“Catch the Dream” at the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship, as final venue is announced

While the qualifications for the 2023 IHF Women's World Championship are still in full fledge, preparations are already underway for the following edition of the world handball flagship competition, which is due to take place in December 2025 in Germany and the Netherlands. 

The 27th edition of the IHF Women's World Championship will be the fourth organised by Germany, after the ones in 1965, 1997 and 2017, while the competition will return to the Netherlands for the third time, after the editions held in 1971 and 1986.

The Dutch (NHV) and German Handball Federations (DHB) officially threw off their preparations on Wednesday, 5 April, in an event which took place at the Spido Rederij in Rotterdam, announcing the venues that will host the games, in the presence of the two Presidents of the national federations, as well as the Alderman of Rotterdam, Faouzi Achbar, and the Alderman of 's-Hertogenbosch, Marianne van der Sloot.

After the DHB announced that the competition is due to be hosted by Dortmund, Stuttgart and Trier, two venues will cover the matches in the Netherlands, Rotterdam and 's-Hertogenbosch.

The Rotterdam Ahoy, a state-of-the-art arena which can host over 16,000 fans, will host the final weekend of the competition, including the big final, which will decide the new world champion.

"After the wonderful results in recent years, it is a logical step that the Netherlands, as the organising country, will put handball more in the spotlight with a World Championship on its own soil. The world's most dynamic ball sport will be given a unique stage in which we will offer all fans, wherever they are in the world, an unforgettable experience," said the President of the Netherlands' Handball Federation, Roel Goffin.

"The Netherlands and Germany are close neighbours and traditionally have close ties in handball. This will be reflected at the IHF Women's World Championship in 2025, which will be jointly organised by NHV and DHB. We want to strengthen ties between the two countries and create an outstanding event for women's sports in our decade of handball," added Andreas Michelmann, the President of the German Handball Federation.

"Catch the Dream" will be the official motto of the competition, scheduled for December 2025, which will see 32 teams battle for the trophy, the third edition in history with a 32-team lineup at the start of the world handball flagship competition.

Obviously, the spirits are high for the Netherlands and Germany, which have earmarked the competition as a big chance to secure a medal. The Dutch side has been one of the most consistent teams in women's handball between 2010 and 2020, securing their first-ever world title at Japan 2019.

"It is very cool to play a final major tournament in my career in my own country. Handball has become increasingly popular in recent years, and we want to take another step towards inspiring more girls and boys. The goal, of course, is to win a medal at the World Championship in what may be my masterpiece. That is one of my biggest dreams," said the Dutch team's captain, Lois Abbingh.

Germany have also been a perennial contender over the last few years and will be looking to generate momentum before the start of the competition with a young and hungry side.

"We hope many people will get excited and come to watch the World Championships. Playing a final tournament on our own ground, with our fans is one of the highlights of a career, maybe the highlight," concluded Emily Bölk, Germany's captain.

Photos: Handball Federation Netherlands