Reception and celebration in Dortmund: The German handball players sign their names in the city’s Golden Book after winning silver at the World Cup.
A jubilant atmosphere in Dortmund’s town hall. The vice world champions arrived one hour late on Monday afternoon. Led by captain Antje Döll, we walked over the red carpet directly to the city’s mayor, Alexander Kalouti (CDU). The Hanball players then entered their names in the Golden Book of the city of Dortmund.
Laid the foundation for success in Dortmund
Here in Dortmund in the Westfalenhalle, the handball women had four victories on the way to becoming runner-up world champions. And: The German Handball Association has its headquarters in Dortmund. Hence the reception in the Ruhr metropolis. Dortmund’s mayor Kalouti praised the DHB selection highly; their success was an inspiration for the whole of society, said the politician.
We live in a time where we only ever see the negative and the divisive. The handball ladies have proven to us that with courage and a very strong team spirit you can achieve almost anything.
Alexander Kalouti, CDU Mayor of the City of Dortmund
Lisa Antl with her silver medal on the red carpet in the city of Dortmund
The German handball players were unable to crown their sensational World Cup run with the gold medal and missed the miracle of Rotterdam. Two days after the sensational victory in the semi-final against world champions France, national coach Markus Gaugisch’s team narrowly lost the final against the overpowering Norwegians 20:23 (11:11).
Winning the silver medal is still a historic success. This will now happen with the reception for the German Handball-Women’s national team Dortmund celebrated.
The second best World Cup result in Germany Handball history
The handball ladies are happy about World Cup silver
For the German handball players, it is the second best World Cup result in German handball history – or in other words: the greatest success in 32 years. Back then they won the title at the 1993 World Cup in Norway. After that, the women’s DHB team made it onto the podium twice more at the World Championships. In both cases it was third place.
The German women’s team played its way into the spotlight at the Handball World Cup with convincing performances. The semi-final victory against France attracted more than three million viewers to the screens. Many handball fans from North Rhine-Westphalia also watched the game together – for example in the party room with others or in the clubhouse:
In the end, Norway won – but Norway was also considered one of the strongest in the Handball World Cup. The team had already won gold at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and at the European Championships.
Our sources:
- Reporter on site
- Sportschau.de
- Press release from the city of Dortmund
- Alexander Kalouti (CDU), Mayor of Dortmund
Broadcast: WDR current, 12/14/202511:00 a.m
Broadcast: WDR current, December 15, 2025, 5:00 p.m
