Women's Handball World Championship 2025: Norway set off as clear favourites to reclaim world title
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Top contenders for 2025 World Championship title
A total of 32 teams spanning five continents are set to throw off at the 2025 IHF World Women’s Handball Championship this week. The tournament gets underway today, November 26, and will run until December 14, with the final to be staged in Rotterdam.
France return to defend their title, and our Women's World Handball Championship predictions will be available throughout the tournament, tracking the progress of each team and providing key stats and insights from our handball experts.
Les Bleus were runners-up at the 2024 Paris Olympics and are firmly expected to reach the latter stages of this competition, having won 17 of their last 18 matches in World Championships, while featuring in three finals in the previous four editions.
Notably, the French team are missing several key players for the tournament, such as Estelle Nze Minko and Laura Flippes, but they have returned with the core of their squad intact, and Grace Zaadi is widely expected to be a key figure in their title defence.
However, most would agree that the biggest threat to Oliver Krumbholz’s side’s title retention is Norway, who beat France 29-21 to clinch Olympic gold last year. They are also the most decorated team in the history of the World Championships with 12 medals (4 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze).
Beyond the “big two,” Denmark have been labelled the dark horse in the title hunt this year after claiming bronze in Paris 2024 and in the 2023 edition of this tournament, while co-hosts Netherlands and Germany cannot be overlooked, given their home advantage.
Key players to follow at the 2025 Handball World Championship
Heading into the 2025 Women's Handball World Championship, one player who we feel will deliver on her betting odds and challenge for the top scorer award is Norway’s Henny Reistad.
Reistad’s ability needs no introduction, but since she was handed captaincy, her impact on the team has gone up a notch, and that was never more evident than at the 2024 Olympic Games, where she led her side to gold with eight goals from 12 shots in the final.
Among the more seasoned players who pundits are expecting big performances from are Hungary’s Katrin Klujber, Swedish star Nathalie Hagman, Dione Housheer of the Netherlands, and the ever-impactful Brazilian Bruna de Paula.
There is also a lot of expectation around emerging talents this year, with Anna Kristensen being talked up as a key to Denmark’s hopes after being named MVP and All-Star Goalkeeper at the 2024 EHF Euro and ranking fourth for saves at the 2023-24 EHF Champions League.
Other up-and-coming stars who will be in focus include Lena Gradveau, who scored 20 goals at the last World Championship, MVP and W19 EHF Euro 2023 All-Star Petra Simon, as well as the face of Faroe Islands handball, Jana Mittun.
