World champions France beaten
DHB women are in the final of the Handball World Cup
Updated 12/12/2025 – 7:31 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Sensational success for the German handball women: In the semi-finals of the World Cup, the DHB team defeated defending champions France and is in the final.
Germany didn’t have such bad memories of any opponent as France: their last competitive win against the French was exactly 20 years ago to the day. This negative series was stopped on Friday evening: The DHB women defeated the French team 29:23 – and are therefore in the World Cup final next Sunday (from 5.30 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online).
Even before the final on Sunday against Olympic champions Norway or co-hosts Netherlands, the DHB women have secured their first World Cup medal since bronze in 2007. A sporty winter fairy tale that perhaps even takes on golden contours in this form.
In front of a manageable World Cup crowd of around 5,000 spectators, captain Antje Döll was the best German thrower with nine goals.
Even though the roles were clearly assigned before kick-off, the belief in a German victory was “abnormally high,” as backcourt player Emily Vogel emphasized. The outstanding defense, a strong Katharina Filter in goal and an unusual callousness in attack had not only awakened quiet medal dreams in the DHB squad. “The greed has grown,” reported national coach Markus Gaugisch before kick-off.
For the DHB, the World Cup miracle is not just a sporting success. The performances in front of more than 10,500 fans in Dortmund and millions of TV viewers are intended to sustainably promote the development of women’s handball and further increase its visibility.
If Germany continues to play like it did in the early stages in the future, many new fans are likely to be added. Captain Antje Döll scored five times in the first half alone, Filter even saved a seven-meter penalty and Vogel and Viola Leuchter slammed the balls into the goal from the backcourt at over 80 kilometers per hour. Even when the German team lost their four-goal lead due to some technical errors, the team didn’t collapse.
France’s world-class goalkeeper Hatadou Sako was initially not a factor at all. The hundreds of German fans who had traveled could hardly believe their eyes when they saw their team off at the break with a three-goal lead. “My heart is jumping, I’m thrilled,” said team manager Anja Althaus, summing up the mood on the ARD microphone.