The German handball players lived up to their clear role as favorites and started qualifying for the 2026 European Championships with a mandatory victory.
National coach Markus Gaugisch’s selection won 34:18 (14:8) against North Macedonia in Gummersbach. The best DHB throwers were Viola Leuchter and Alexia Hauf with five goals each.
The away game in Belgium continues on Sunday (1:45 p.m.). Another opponent in the European Championship qualification is Slovenia. The first two teams in each of the six qualifying groups as well as the best four third-placed teams will secure participation in the European Championships, which will be held in December 2026 in Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Turkey.
Good defense, shaky offense
The German team benefited from many technical errors from the visitors and took an early lead of 5-1. The defense was compact and North Macedonia didn’t manage to score until the 17th minute. However, the DHB offensive, especially the outside players Antje Döll and Jenny Behrend, missed many opportunities – the hit rate was 60 percent at halftime.
The game was already decided at the break, but the DHB team didn’t want to be satisfied with the poor exploitation of their chances. The host increased its efficiency and moved ahead to ten goals for the first time in the 53rd minute.
Show running before the World Cup nomination
The two international matches this week are the last chance for the DHB players to draw attention to themselves before being nominated for the World Cup. On November 4th, Gaugisch wants to announce which players he will compete with at the World Cup from November 26th to December 14th, 2025 in Germany and the Netherlands.