Romania are the only team in history to have taken part at each and every edition of the IHF Women’s World Championship, this being their 27th appearance. However, the European side has been navigating on shaky ground over the last editions, having finished 10th at Germany 2017, 12th at Japan 2019, 13th at Spain 2021 and 12th at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023.

Their form has been nowhere near the one displayed between 2005 and 2015, when they secured two medals – a silver in 2005 and a bronze in 2015 – plus a fourth place in 2007 and an eighth place in 2009. And with a generational change that will send shockwaves in the team, Romania are in a conundrum.

From the 2023 team which featured at the IHF Women’s World Championship, they will miss key stars like Cristina Neagu, Crina Pintea and Eliza Buceschi. The former, a bonafide superstar and a former top goal scorer at the IHF Women’s World Championship, has retired from handball this summer, while Pintea and Buceschi have elected to continue their careers only at club level, due to multiple injuries which plagued them in the last years.

Therefore, this leaves Romania in a tough predicament, having to rebuild their squad with a core of more experienced players, such as Lorena Ostase, Cristina Laslo and Bianca Bazaliu, all members of the squad which won the title at the 2014 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, as well as with several other players who just emerged on the big scene.

Nevertheless, the wind of change blew strongly once again in late September, with 58 days before the start of Germany/Netherlands 2025, when coach Florentin Pera announced his resignation. The Romanian Handball Federation was left scrambling for a replacement and named the junior national team coach, Ovidiu Mihăilă, as the head coach for this competition.

While Mihăilă has experience, leading both men’s and women’s teams in Romania – he is currently the head coach at SCM Craiova women’s team – he has never been a senior national team coach, therefore is lacking experience at this level.

“It is a great honour to be the coach of the Romanian national team, and this responsibility comes with important challenges. I have full confidence in the potential of our players and I believe that together we will make our fans and our country proud.

The time until the World Championship is short, but the team is balanced, healthy and prepared. We rely on the continuity of our strategy, and my goal is for each player to bring their maximum contribution,” said Mihăilă, according to the official website of the Romanian Handball Federation.

A problem which plagued the Romania national team was the fact that over the last years, in all major international competitions, all the players came from the domestic league. This is still the case here, with the 35-player extended roster having exclusively players who are featuring in the Romanian league.

That means that international experience is slim, especially as most of the players who are likely to make the final squad see limited playing time both in the domestic league, as well as in the European club competitions.

Nevertheless, former captain Cristina Laslo was included in the provisional squad and is likely to make the cut, making a return after she did not feature at the EHF EURO 2024.

“I wish the new team much success and I am convinced that, together with the players, we will form a united team, capable of achieving remarkable results. God willing!,” concluded Mihăilă.

Romania will have a tough group at Germany/Netherlands 2025, having played against two of their three opponents at the 2023 IHF Women's World Championship. Against Denmark, they lost by 15 goals, while winning against Japan. But Romania also lost against the Asian side in 2019, 20:37, therefore making this match an interesting proposition.

Key players: Lorena Ostase (line player), Alisia Boiciuc (centre back), Cristina Laslo (centre back)

Coach: Ovidiu Mihăilă

Qualification for GER/NED 2025: Qualification Europe – Round 2 (61:38 on aggregate against Italy)

History in tournament: 1957: 9th, 1962: Winners, 1965: 6th, 1971: 4th, 1973: 2nd, 1975: 4th, 1978: 7th, 1982: 8th, 1986: 5th, 1990: 7th, 1993: 4th, 1995: 7th, 1997: 12th, 1999: 4th, 2001: 17th, 2003: 10th, 2005: 2nd, 2007: 4th, 2009: 8th, 2011: 13th, 2015: 3rd, 2017: 10th, 2019: 12th, 2021: 13th, 2023: 12th

Group at GER/NED 2025: Group A (Denmark, Romania, Japan, Croatia)