Norway survived a fierce challenge from co-hosts Germany in a tense final at Ahoy Arena, edging a 23:20 win to lift their fifth World Championship trophy to give goalkeeper Katrine Lunde a dream ending to her national team career.

Final  
Germany vs Norway 20:23 (11:11)

Germany opened their first final in 32 years with the first goal, but Norway soon responded through Katrine Lunde’s saves and Ingvild Bakkerud’s goals. Still, the gap stayed minimal. Norway did not use those saves to pull away and, with a less aggressive defence than usual and uncharacteristic mistakes in attack, they soon found themselves trailing again.

The co-hosts punished that spell, as Germany produced a 2:0 run, with Xenia Smits making it 6:4 and putting early pressure on Norway. The Olympic and European champions managed to level once more, but their attack lacked the usual flow seen throughout the competition, with errors and missed chances disrupting their rhythm. By the 21st minute the score was 9:9 and both sides were converting only 47% of their shots.

Even with only a minimal edge, Germany controlled the rhythm for long stretches. Their energy stayed high, the deep defence continued to do its job, and the hosts found goals from long range. At the other end, Lunde, who was selected eventually in the All-Star team, kept Norway alive with late saves, finishing the half on 39% efficiency and ensuring the teams went into the break level at 11:11.

Norway started the second half in fiery fashion, seizing control again and, with the help of Henny Reistad, moving to 14:12 - their first two-goal lead of the final. That cushion proved crucial as they continued to struggle at times to find solutions against an increasingly compact German side. A six-minute scoring drought allowed the co-hosts to close the gap to a single goal as the clock approached the 45th minute.

Nerves began to show for Norway, and when Germany levelled at 17:17 in the 47th minute, it was clear the favourites needed to cut out mistakes and tighten their defence. Long-range shots and breakthroughs had become a problem, prompting another Norwegian time-out.

The break had the desired effect. Driven by an outstanding Reistad, Norway created a new gap. The centre back powered her team into a two-goal lead and, with her strike for the 55th goal of her campaign, secured the top-scorer title at the World Championship.

Germany never backed down. They kept pushing and kept their hopes alive, refusing to allow Norway to relax. But in a final that had everything, Norway once again showed why they have ruled the world stage for so long.

They survived the scare and, with two huge goals from Malin Aune on the right wing, pulled clear in a matter of moments. Suddenly it was 22:19 with less than four minutes left. On top of that, their 5-1 defence shut Germany down, and Lunde’s 14th save of the night underlined it all – a fitting performance by the Norwegian goalkeeper in her farewell match. From her first World Championship appearance back in 2003, Lunde bows out with a staggering collection of 13 gold medals at major competitions.

At the final buzzer, Norway celebrated a 23:20 win and their fifth World Championship title, completing a golden treble after winning the 2024 Olympic Games and the Women’s EHF EURO 2024. They are now the only team in history to secure five World titles, one more than Russia, which won the competition four times.

For Germany, despite the defeat, the silver medal marks a historic achievement – their first World Championship final since 1993 and their first world medal since 2007.