The Women’s Handball World Cup could become a Scandinavian affair, and not just because of the venues. These are the favorites for the Women’s Handball World Cup.
When the Women’s Handball World Cup starts on November 29th in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, Germany will not be among the top medal candidates. If the team wants to pull off a surprise and make it to the semi-finals, they have to get past the big favorites.
Norway – Oftedal and Mork again, but also Reistad
Hardly any other nation dominates women’s handball like the Norwegians. The current European champions are the top favorites for the title. Especially because as hosts they can expect a lot of support from the ranks. They play in front of their home crowd until the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final take place in Herning, Denmark.
The team is full of world-class players of all ages: Despite her age of 43, goalkeeper Katrine Lunde is still considered one of the world’s best. Backcourt player Nora Mork (32) is considered one of the most dangerous players of her generation. The 24-year-old Henny Reistad was selected at the 2022 European Championships MVP of the tournament and brings a breath of fresh air into the older team. Reistad could inherit Stine Oftedal in the future. The exceptional playmaker and 2019 world handball player has announced that she will end her career after the 2024 Olympic Games.
The headlines of the past few weeks show how serious the team around coach Thorir Hergeirsson is. The Norwegian association announced that the team would not be available for autograph requests and selfies before and during the World Cup in order to minimize the spread of flu and corona. The Norwegians received a lot of criticism for this.
Denmark – “Danish Dynamite” especially in coverage
After the European Championship final defeat against Norway last year, the Danes want to go one step further at their home World Cup. Unlike Norway, the Danes don’t have a long list of world stars in their attack; the best-known name is probably the half-left Anne Mette Hansen. But that doesn’t make coach Jesper Jensen’s team any less strong. Every position is at least solidly staffed.
The Danes’ great strength is their defense with Kathrine Heindahl as one of the best defense players in the world. Sandra Toft and Althea Reinhardt are probably the strongest goalkeeper duo at this World Cup.
Sweden – home atmosphere tipping the scales?
The third host, Sweden, also has a chance of winning the title. The team should get through the preliminary and main rounds without any stumbles and the team also has the potential to go far in the knockout phase.
The key player for the Swedes is Jamina Roberts. With 216 international matches, she is the most experienced in the Swedish squad. Since the birth of her daughter in 2020 and her comeback just 45 days after giving birth, the backcourt player seems to have made another leap in performance. She will be immensely important to the success of her team.
In the past, the Swedes’ biggest problem was nerves. In important games they were not able to fully exploit their potential. The home atmosphere could help.
France – with physicality to become a “party crasher”?
France is probably the team that is most likely to crash the Scandinavian party among the favorites. A physically strong team that has been playing at a consistently high level for years.
They have two incredibly strong playmakers in Grace Zaadi and Estelle Nze Mirko. Pauletta Foppa is already one of the world’s top circular runners; at just 22 years old, she was elected to the all-star team at last year’s European Championships. The team has been led by coach Olivier Krumholz since 2016. During this time, the “Equipe Tricolore” won three of its four gold medals at major tournaments.
The semi-finals should be the French women’s minimum goal, but they will also focus on next year. Both the French women and men are known for not always approaching the tournament, which takes place before the Olympic Games, at full speed. This is particularly true for the 2024 Games at home in Paris.
Netherlands – healthy mix in the squad
Reaching the knockout phase should also be more or less a given for the Dutch. In 2019, “Oranje” celebrated its greatest success to date with victory at the World Championships in Japan. Since then, no team has made it to the semi-finals.
Nevertheless, the team is a force to be reckoned with. In addition to the more experienced players such as Laura van der Heijden, Lois Abbingh, Angela Malestein and the recently injured Estevana Polman, coach Per Johansson’s team has integrated many younger players, such as half-right Dione Housheer, left-winger Bo van Wetering and goalkeeper Sara ten Holte. The Dutch are not always easy to figure out for their opponents because of the breadth of the squad.