debuts the smallest country in the history of the competition » Who are the favorites, what chances does Romania have, the big changes!

• Reporter Adrian Jitea and photojournalist Ionuț Iordache will be in Rotterdam with the Romanian national team and will transmit all the information and images that matter
• The competition kicks off today, November 26, with matches in Group C (Germany v Iceland), Serbia v Uruguay) and Group D (Spain v Paraguay, Montenegro v Faroe Islands).

Romania has a special place in the history of the World Championship. It is the only national team that participated in all editions. It will do it this time as well, being assigned to group A, along with Denmark, Japan and Croatia.

What the preliminary groups look like, where the matches are played and the system of conduct of WC 2025

• Group A (Rotterdam): Denmark, ROMANIAJapan, Croatia
• Group B ('s-Hertogenbosch): Hungary, Switzerland, Senegal, Iran
• Group C (Stuttgart): Germany, Serbia, Iceland, Uruguay
• Group D (Trier): Montenegro, Spain, Faroe Islands, Paraguay
• Group E (Rotterdam): Holland, Austria, Argentina, Egypt
• Group F ('s-Hertogenbosch): France, Poland, Tunisia, China
• Group G (Stuttgart): Sweden, Brazil, Czech Republic, Cuba
• Group H (Trier): Norway, Angola, South Korea, Kazakhstan

The top 3 placed in each group advance to the 4 main groups, with the pairings being AB (main I), CD (main II), EF (main III) and GH (main IV).

The games in groups I and III will be played in Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, the others in Rotterdam Ahoy.

The top two national teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals, also with Rotterdam and Dortmund as hosts. For the semi-finals and finals, all teams will move to the Netherlands.

PHOTO GALLERY. What the 5 arenas of the World Championship look like

Challenge for the favorite Norway

In 2024, Norway won Olympic and European gold. Specialists see her as a big favorite at the World Cup as well, even if she is going through a major change. It will be the first tournament since parting ways with coach Thorir Hergeirsson. His place was taken by Ole Gjekstad.

1.85is Norway's share of winning the world title

And the most likely future MVP also hails from the Norwegian camp. Henny Reistad, the interior of Team Esbjerg, maintains a sensational level for many years. She was named the best player of the year in 2023 and 2024, and in the shirt of the first national team she has 463 goals in 107 appearances.

Henny Reistad / Photo: Imago Images

Another important news is the fact that Nora Mork solved the visa problems for her daughter and got the lot.

The legendary is not missing either Catherine Lunde. The 45-year-old goalkeeper is currently playing for Red Star Belgrade, but she has not been ignored.

France wants to defend its trophy

The holder of the world title is France, with a final won 31-28 over Norway. These are late times. Meanwhile, legendary coach Olivier Krumbholz has retired, and a generational change is taking place at squad level. Sébastien Gardillou was appointed in charge of the transition.

The representative from Hexagon has won 17 of the last 18 games played at the World Cup and has a 4.50 chance to defend the trophy.

The star of the team comes from Gyor. The goalkeeper Hatadou Sako he has had sensational performances in recent Champions League matches.

Hatadou Sako / PHOTO: Imago

The Danes, with propulsion from CSM Bucharest

Denmark, bronze medalist at the last edition, has a third chance at the trophy. On the technical bench we find Helle Thomsen, the coach who left CSM Bucharest in the summer.

The Bucharest formation also gives 3 handball players to the team, the captain Anne Mette Hansen and the extremes Trine Ostergaard and Emma Friis.

Anne Mette Hansen / photo Gulliver/GettyImages

After Denmark follows a platoon of nationals rated with 10.00 to get the gold. Hungarybronze medalist at the most recent European, Netherlandsone of the hosts, and Swedennational team with a team full of stars, but which has disappointed in the recent period.

Romania is 13th in the list of favourites.

10 new information before the World Championship

Faroe Islands, Egypt and Switzerland they qualified for a world final tournament for the first time.

Faroe Islands becomes the smallest nation present at the World Championship.

Romania is the only national team that participated in all editions.

HANDS UP FOR MORE: MEET TEAM ROMANIA 🇷🇴

The only team to have played in every edition of the IHF Women's World Championship, Romania, will start a new journey in Rotterdam at #GERNED2025in the group of death 👀 #handsupformer

Find out more ➡️ https://t.co/ucjty0yekM pic.twitter.com/sNbdwBIGXo

— International Handball Federation (@ihfhandball) October 3, 2025

The most important absence is her Slovenia. He had not missed attendance since 2015.

The two invitations from the current edition were received by China and of Croatia.

Initially, the IHF had reserved a place for the representative United States of America. It would have been a warm-up for the Los Angeles edition of the Olympic Games. Because they did not notice a progress in recent years and in order not to affect the level of the competition, the organizers changed their mind.

He has the most trophies Russiaincluding those obtained by the USSR, 7 in number.

Romania has a world indoor title, in 1962. The tournament was played at home, 9 national teams took part in it. For the first time, a team from outside Europe, Japan, was participating. In the final, Romania defeated Denmark, score 8-5.

Only two national teams from outside Europe have won the trophy, South Korea (1995) and Brazil (2011).

Catherine Lunde can become the most decorated handball player in the history of the World Cup. The Red Star goalkeeper has 2 gold, 3 silver and one bronze medals. At the moment, only Camilla Herrem is superior to her (3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze). The Norwegian winger is not part of the squad for the current edition.

A record-breaking player, a heroine of the goalposts 🙌 Marking #IWD2025 with some top moments of 🇳🇴 Katrine Lunde, the Paris 2024 MVP ⭐ #SportForAllWomenAndGirls #AccelerateAction pic.twitter.com/oC7VE0yJrt

— International Handball Federation (@ihfhandball) March 8, 2025

Romania, sent to the “group of death”

Romania had terrible luck in the draw. She was sent to group A, called the “group of death” including by the International Federation. From the favorites box, it came out Denmarknational team rated with the 3rd chance to win the competition.

The “tricolors” were in the second urn. From the next, it was extracted Japan. Only the Czech Republic could be considered a close level opponent with the Japanese. Otherwise, teams like the Faroe Islands, Argentina or Tunisia.

Things were even worse in the last ballot. Croatia it was the only dangerous national team, having arrived here due to the fact that it qualified on the basis of a wild-card. Egypt, Uruguay, Kazakhstan, Paraguay, Iran, Cuba and China were the other possible names.

The form of the players and the group problems experienced by Croatia and Japan make Romania the favorite to qualify for the next phase.

The full World Championship group stage schedule:

Group A (Rotterdam):

• November 27, 19:00 » Romania – Croatia
• November 27, 21:30 » Denmark – Japan
• November 29, 19:00 » Romania – Japan
• November 29, 21:30 » Croatia – Denmark
• December 1, 19:00 » Japan – Croatia
• December 1, 21:30 » Denmark – Romania

Group B ('s-Hertogenbosch):

• November 27, 19:00 » Switzerland – Iran
• November 27, 21:30 » Hungary – Senegal
• November 29, 19:00 » Switzerland – Senegal
• November 29, 21:30 » Iran – Hungary
• December 1, 19:00 » Senegal – Iran
• December 1, 21:30 » Hungary – Switzerland

Group C (Stuttgart):

• November 26, 19:00 » Germany – Iceland
• November 26, 21:30 » Serbia – Uruguay
• November 28, 19:00 » Uruguay – Germany
• November 28, 21:30 » Serbia – Iceland
• November 30, 16:30 » Iceland – Uruguay
• November 30, 19:00 » Germany – Serbia

Group D (Trier):

• November 26, 19:00 » Spain – Paraguay
• November 26, 21:30 » Montenegro – Faroe Islands
• November 28, 19:00 » Paraguay – Montenegro
• November 28, 21:30 » Spain – Faroe Islands
• November 30, 16:30 » Faroe Islands – Paraguay
• November 30, 19:00 » Montenegro – Spain

Group E (Rotterdam):

• November 28, 19:00 » Austria – Egypt
• November 28, 21:30 » Netherlands – Argentina
• November 30, 19:00 » Austria – Argentina
• November 30, 21:30 » Egypt – Netherlands
• December 2, 19:00 » Argentina – Egypt
• December 2, 21:30 » Netherlands – Austria

Group F ('s-Hertogenbosch):

• November 28, 19:00 » Poland – China
• November 28, 21:30 » France – Tunisia
• November 30, 16:30 » Poland – Tunisia
• November 30, 19:00 » China – France
• December 2, 19:30 » Tunisia – China
• December 2, 22:00 » France – Poland

Group G (Stuttgart):

• November 27, 19:00 » Brazil – Cuba
• November 27, 21:30 » Sweden – Czech Republic
• November 29, 19:00 » Brazil – Czech Republic
• November 29, 21:30 » Cuba – Sweden
• December 1, 19:00 » Czech Republic – Cuba
• December 1, 21:30 » Sweden – Brazil

Group H (Trier):

• November 27, 19:00 » Angola – Kazakhstan
• November 27, 21:30 » Norway – South Korea
• November 29, 19:00 » Angola – South Korea
• November 29, 21:30 » Kazakhstan – Norway
• December 1, 19:00 » South Korea – Kazakhstan
• December 1, 21:30 » Norway – Angola