Nine games, eight wins and only one defeat. The record of the German handball players at the home World Cup is impressive. And at the end there is the first World Cup medal in 18 years.
For 19 days, the DHB women thrilled the handball world – with clear victories, beautiful goals and great parades. After this winter’s home World Cup, it’s safe to say that the German team has realized its long-held dream of being at the top of the world.
The Olympic champions from Norway were on the verge of defeat for a long time in the final in Rotterdam, so world-class player Nora Mork also attested to the Gaugisch team’s outstanding performance after the game: “I think Germany have finally managed to ‘crack the code’. They have suffered a bit from the high expectations of the last few years, but none of the other teams have ever underestimated Germany because they have a great team.”
The German handball players have finally “cracked the code”. But what parameters were different at this tournament than, for example, at the home World Cup in 2017, when Xenia Smits and Emily Vogel (then Bölk) collapsed due to the high expectations?
The defense
Germany conceded remarkably few goals in both the preliminary round (57 goals conceded) and the main round (114). On the one hand, this was certainly due to the poor quality of the opponents, such as Uruguay or the Faroe Islands, but also to the greatly improved defense. The previous defense center consisting of Emily Vogel and Xenia Smits has got the perfect third piece of the puzzle in Aimée from Pereira.
The national player, who plays for the Danish club Copenhagen, was under the radar of the DHB for a long time and only made her debut for the national team in March 2025. A decisive move by the national coach, because the 25-year-old brought the necessary bit of coolness, self-understanding and carefree attitude to the German defense. “She fully identifies with her job in defense, even if a fantastic defender is never that noticeable. You have to have a very high handball IQ to take a team like that.”the national coach also enthuses.
From Pereira as a crucial piece of the puzzle
Even when world handball player Henny Reistad used her gifted one-on-one, the Hamburg native celebrated every successful action with shouts of joy and arms raised in the air. Von Pereira masters the fine line between self-confidence and a small pinch of positive “arrogance” perfectly. And in doing so, the defensive specialist drove out the supposed fear of big names in the entire defense and contributed a fundamental part to the silver medal.
The team dynamics
At least since the men’s Basketball World Cup, when Gordon Herbert repeatedly spoke about a clear distribution of roles in the successful German team, coaches have recognized how important the right team dynamics are in a tournament – including Markus Gaugisch. The national coach changed the hierarchy in the team, appointed left winger Antje Döll as the new captain in March 2025 and removed the existing duo Grijseels/Vogel. What initially seemed like a real affront to the two experienced national players turned out to be a clever move.
Emily Vogel (née Bölk), who was already highly praised at a young age, was never able to exploit her full potential in the DHB team until the World Cup. Constant comparisons with world champion mother Andrea seemed to take a toll on the backcourt players and recurring failures at major tournaments did the rest. Without the captaincy, the 27-year-old was able to step out of the spotlight and focus on her sporting performance.
Vogel was named best player on the left backcourt
And the sporting performance is good at this tournament. 29 goals and 22 assists in eight games – the third best goalscorer after Antje Döll and Nina im Engel and the best assist provider. No wonder that tears continued to flow from the best backcourt left in the tournament after winning the silver medal: “For us, who have already taken part in a few tournaments and have always had to endure a lot of disappointment and a lot of criticism, it’s just a great feeling to now be able to silence all the critics a little bit, at least for a few weeks and hopefully have triggered a lot of enthusiasm for German handball.”
After the best World Cup result by a German women’s national team since winning the title in 1993, handball fans can be excited to see what the team’s next tournaments will look like. With Viola Leuchter (best young player in the tournament), Nina Engel and Nieke Kühne, the national coach has a great selection of young players who have already proven their toughness in international competition this year. And a new goal is also needed for the 2026 European Championships, because the long-standing mantra of reaching the top of the world is now outdated with the silver medal.