Germany/Netherlands 2025 marks the sixth time the South American nation of Paraguay have qualified for an IHF Women’s World Championship.

They became the 31st side to qualify for the event after booking their ticket by winning the SCAHC (South and Central America Handball Confederation) ‘Last Chance’ qualification tournament last April.

This had come after Paraguay had finished fourth, one place outside of qualification, at the SCAHC Women’s Championship last year behind the two, traditional continental powerhouses in Brazil and Argentina, plus Uruguay.

“It was an unforgettable moment. Even though we qualified in the playoffs, it was a reward for all the effort, sacrifice, and dedication we've been building as a team for years. I felt a mix of joy, pride, and profound emotion. I also felt a great sense of responsibility to represent Paraguay with all my heart and always give our best,” said Paraguay’s head coach Marizza Faria to ihf.info about the qualification, their third in a row for the first time.

“It’s an historic achievement that fills us with pride. Qualifying for the third consecutive time demonstrates the constant evolution and growth of Paraguayan handball. It also reflects the commitment of every player, coaching staff, and everyone working behind the scenes. For us, this is an inspiration to continue dreaming big and paving the way for the next generations.”

Previously, Paraguay had qualified for the 24-team 2007, 2013 and 2017 editions, managing no higher than 21st, with two 29th-place finishes (2021, 2023) since the competition was expanded to 32 teams.

And there for all five previous appearances and their forthcoming sixth, is former player and now coach, Faria.

The former centre back – who played club handball in Spain for Monovar, Elda Prestigio, Mar Alicante, Elche Mustang and Balomano La Calzada – played all six Paraguay games at France 2007, racking up over five hours of action, scoring 14 times. At Serbia 2013, she missed just three minutes and 26 seconds of match time in Paraguay’s seven games, scoring 29 times.

A decade after her world championship debut Faria was in action again, playing all seven games, scoring 17 times and playing over five-and-a-half hours, starting her campaign in Trier before moving to Magdeburg at Germany 2017. Her final world championship as a player would be at Spain 2021. Now 38-years-old, she again played in all of Paraguay’s games, scoring six times in seven matches across nearly four-and-a-half hours of play.

With the time to retire arriving, the Paraguayan Handball Confederation were quick to sign Faria up once more, but this time from the sidelines, with the former player taking over coaching at Denmark/Germany/Norway 2023, despite having little experience in the position.

Describing the role as a “dream” at the time, Faria guided her team to their second, successive 29th spot, thanks to wins against Greenland and Kazakhstan.

Faria returns to Trier for world championship action as her team prepare to face three, tough European tests in Faroe Islands, Spain and Montenegro, who they played at Spain 2023 also in the preliminary round, losing 41:26 but ending the first half just two goals behind (17:15).

“We expect intense matches which will demand a lot from us, but will also give us the opportunity to demonstrate all our hard work and growth,” said Faria to ihf.info about Paraguay’s upcoming preliminary group tests.

“Montenegro are a very physical team with experience in major tournaments. We know they will be a very demanding opponent. We've faced each other on several occasions and we hope to compete and continue to grow, while Spain have one of the most important handball schools in the world. They are tactically very strong and disciplined, which challenges us to give our best. The Faroe Islands are a young team that has grown a lot in recent years and they have been demonstrating a high level.”

Those tests will highlight what Faria hopes the world can see – the character of her team.

“Our team is characterised by its determination, discipline, and unity. We like to play with intensity, we work to defend solidly, and we take advantage of our speed to generate attacking opportunities,” she said. “Our greatest strength is teamwork: the trust and support that exists between us on and off the court. Of course, we have incredibly talented players, but the most beautiful thing is how everyone contributes to making the group shine.”

One of those players is captain, Delyne Leiva, who plays for Club Barrilla Puerto del Carmen in Spain and is described by Faria as a role model, natural leader and a player who ‘inspires by example every day’.

“We are very happy to be back at the world championship and  I am very proud of the efforts of the teammates who were able to secure us the spot. I feel proud and excited to compete again at such a high level and to carry our country's name amongst the best in the world. It is very important for our handball to continue growing. We are convinced that this is the way forward, and we will continue working with patience and great effort,” said the centre back to ihf.info.

“We are aware of the high level of our opponents, but we believe we have been doing a very good job in recent years and are capable of competing at a high level. We have good feelings from our recent participations in international competitions, but we are focused on our game and working to compete at our best.

“We're a generation of players who've played together since the youth level which helps us get to know each other better both on and off the court. We highly value speed, obedience, and teamwork, and any new additions are easily adapted because we have similar goals and a very friendly group, which helps us overcome any adversity – we'd all like to honour our country once again, opening even more doors and opportunities for our team, making it clear that Paraguay has a lot to offer and is growing and improving every day.”

Leiva is one of 11 players named in the 32-name provisional Paraguay squad who play in Spain, 17 others playing in Paraguay and the remaining four in Italy, Brazil and North Macedonia.

With this in mind, Faria has split the preparation period for Germany/Netherlands 2025 between Europe and South America. 12 of the squad met in Gijon, Spain, from 13-20 October overseen by Faria with support from the Paraguayan Olympic Committee and the Paraguayan Handball Confederation, while those in Paraguay have been training three days a week at the Paraguayan Handball Confederation stadium in capital city Asuncion.

“It's always important to be at the biggest event in women's handball,” said Martin A. Duarte Leite, Member of the Paraguayan Handball Confederation Executive Committee to ihf.info. “These are some of the events any national team wants to be at. It's a sign that we continue to grow and improve but the three teams we'll face are very dangerous.

“Our team's style is an explosive attack, given that we don't have very tall players, so we take advantage of our quickness and a strong, fluctuating defence. It's a very close-knit team that knows each other because they've been playing together for a long time.”

Key players: Fernanda Insfran (right back), Ariana Portillo (left wing), Jazmin Mendoza (right wing), Fatima Ocampos (goalkeeper), Sabrina Fiore (line player), Delyne Leiva (centre back)

Coach: Marizza Faria

Qualification for Germany/Netherlands 2025: SCAHC "Last Chance" Tournament: Winners via the SCAHC Championship 2024: 4th place 

History in tournament: 2007: 23rd, 2013: 21st, 2017: 21st, 2021: 29th, 2023: 29th

Group at Germany/Netherlands 2025: Group D (Montenegro, Spain, Faroe Islands, Paraguay)