2023 IHF Women’s World Championship. Three Locations, Past Winners, Groups, Key Players, Schedule, and Outcome

Three Scandinavian countries, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden will host the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship, which is the 26th edition. This is the first time in history the championship is held in three countries. All thirty-two nations will fight for the title, and the party starts with a preliminary round featuring eight groups of four teams. Then, the TOP 3 teams from each group advance to the main round, which consists of four groups with six teams. From each group, only two will qualify for the quarterfinals, and the rest is as always.

Past Champions of the IHF Women’s World Championship

The beginning of the Women’s World Championship goes all the way to 1957. Yugoslavia was the first country that had the pleasure of organizing the event, and the Czechoslovakian squad won the contest. Two years ago, in 2021, the Norway national team won the tournament for the fourth time in their history, beating France in the final 29-22, and became only the second squad in history to win four titles. (1999, 2011, 2015, and 2021). In addition, Russia is the second nation with four IHF trophies, as they won four titles in eight years (2001, 2005, 2007, and 2009).

Only three teams throughout history won the tournament as the host nation – Romania in 1962, Yugoslavia in 1973, and Russia in 2005.

2023 IHF Women’s World Championship Schedule

The tournament starts on the 29th of November and will last 19 days. The difference is that we will not proceed to the 1/16 after the preliminary round, but instead, teams will play in the extra main round. Only two teams from four groups, where six teams compete, will secure a place in the quarterfinals. Here is the full schedule of the contest.

Preliminary round – from the 29th until the 5th of December
Main round – from the 6th until the 11th of December
Quarter Finals – from the 12th until the 13th of December
Semi-Finals – on the 15th of December
3rd Place Game and Grand Final – on the 17th of December

2023 IHF Women’s World Championship Groups

As mentioned, the teams will play in three countries, but the number of cities increase to six – Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Stavanger, Herning, Frederikshavn, and Trondheim. Teams will play the preliminary round in Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Stavanger, Herning and Frederikshavn.

Gothenburg, Trondheim, Herning, and Frederikshavn will have the pleasure of organizing the quarterfinals, but the semi-finals and medal matches will take place at Herning’s Jyske Bank Boxen, 15,000-capacity arena, which has previously hosted the 2015 Women’s Final and the 2019 Men’s Final. Here is the full view of all eight 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship groups.

Group A in Gothenburg: Sweden, Croatia, PR of China, Senegal

Sweden will take on EHF EURO 2020 bronze medallists Croatia, People’s Republic of China and Senegal in Group A. Croatia is currently in the middle of a generation change, and it is intriguing to see how this will play out for the team that will fight against diverse enemies. Senegal is also a fascinating team, a crew with many players in the French league.

For Sweden, this is the first time they will play on their home court, with the preliminary and the main rounds hosted in Gothenburg. The Scandinavian side will be the favourites in Group A, as they expect to seal three wins out of three, and they hope to improve their best-ever result in the world handball competition, a fourth place in Germany 2017.

Group B in Helsingborg: Montenegro, Hungary, Cameroon, Paraguay

With three qualifying spots for the main round, Hungary and Montenegro will seek to go through without problems and fight for first place in the final standings. The fight for the third qualifying spot will be tense, as Cameroon and Paraguay have equal chances to secure a place.

The most worrying issue for Montenegro is Jovanka Radičević, as the player with the highest number of caps (192) and goals (1103) has ended her international career and will be particularly challenging to replace. In addition, another essential partaker will skip the competition – left-back Djurdjina Jauković.

Group C in Stavanger: Norway, Republic of Korea, Greenland, Austria

Co-hosts and reigning champions Norway are the clear favourites of the group, having excellent depth and skill but also immense fan support. Norway can look forward to clashes with Asian champions Republic of Korea, Greenland, and wildcard recipient Austria. No team has won more medals at the World Handball Competition than this Scandinavian nation, as they made the semi-finals in seven of the last eight editions. They won six medals throughout this run, including the gold in 2011 (Brazil), 2015 (Denmark), and 2021 (Spain).

The champions will have players like goalkeeper Katrine Lunde, back Henny Reistad, right back Nora Mørk, and already mentioned MVP of the previous edition of the IHF Women’s World Championship – Kari Brattset Dale. The fight for second place will be tense as the Republic of Korea and Austria will strive to secure second place.

Group D in Stavanger: France, Slovenia, Angola, Iceland

Olympic champion France is the favourite as they prepare for the home Paris 2024 Olympics. They will probably have the perfect start to the competition, but on the other hand, who will stay second – Angola or Slovenia?

Les Bleus has an advantage over all sides in Group D, especially against Angola, as France won eight out of nine, including three in a row against the African powerhouse. Iceland’s national team is the outsider due to their lack of experience and profundity. They have a negative head-to-head record against all their opponents here.

Group E in Herning: Denmark, Romania, Serbia, Chile

Only three places available for the main round mean that three European sides will be clear favourites to progress to the next phase, as the national team of Chile does not have enough experience and will exit the competition early. Denmark, Romania, and Serbia are looking towards the knockout phase of the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship.

Denmark is a powerful contender that grabbed the bronze medal in 2021 and finished second in the continental competition. Romania does not have a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and their main goal is evident – finish between the top sides this year to have a chance to qualify.

Group F in Herning: Germany, Poland, Japan, IR of Iran

Two European sides and two Asian teams will face off for the three places reserved for the main round. Germany, Poland, and Japan will attempt to take as many points as possible into the main round, while the Islamic Republic of Iran is the underdog here. Regardless, they will try their best to steal some points and upset the favourites of Group F.

Germany is the favourite of the group due to their experience and players hitting their prime. Defensive leaders like Alina Grijseels (CB) and Emily Bölk (LB) will undoubtedly endeavour to prevent teams from scoring and boost the chances of going deep in this tournament.

Group G in Frederikshavn: Brazil, Spain, Ukraine, Kazakhstan

Spain is the favourite after finishing as runners-up in 2019 and in fourth place in the previous IHF Women’s World Championship edition. They missed out on a medal in dramatic fashion as Spain went into the semi-finals on a seven-game winning streak and lost against Norway and Denmark.

Spain won all five matches against Brazil over the last 20 years, but none came by a margin larger than five goals. Ukraine makes the comeback for the first time since 2009, qualifying after 14 years of absence. Spain and Ukraine had never met at the World Championship, so hopefully, the debut will not disappoint. Kazakhstan is the outsider in this group, and Ukraine will try to beat Brazil for second place.

Group H in Frederikshavn: Netherlands, Czech Republic, Argentina, Congo

The final IHF Women’s World Championship group consists of two European sides, one South American team and an African team – with the Netherlands, Czechia, Argentina, and Congo contending for the three spots. Winning a silver medal in 2015 (Denmark), a bronze medal in 2017 (Germany) and a gold in 2019 (Japan), the Netherlands are the favourites to win the group and go deep this year again.

Two years ago, the Netherlands failed to make the quarterfinals for the first time since 2013 – but with the same core of players this year and especially the head-to-head advantage against Czechia and Argentina, they are not willing to give this first position to no one. Disappointedly, the Congo national team will not win a single game and will likely end up fourth.

2023 IHF Women’s World Championship Key Players

As we are done with the groups, it is time to review the key players of this IHF Women’s World Championship contest.

Nathalie Hagman – (Right Wing)

Sweden brings a heavy weapon to the fight and the top goal scorer at the previous edition of the IHF Women’s World Championship – Nathalie Hagman, who scored 71 goals in Spain in 2021. She confirmed her excellent form by being the top scorer for Sweden at the EHF EURO 2022 with 43 goals.

Milena Raičević (Back)

Milena Raičević is the new captain of this team and will guide this squad through black and white. She won the silver medal in the 2012 London Olympic Games when Montenegro lost the final match against Norway 26–23. Later that year, she became a European Champion with Montenegro when they took revenge against Norway, winning 34–31 after overtime.

Kari Brattset Dale (Line Player)

The MVP of the previous IHF World Championship, Kari Brattset Dale, is one of the biggest stars of this IHF Women’s World Championship edition. Norwegian bronze winner in the Tokyo Olympic Games, world champion in 2021, and silver medallist in 2017 is ready to add more silverware to her stacked collection. Alongside other key players such as Henny Reistad (left back), Stine Bredal Oftedal (centre back), and Katrine Lunde (goalkeeper) – they might go all the way.

Pauletta Foppa (Line Player)

22-year-old Pauletta Foppa is the forthcoming French superstar who will affect how this team will play during the tournament. In the meantime, she is still incredibly young, but already has many individual and team awards.

All-Star Line Player in the Tokyo Olympic Games (2020); Gold Medal in the Tokyo Olympic Games (2020); Best Young Player of the EHF Champions League (2022);
Silver Medal in the IHF World Championship (2021); All-Star Line Player of the European Championship (2022); European Championship Gold Medal (2018); and European Championship Silver Medal (2020).

Sandra Toft (Goalkeeper)

Captain S. Toft has been a part of the national team for 15 years and won two medals in the past years. Two years ago, Denmark grabbed the WC bronze medal in Spain and the silver medal in the European championship last year in Slovenia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro. This time, co-hosts Denmark will aim to win the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship, as the 2021 IHF Female Player of the Year will do everything in her power to accomplish their dream.

Alina Grijseels (Centre Back)

Grijseels is a vital part of this German team, as she has not only been the top scorer for Germany at the last two major events but is also one of the two captains alongside Bölk. This team is all-rounded, and the level of players is similar. For example, goalkeeper Katharina Filter becomes an essential piece of the Alemanian puzzle, as Dinah Eckerle will not participate this year after she gave birth to her daughter in March. Nevertheless, all eyes should point to Grijseels.

Paula Arcos (Left Back)

21-year-old Arcos demonstrated her extraordinary skill during the EHF EURO 2022, after ending that tournament as the third-best scorer for her team. Obviously, Paula does not have as many individual trophies as the already mentioned P. Foppa, but the future looks reassuring, and she might be one of the biggest weapons this year.

Estavana Polman (Centre back)

The 2019 IHF Women’s World Championship MVP, Estavana Polman, will try to win yet another title for her national team. 31-year-old Dutch superstar alongside Lois Abbingh and Tess Lieder can make some noise during this edition, and even after a few downfalls, they are ready to strike again.

E. Polman’s trophy cabinet: World Championship Gold Medal (2019); MVP of the World Championship (2019); All-Star Centre Back of the World Championship (2019); World Championship Silver Medal (2015); World Championship Bronze Medal (2017); European Championship Silver Medal (2016); European Championship Bronze Medal (2018).

IHF Women’s World Championship Possible Outcome

To conclude, lots of nations can win the title, but Norway is the biggest favourite to repeat their success. Norwegian handball has reached its highest point again after winning the 2021 edition in Spain. France and Denmark are among the probable contenders to lift the trophy, while the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden can always put on a show. The Netherlands won the IHF Championship in Japan four years ago, and for the same reason, they can do it all again.

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