The final day of the 2025 IHF Women's World Championship brings two matches everyone has been waiting for. After 106 matches played in five host cities, the world title will be decided in Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, as Germany and Norway step onto the court unbeaten.

Can co-hosts Germany produce another outstanding performance, stun Norway, and secure the trophy after 32 years, or will Norway continue on their path of writing handball history with a fifth gold?

In the penultimate match of the competition, France and co-hosts Netherlands meet with the bronze medal on the line and pride at stake after tough-luck losses in the semi-finals.

Final
17:30 CET Germany vs Norway

After 18 exciting days, it is time for the battle for the trophy. One thing is certain: a new world champion will be crowned in Rotterdam on Sunday, after France conceded their maiden loss of the competition in the semi-finals. The only question is whether Germany will lift the trophy for the second time or Norway will claim their fifth world title.

Both sides arrive in the final unbeaten at Germany/Netherlands 2025 and barely broke a sweat on their road to Rotterdam. Germany and Norway have won every match almost with ease, their narrowest victories being Germany's 29:25 win against Spain and Norway's 32:31 victory over Montenegro.

Germany left their home soil as co-hosts after the quarter-finals to continue their medal chase in the Netherlands, and the move suited them perfectly. By overcoming title defenders France in the semi-final, they booked their first World Championship final in 32 years, dreaming of climbing the top step of the podium once again.

Just as they did in 1993, when they won the world title in Norway after beating Denmark in the final. Even in defeat, Germany would celebrate a historic silver medal, their first medal at this stage since bronze in 2007.

Norway are chasing yet another gold medal as a nation that has defined modern women's handball and continues to write new chapters of its history. Head coach Ole Gustav Gjekstad now has the chance to extend the legacy built by his predecessor Thorir Hergeirsson, who took over the national team in 2009 and won six medals across eight World Championships: three golds, two silvers, and one bronze. And it is also another stage for Katrine Lunde, who is playing her final tournament with the national team and now has the opportunity to claim her third World Championship gold.

That experience and machine-like efficiency were on full display in the semi-final against co-hosts the Netherlands, where Norway cruised to a commanding 35:25 win. Norway arrive as the most complete team of the competition, boasting both the best attack and the best defence. They have scored 282 goals or 35.2 per game, while conceding just 156 or 19.5 per game. Germany, on the other hand, feature the fourth-best attack with 261 goals and the second-best defence, having allowed 172.

The final also brings a direct duel between team captains chasing the top scorer title. Norway's Henny Reistad stands at 50 goals, four behind competition leader from Cuba, Lorena Delgado, while Germany's Antje Döll follows closely with 48. They will go head-to-head as the driving force behind their teams in the hunt for glory.

This will be the seventh World Championship meeting between Germany and Norway, and Norway have won all six previous encounters, including the 1997 semi-final, after which Germany went on to claim bronze, while Norway reached the final and won silver.

 

Third place match
14:30 CET France vs Netherlands

Co-hosts the Netherlands enjoyed incredible support from day one at the 2025 IHF Women's World Championship and remained unbeaten all the way to the semi-finals. However, their perfect record led them straight into a clash with Norway in the battle for a home final and, despite their best efforts, they could not keep up with one of the strongest teams in the competition.

Their dream of gold, and of bidding farewell to Lois Abbingh and Estavana Polman with the shiniest medal, may have slipped away, but the hosts still have the chance to finish on a high. A win would bring the Netherlands their second bronze medal after 2017, and their fourth World Championship medal overall.

Standing in their way is France, who saw their title defence come to an end and now must look for redemption in the bronze medal match. This situation is unfamiliar territory for France as they had never lost a World Championship semi-final in their previous seven appearances, but against Germany they struggled to find solutions in both attack and defence.

Recent history does not offer much comfort either, as France have lost both bronze medal matches they played at the Women's EHF EURO 2022 and 2024. That makes this game another challenge for Sébastien Gardillou, in only his second major competition as head coach, and a new-look squad.

For the Netherlands, there is also confidence to draw from. They already defeated France at Germany/Netherlands 2025, handing them their first loss of the tournament in the main round with a 26:23 win in a match dominated by strong goalkeeping and defensive intensity. Repeating that performance, however, will be anything but easy.

One thing is certain: turnovers will be decisive for each side. Both teams easily punish mistakes and both sit at 62 fast-break goals, making them the most efficient transition teams of the championship. Defensively, they are also closely matched, while France hold a slight edge in attack, having scored 267 goals or 33.3 per game, compared to the Netherlands' 254 or 31.7 per game.

Dione Housheer and Bo van Wetering have been outstanding for the hosts, netting 39 and 38 goals respectively. On the French side, line player Sarah Bouktit leads the scoring charts with 35 goals, supported by the instrumental Léna Grandveau, who has contributed 30 goals and 38 assists.

Apart from their main round meeting at this championship, France and the Netherlands have faced each other twice at the World Championship, with France winning both encounters. However, they have never clashed with a World Championship medal on the line until this moment.