The long road to the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship, which will be co-hosted by Germany and the Netherlands, started last week, with the Qualification Phase 1 for the European continent, where 12 teams entered the fray to continue their quest for a berth at the world handball flagship competition.

For the Qualification Phase 1, 12 sides have been divided into four groups of three teams each, with the group winners progressing to the Qualification Phase 2, where Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Montenegro, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Croatia, Czechia, Poland, Serbia, Austria, Switzerland, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Iceland, Slovakia, Portugal, Türkiye and Faroe Islands await.

In Group 1, hosts Lithuania dominated the proceedings, and made it through to the next phase, with two wins in two matches. If the first one against Great Britain provided a big win, 37:23, the second one, against Greece, was on a knife’s edge. Greece had previously secured a 20:17 against Great Britain, therefore Lithuania needed at least a draw to progress, due to the superior goal difference.

The two teams traded goals until the end of the match, with the deadlock not broken at half-time, 11:11. Lithuania took a four-goal lead midway in the second half, but Greece bounced back, as Maria Chatziparisidou had an efficient outing, with six goals. Greece even took the lead, 24:23, with five minutes to go, but failed to score in the last four minutes, with Vakare Damuleviciute eventually helping Lithuania to take a 25:24 win at the buzzer.

Group 2 also provided some highly dramatic matches, as hosts Belgium lost their first match against Kosovo, 28:32, where Leonora Demaj scored 11 goals for the winners. Demaj doubled down in the second match, a 32:26 win against Bosnia Herzegovina, scoring 13 goals for Kosovo and becoming the top scorer of this phase of the European Qualifiers, gifting her side the Qualification Phase 2 berth. Belgium finished second, after taking a 28:27 win against Bosnia Herzegovina in the last match of the competition.

In Group 3, hosts Finland finished on the last place, with a single point, drawing against Estonia in the first match, 24:24, and conceding a 18:26 loss against Israel. It was Israel which took the first place and automatically qualified for the Qualification Phase 2, after a 29:22 win against Estonia.

The team which made it to the Qualification Phase 2 with the largest goal difference was Italy, which dominated Bulgaria and Luxembourg on their home court. First, Italy took a 29:21 win against Bulgaria, delivering a strong outing in the second half, while in the second match against Luxembourg, the hosts of this group jumped to a 39:20 win.

Therefore, Lithuania, Kosovo, Israel and Italy sealed the tickets for the the Qualification Phase 2, where Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Montenegro, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Croatia, Czechia, Poland, Serbia, Austria, Switzerland, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Iceland, Slovakia, Portugal, Türkiye and Faroe Islands await.

The draw for the European Qualification Phase 2 for the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship will take place on 15 December, on the outskirts of the Women’s EHF EURO 2024. The doubleheaders will be played on 9 and 10 April and 12 and 13 April 2025.

Photo credit: Federazione Italiana Giuoco Handball