Debelic gave birth three months ago and will miss the competition, head coach Ivica Obrvan has a good mix of youth and experience in his squad, with nearly half of the players representing domestic clubs RK Podravka Koprivnica and RK Lokomotiva Zagreb, and the others playing abroad, mainly in a competitive Romanian league.Â
Earlier this week, the Balkan side won Croatian Cup, a friendly tournament played in Novigrad, beating Congo 33:23 and Montenegro 26:25. The game against Congo could be called a rehearsal for the opening World Championship match against another African rivalsÂ
Senegal, in which the Europeans are seen as strong favourites.
Senegal are the least experienced team in Group A, as they are heading into their just second IHF Women’s World Championship edition. At Japan 2019, the African side finished 18th, losing all their matches against the European rivals, and while there is always a chance to do better, they will face a tough job playing against Croatia.Â
20:30 CET Sweden vs People’s Republic of China
This will be the third meeting of the two teams at the IHF Women’s World Championship, with Sweden having won both previous encounters, 47:28 at Denmark 2015 and 32:19 at Japan 2019. And now Sweden, who are the co-hosts of the tournament and are set to play their group matches at home in Gothenburg, are regarded as strong favourires against the People’s Republic of China.
The Scandinavian side has shown consistency at this level, finishing between the fourth and the ninth places in four previous editions of the event, and now they also have high expectations at the start.Â
Head coach Tomas Axner can rely on a number of quality players, including right wing Nathalie Hagman, who became a top scorer at Spain 2021 with 71 goals, left back Jamina Roberts as well as line players Linn Blohm and Anna Lagerquist.
During the preparation for the tournament, Sweden exchanged victories in friendly games with Germany, losing 30:33 and then taking a 30:23 revenge. However, a key defender, Mathilda Lundström was injured during the warm-up before the second match, so she is not likely to play against China.Â
The Asian team has a big experience at this level, as they are heading into their 18th consecutive IHF Women’s World Championship. While the eighth place in 1990 remains their best result, the Chinese have never finished above the 17th position over the past 20 years.Â
Now they hope to reach main round, and beating Senegal in their third group match should be a key to reaching that goal. And although China would also like to upset the co-hosts on Friday, this mission seems nearly impossible.Â
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Group C
18:00 CET Republic of Korea vs GreenlandÂ
This clash between the two continental champions will be the second time the two teams have met in an IHF Women's World Championship after their clash back at the 2001 edition, held in Italy and won by Korea 27:12 (15:5).
And with both sides losing their opening games, the stakes could not be higher. Another loss and it will be very hard to secure one of those three main round tickets.
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Those two losses came in very different circumstances, Asian champions Korea losing to a last-second Austria penalty and North America and the Caribbean champions Greenland losing 43:11 against title-holders and co-hosts Norway.
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Korea coach Henrik Signell praised the never-give-up attitude of his team against Austria and he will be looking towards hummel Player of the Match award winner Bitna Woo – who scored 11 in the game – to lead again.
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“Based on this [performance] we can play better and better in the next game,” said Woo after the defeat.
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Despite their large loss, every single goal or save from Greenland was celebrated by their loud group of fans and they have nothing to lose in Norway, according to right wing Nuunu Lukassen.
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“It was all about enjoying every second, it was amazing to play against Norway,” said the 24-year-old. “The fact that we qualified to the world championship [itself] was a very big thing.”
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20:30 CET Austria vs NorwayÂ
Norway got their 2023 campaign off to a perfect start in many ways – a 32-goal victory against Greenland which saw coach Thorir Hergeirsson rotate his entire playing squad, test the injury-doubt Henny Reistad and give a rest to Nora Mork and Katrine Lunde.
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However, the experienced Hergeirsson and his players will know that wildcard-entry Austria will be an altogether different proposition.
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The Herbert MĂĽller-led side kept ahead of Korea in their opener for all but 30 seconds but it still took a post-final buzzer penalty shot from Katarina Pandza to seal the win.
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The performance and result earned praise from MĂĽller, but he knows the current world and European champions will be a different prospect too.
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"Norway is the absolute superior team,” said the coach to oehb.at. “I don't know if there has ever been a better Norwegian team than this one. For ourselves, the fighting spirit has to be there. If we don't pay attention for even a second, it can be a rude awakening because they just run over you and never stop.”
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In 20 meetings between the two sides, Austria have won just eight, with their last encounter back at the 2007 IHF Women’s World Championship in Lyon, France, won by Norway 33:20.
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“We have to make sure that we are compact in defence and develop the feeling for when do I go out, when do I stay behind,” added Austria’s Ines Ivancok. “It will be important that we always push compactly together and watch out for counter-attacks so that we don't allow easy goals."
GROUP E
18:00 CET Romania vs Chile
Romania are the record holders when it comes to the appearances at the IHF Women’s World Championship, being part of every edition so far, with 26 out of 26. In recent years, Romania were always under the spotlight, but were not able to trump their 2005 (silver medal), 2007 (4th place) and 2015 (bronze medal) performances, failing to make the top 10 in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
While everyone expected Cristina Neagu to make a difference at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 and lead the team to a good result in what could be her last appearance in the competition, it seems like coach Florentin Pera will have to start yet another top competition without her, as Neagu is struggling with a knee injury, missing out on the last training sessions and friendly matches. While they will give their best Neagu is ready for the later matches, young Diana Lixandroiu might get a chance.
The 18-year-old left back is following in the footsteps of a Romanian star and her performance at the Women's 19 EHF EURO 2023 showed she is on the right track. She impressed by scoring 51 goals and helped Romania win the bronze medal. She will back the other young talents like Sorina Grozav and Cristina Laslo and give a new push to an experienced Romanian squad.
In a challenging group with Denmark and Serbia, Romania will have to show the right spirit and boost their confidence in the first game against Chile. The South American team secured their Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 ticket through second place at the 2023 Central American Women's Handball Championship, where they showed real progress.
Returning to the IHF Women’s World Championship after 14 years, Chile will have a hard time in a strong group as third place seems like a dream. Still, Chile will try to top their previous results when they finished 23rd at the World Championship in 2009. There, Chile suffered a 17:51 defeat against Romania, which marked their only encounter so far.
20:30 CET Denmark vs Serbia
The last match of the day in the Jyske Bank Boxen Arena in Herning will finally see Denmark stepping onto the court in front of their fans. As one of the co-hosts, Denmark are one of the favourites for the title at the 26th IHF Women's World Championship. Winning bronze at Spain 2021 and silver at the Women's EHF EURO 2022, they will be a tough nut to crack in this group.
Jesper Jensen seems to have the same excellent core with Sandra Toft, Anne Mette Hansen, Louise Burgaard, Rikke Iversen and Line Haugsted. Denmark had a good preparation period and played two friendly matches against Brazil, showing their class in both games, winning 34:24 and 33:16.
On the other side, Serbia has undergone big changes in the last years. Head coach Uros Bregar introduced new players to the national team, as they are one of the youngest sides at the IHF Women’s World Championship, with an age average of around 25 years old. Nine players who have travelled to Denmark will make their debut in this competition, with a clear message sent by Serbia  - gain experience and invest in future.
“Going to Silkeborg in the main round is the primary goal. Denmark, the first opponent in the group, plays at home. Let's remember that they lost the final of the European Championship to Norway and they are certainly one of the main favourites. At the same championship, Romania did not show how strong it is and it is certainly the favourite against us. We will look for our chance against Chile and we are preparing for that,” concluded Uros Bregar ahead of the first match for rss.org.rs.
Denmark faced Serbia ten times since 2010 but only three of those games were at the World Championship - in 2013, 2015 and 2019. In 2013 Serbia narrowly won in Group B (23:22), two years later Denmark took their revenge claiming a 29:20 victory while their 2019 encounter ended in a draw (26:26).
GROUP G
18:00 CET Kazakhstan vs Brazil
Brazil opened their account two days ago, with a convincing win against Ukraine, 35:15 and are clear favourites to progress to the main round. Their defensive display, backed by Barbara Arenhart's saves, was Brazil's strength at the start of Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 and the South American side aims to continue down the same road against another underdog - Kazakhstan.
The Asian team was giving their best in the clash against Spain and were leading after the first ten minutes of the game, but they could not keep up the pace, falling behind and conceding a 17:34 loss.Â
Kazakhstan will now have to face Brazil's attack, led by Bruna Almeida de Paula and Mariana Costa. The duo are South American top-scorers and were extremely efficient from fast break, punishing every opponent's mistake. Winning against Kazakhstan would also bring the main round berth for a Brazilian team ahead of the top-notch match against Spain in round 3.
Kazakhstan made their IHF Women's World Championship debut in 2007 when they finished in the 18th place. One of the reasons for that placement was a 19:36 defeat against Brazil in President's Cup Group I which was also the first and the last time these two teams met.
20:30 CET Spain vs Ukraine
“Las Guerreras” had a topsy-turvy start to the first game against Kazakhstan, but a brilliant second half showcased all their skills. Still, Kazakhstan was not the opponent against whom Ambros Martin's players could present their true force and neither will be Ukraine.
The inexperienced Ukrainian players ended a 14-year wait to be among the best teams in the world, but lost their maiden match and know they will have a hard time keeping up with Spain, just like they did with Brazil, with the match against Kazakhstan being the key for a main round berth.
“This is just the beginning. We have given a chance to play to everyone in the first game and I believe the next games will be better. Brazil were our first game, the first time we played in such an arena and there was a frenzy. In the following games we will cope with it better, we will show a decent result,” said Ukrainian goalkeeper Victoria Saltanyuk for handball.net.ua.
Even though Spain and Ukraine never played against each other at the World Championship, they did have two encounters in the qualifications for Germany 2017. The first game ended in a draw, while Spain secured their ticket for the final tournament with a 22:20 win at home.