After 14-year absence, Uruguay return to global action at Germany/Netherlands 2025

Thanks to their third-place finish at the South and Central America Handball Confederation (SCAHC) Women’s Championship held in Brazil last year, Uruguay return to world championship action after missing the past six editions – appearing last time at Brazil 2011 where they recorded their highest ranking (20th).

14 years ago they were coached by Leonardo Puñales and it is the same coach who guided them back to the world stage once more after their continental bronze medal last year in Niteroi. This came thanks to three wins in Brazil; over Paraguay (25:20), El Salvador (49:6) and Chile (27:18), finishing behind the hosts and Argentina who they both lost to.

Puñales started his coaching career back in 1998, one which has always been at an amateur level in Uruguay, working with players throughout the country in addition to his day job, requiring an “enormous personal commitment” according to the coach, who started at Club Regatas where he worked from 1998 to 2007.

During this period he coached at all national women’s team age levels, returning to oversee the national team again in 2018. Currently, Puñales is head coach of club side Layva, who won the SCAHC Women’s Club Championship (Libertadores del Handball) in May.

Puñales named his 16-woman squad for Germany/Netherlands 2025 in early October with players coming from six club sides: Araraquara (Brazil), plus Uruguayan club teams Alemán, Goes, Náutico, Scuola Italiana and Layva, who won the SCAHC Women’s Club Championship in May under his guidance.

A number of players in the Uruguay squad have international experience at both national and club levels including youth world championships, South American club and national team tournaments, Pan American Games plus some with European club experience.

Coach Puñales will rely on his co-captains Paula Eastman and Viviana Ferrari on court. Ferrari is the sole surviving player from the 2011 team while centre back Eastman was named as MVP and best centre back at the SCAHC Women’s Club Championship in May, won by her club side Layva. Goalkeeper, and club team mate of Eastman, Agustina Modernell, was named as the MVP of the final in Brazil last year and made the All-star Team as best goalkeeper.

“For us both, qualifying for the world championship is first and foremost a reward for all the hard work we've done over the years,” said Eastman to ihf.info.

“The last time we qualified was in 2011, and after that, it was a group that made a great journey, and we were there in many tournaments. Now, we feel that after so much journey and so much training, it's a reward, let's say, for the effort and the journey we've made together. It's also a great experience to have the best handball in the world and the best players face to face. It's a super nice experience.”

“For any athlete, it's the highest level one can reach, besides the Olympic Games,” added Ferrari. “It's also an experience to have international matches for the future, with the South Central American Games coming up next year and many tournaments ahead.”

With handball in Uruguay still an amateur sport, the majority of the squad do not play professionally, the sole exception being their youngest player, Martina Campos, who recently moved up to the senior squad from the junior team.

After playing in Uruguay for AEBU (Asociación de Bancarios del Uruguay), she moved to Brazilian side Araraquara earlier this year. Campos was also part of the Uruguay team – led by Puñales – at the 2022 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship in North Macedonia where they finished 31st.

“Returning to this competition, something Uruguay hasn't achieved since 2011, brought us great joy, not only because we qualified but also because we had a great tournament in Niteroi last year, and we believe we've grown as a team,” said Puñales to ihf.info looking ahead to Germany/Netherlands 2025.

“After a couple of qualifiers in which we narrowly missed out so it's a wonderful challenge to reach this level of challenge and test ourselves. We're gaining considerable experience with much of the group, and we plan to continue growing by capitalising on the tough matches ahead, so we can also show that growth in upcoming regional competitions.”

Uruguay open up their 2025 world championship campaign at the Porsche-Arena in Stuttgart against Serbia, followed by a clash against the host nation Germany and then Iceland – three teams they have never faced in competition before.

“Our debut against Serbia will be difficult. They're a very tough team, and the start of tournaments often makes it hard for us to focus. We'll work on that. We'll arrive without any international matches, which is a disadvantage for this type of competition,” added Puñales about their opening opponents.

“Germany, one of the hosts, boasts a great atmosphere, and the team's level is more than known. We'll try to enjoy that experience and correct what we evaluate there after the first match against Serbia, while Iceland, on paper, is the least experienced team, but we've been following them from the previous world and European championship and we've seen great growth and physical potential, which will surely cause us difficulties. We'll try to capitalise on the experience we have as a team in that match and give them a fight.

“Our playing style is aggressive in defence and intense in running the court. We don't have an internationally recognised body type, which can cause us difficulties at the world championship level, but we seek to compensate for this through mobility and intensity.”

Germany/Netherlands 2025 will be Uruguay’s sixth appearance in history at the event, their debut also coming in Germany, back in 1997, where they finished last.

Key players: Paula Eastman (centre back), Agustina Modernell (goalkeeper)

Coach: Leonardo Puñales

Qualification for Germany/Netherlands 2025: SCAHC Championship 2024: 3rd place

History in tournament: 1997: 24th, 2001: 23rd, 2003: 24th, 2005: 23rd, 2011: 20th

Group at Germany/Netherlands 2025: Group C (Germany, Serbia, Iceland, Uruguay)