Switzerland take hard-fought win to reach their first-ever World Championship main round

Switzerland claimed a hard-fought 25:24 win over Senegal, sealing their second victory at Germany/Netherlands 2025 and securing a historic first appearance in the main round.

GROUP B
Switzerland vs Senegal 25:24 (14:13)

Hawa N’Diaye and Gnonsiane Niombla were Senegal’s main weapons in the opening minutes, as the African side set a 4:2 lead against Switzerland. However, the Swiss soon turned the tide with a more aggressive defensive approach, and Lea Schüpbach followed up with key saves to spark a 5:0 run and set a 7:5 lead.

It forced Senegal into their first time-out, as they went almost ten minutes without a goal. The reset worked well; they changed their approach, made Switzerland nervous, and within the next ten minutes managed to level the score at 11:11.

Switzerland pushed through with their 6:0 defence, with Kerstin Kündig playing as a half-defender and putting extra pressure on Senegal’s backcourt to disrupt their rhythm. On the other side, Senegal tried to keep the contest tight by marking Daphne Gautschi, aiming to cut Switzerland’s flow and slow the game down, and the half-time score proved they had succeeded.

Their good run extended into the second half as well. In just eight minutes after the restart, Senegal stepped up a gear and restored the two-goal lead they had held at the beginning, moving ahead 17:15. The advantage was built largely on Switzerland’s hasty attacks.

However, Knut Ove Joa’s team soon regrouped and stretched Senegal’s defence, creating more space for Mia Emmenegger on the right wing, as well as Era Baumann, who kept cutting inside from the wing. The two of them turned the score back in Switzerland’s favour at 20:18.

As the game entered its final five minutes, Switzerland grabbed their biggest lead so far at 24:20, but Senegal never gave up. They pushed with a high-pressure defence in the dying moments, trying to cut the gap as much as possible, and at 59:12 they reduced it to 25:23.

Switzerland’s last attack failed, allowing Senegal to close it even further to 25:24, but there simply wasn’t enough time for more. Coach Knut Ove Joa breathed a sigh of relief as Switzerland began celebrating their second win at Germany/Netherlands 2025, securing their first-ever main round berth at the flagship competition.

In the last round, Switzerland will face Hungary in the battle for the top spot, while Senegal will try to secure their first win at the competition against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“We fought until the end. It was a good first half, and we didn’t give up. We tried to stay strong, and in the end it’s minus one. We are disappointed, but it is what it is,” said Senegal’s line player N’Diaye.

“It was a bit stressful. We wanted to win no matter what, and at the end it doesn’t matter if it’s by one or ten goals. The main thing is reaching the main round,” added Era Baumann, who netted six times for Switzerland.

hummel Player of the Match: Tabea Schmid (Switzerland)