Denmark dominate Switzerland to seal their quarter-final ticket

Denmark delivered another commanding performance in Rotterdam, powering through the second half to overpower Switzerland 36:23 and secure their place among the top eight teams at Germany/Netherlands 2025.

Main Round, Group I
Switzerland vs Denmark 23:36 (13:17)

Switzerland started strongly, staying in front for the first eight minutes and even holding a 5:3 lead at one point. However, their mistakes and hasty finishes resurfaced, just as in previous matches. Once Anna Kristensen began making save after save, trouble followed for Switzerland. They went seven minutes without a goal, and Denmark punished them well, jumping to a five-goal lead (10:5).

Denmark could have created an even bigger gap if not for a few of their own mistakes, which kept Switzerland within a manageable distance. The maximum difference stayed at six, and Switzerland managed to trim it slightly before the break thanks to Laurentina Wolff. Neither side shone as they would in their best performances, with Switzerland posting 42% attack efficiency compared to Denmark’s 53%.

The same struggles continued for Switzerland in the second half, as they managed to score only three times in the first 12 minutes after the break, courtesy of Tabea Schmid and Norma Goldmann. Denmark left nothing to chance, powering ahead through fast breaks and a 5:0 run, hitting the ten-goal gap in the 38th minute with another sharp finish from Helena Elver.

Denmark were convincingly heading toward confirming a quarter-final ticket, while Switzerland were on an inevitable course toward their third straight defeat at Germany/Netherlands 2025. With that in mind, both coaches began rotating their squads, giving minutes to everyone. As a result, by the end both sides had a wide spread of scorers — 12 outfield players for Denmark and nine for Switzerland.

Denmark’s biggest lead stretched to 14 and they held it three times — at 30:16, 31:17, and 36:22 — though when the game entered the last ten minutes, the gap settled at 12. With the end approaching, mistakes started to pile up on both sides, but Denmark’s experience and ability to punish errors ensured Switzerland never truly got the chance to soothe the defeat.

The Danes secured their 19th top-eight appearance at the World Championship with a convincing win. Before the quarter-finals, they still have one game left in the main round — a battle for first place in the group against Hungary. Switzerland, on the other hand, will try to end on a high with a win against Romania on Sunday.

hummel Player of the Match: Anna Kristensen (Denmark)