Handball World Cup
Which opponents are now threatening Germany in the quarter-finals?
January 23, 2025 – 10:05 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Germany is in the quarter-finals of the Handball World Cup. And it is already clear which group the next opponent will come from.
The show of strength in the first half turned into a clear victory in the second half. Germany’s handball players won their fateful game against Italy at the World Cup and thanks to Denmark’s victory against Switzerland a few hours later, the quarter-finals are now guaranteed.
Behind group winners Denmark, the DHB selection will move into the round of the best eight teams in second place. It is also clear that the German quarter-final opponent comes from main round group III. And there are some top teams in this. At the moment, Portugal would actually be the challenger for the DHB selection as first in the group with 5:1 points. Second is Brazil (4:2) ahead of prominent names such as Sweden (4:2), Spain (3:3) and Norway (2:4).
Tomorrow, Friday, league leaders Portugal will face Spain from 3:30 p.m. and with a win they would almost secure first place, as the Iberians’ last opponent is Chile, bottom of the group. If that happens, Portugal would be Germany’s quarter-final opponent.
The team led by handball prodigy Francisco Costa is one of the biggest upstarts of recent years. But: The latest balance speaks for Germany. The DHB team won both direct duels before the 2024 European Championship.
In any case, Germany can still hope for its first World Cup medal in 18 years. The Olympic silver medalist has it in his own hands, but still needs to improve. For this, national coach Alfred Gislason’s team urgently needs playmaker Juri Knorr, who is in danger of being out. Because Knorr is suffering from an infection (you can read more about it here). It is still unclear when he will return.