Less than two months separate us from the start of the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship, with the 32 participating teams already known.

The draw took place on Thursday, 22 May, in the historic halls of the Noordbrabants Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch, one of the five hosts cities of the competition, and Group A is already positioning to be a very tough one – maybe the toughest in the competition – with two world champions in the lineup – Denmark and Romania – plus two plucky sides which can cause surprises in each match – Croatia and Japan.

Three of the teams have a new coach, as Denmark appointed Helle Thomsen, while Japan settled for a Danish coach, Morten Soubak. On the other hand, Romania saw Florentin Pera handing his resignation last week, with no coach announced until this point.

Romania and Denmark have met numerous times in major international competitions or in the qualification phase of said competitions, with Romania winning 10 out of the 20 matches played between the two sides. Denmark have nine wins, while one game has ended in the draw.

While the maiden game between the two sides came at the inaugural edition of the IHF Women’s World Championship, in 1957, with Denmark taking a 6:1 win, four of the last five matches played at the world handball flagship competition between Denmark and Romania were won by the latter side.

The streak started in 1995, when Romania took a 29:27 win, continued in 2005, when Romania beat Denmark, 33:29, on their way to their best-ever performance in the competition, the silver medal, with the last match being a fiery quarter-final in the Jyske Bank Boxen, the arena where the match in Group E will be played, at Denmark 2015.

That game was one of the most exciting ones in the knockout phase at the IHF Women’s World Championship, as Romania needed extra time to secure a 31:30 win, on their way to another medal, bronze, as Denmark were left emptyhanded when they last hosted the competition.

But Denmark, which are improving on a year-by-year basis, have won the last four mutual matches against Romania, 32:27 and 35:28 in the EHF EURO Qualifications, as well as a 21:17 win at the EHF EURO 2016. The last match played between the two sides, at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship, was a walk in the park for Denmark, which clinched a 39:23 win.

However, over the last years, Romania have failed to make the top-10 in any major international competition, with a fourth place at the EHF EURO 2018 being their best finish in the last seven years.

After coach Florentin Pera quit unexpectedly in late September, the European side has been left scrambling to find a new coach and will see two tough battles against Japan and Croatia, two teams that beat Romania in the last six years.

Despite having a good record against Japan, with seven wins in the last nine matches, including a 32:28 in the main round of the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship, Romania have conceded one of their harshest defeats in history in the world handball flagship competition against the Asian side, 20:37, in the main round of the 2019 IHF Women’s World Championship, which took place in Japan.

Without stalwarts like Cristina Neagu, retired from handball, as well as Eliza Buceschi or Crina Pintea, all lynchpins during the last decade for the national team, Romania will also find a tough nut to crack in Croatia.

Romania have won four of the six mutual matches in major international competitions against their European counterparts, but Croatia have secured wins in two of the last three, including a fantastic 28:27 win in the Round of 16 at the 2011 IHF Women’s World Championship, their only meeting in the competition, eliminating Romania from contention.

The two sides have most recently met in the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers, when Romania took two wins, 26:24 and 25:23, but both matches were close and the same pattern can be expected in the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam.

Denmark and Croatia have met eight times so far in major international competitions, with six wins going Denmark’s way, including the only meeting at the World Championship, at Brazil 2011, when Denmark clinched a 23:19 win.

However, Croatia’s best performance in a competition at the biggest level came at the EHF EURO 2020, when they secured the first medal in the history of the women’s team, with a 25:19 win against Denmark in the bronze medal match.

Nevertheless, the Scandinavian team is the favourite, despite having a new coach in Helle Thomsen, also having a positive balance against Japan in the head-to-head matches at the World Championship.

But after a streak of six consecutive wins, Denmark lost on their home court in the previous edition of the IHF Women’s World Championship against the Asian side, 26:27, after a fantastic display of Japan.

Japan, which have a new coach in Morten Soubak, the Dane who led Brazil to the title in 2013, have split their wins with Croatia so far at the World Championship, losing in 2005, 30:31, while winning the last match, 28:26, in the preliminary round at Spain 2021.