The qualification play-offs followed a two-leg format of home and away games, with the aggregate result determining the winners.
- Faroe Islands followed their first qualification for the Women’s EHF EURO with a historic qualification for the World Championship, which will be their first ever; Switzerland also qualified for the global event for the first time
- Romania remain the only nation to have qualified for every edition of the Women’s World Championship, after they defeated Italy in both matches of their tie
- Serbia, Spain and Poland earned the narrowest aggregate wins, overcoming Slovenia, Croatia and North Macedonia, respectively
- Faroe Islands and Czechia were the victors of their respective ties on aggregate but did not win both legs — both teams lost the away fixture but recorded clear victories in the home leg to qualify
- Switzerland, Montenegro, Iceland, Austria and Sweden enjoyed commanding aggregate wins after taking victories in both legs
Spotlight on:
Slovenia vs Serbia 29:29
Serbia vs Slovenia 33:31
Serbia win 62:60 on aggregate
Serbia and Slovenia were the only sides to enter the second leg with the situation completely open, following a draw in the first leg on Wednesday. The All-star Team left back of the Women’s EHF EURO 2024, Tjaša Stanko, was in exceptional form in both legs but particularly the first, in which she netted 14 goals for Slovenia. In the return leg, Stanko added 10 goals to finish with a total of 24 in just two games.
Serbia had welcomed one of their biggest stars back into the fold this year, with 2013 World Player of the Year Andrea Lekic retuning to the line-up. Key shooter Katarina Krpez-Slezák and line player and core defender Dragana Cvijic were also back in what were the first games with new coach Bent Dahl at the helm. The impact of the experienced three was felt, as they combined for 35 goals across the two legs. In the first leg, Slovenia and Serbia were one-for-one almost the entire match. In the second, the pendulum swayed much further, as the sides took turns with leads as clear as five goals.
10 minutes before the end of the second leg, the score was 28:28 — and therefore level on aggregate — and then goalkeeper Katarina Tomasevic had an exceptional home stretch, making key saves that contributed to her overall rate of 44.44 per cent and paving the way for Serbia to take the lead. It was Lekic who scored the last of the match and the tie overall, booking Serbia’s seventh straight World Championship participation.
Faroe Islands vs Lithuania 36:26
Lithuania vs Faroe Islands 30:29
Faroe Islands win 65:56 on aggregate
In 2023, the Faroe Islands celebrated their first qualification for the Men’s EHF EURO ever. In 2024, they achieved the same feat for the Women’s EHF EURO. And on Sunday afternoon, the women’s side added to the historic run, reaching their first World Championship in history. The men’s team had missed out on their 2025 edition by just one goal, losing to North Macedonia 60:61 on aggregate.
Gabija Pilikauskaite netted 19 goals across the two games for Lithuania. For the Faroe Islands, the side’s usual leader Jana Mittún shone on the home court in the opening leg, matching Pilikauskaite’s nine goals in that encounter.
After the Faroe Islands had won the home first leg decisively, Lithuania provided more of a challenge in the second leg and contained Mittún more effectively on the defensive end. Although the Faroe Islands finished the first leg with a 10-goal advantage, they were not entirely dominant, as Lithuania led for a period in the first half. In the second leg, Lithuania were in front up to the 36th minute, when the visitors levelled the score then took the advantage. The Faroe Islands led as clear as four goals more than once before Lithuania fought back and claimed a narrow win that was not enough to overcome the aggregate deficit.
Remaining encounters:
Italy vs Romania 21:30
Romania vs Italy 31:18
Romania win 61:39 on aggregate
Switzerland vs Slovakia 38:22
Slovakia vs Switzerland 24:30
Switzerland win 68:46 on aggregate
Portugal vs Montenegro 19:31
Montenegro vs Portugal 30:26
Montenegro win 61:45 on aggregate
Poland vs North Macedonia 22:18
North Macedonia vs Poland 21:23
Poland win 45:39 on aggregate
Iceland vs Israel 39:27
Israel vs Iceland 21:31
Iceland win 70:48 on aggregate
Czechia vs Ukraine 35:19
Ukraine vs Czechia 26:27
Czechia win 61:46 on aggregate
Croatia vs Spain 27:26
Spain vs Croatia 23:17
Spain win 49:44 on aggregate
Austria vs Türkiye 36:29
Türkiye vs Austria 25:30
Austria win 66:54 on aggregate
Sweden vs Kosovo 51:16
Kosovo vs Sweden 24:43
Sweden win 94:40 on aggregate
Six European sides previously qualified
As co-hosts of the World Championship, the Netherlands and Germany were directly part of the line-up for the 32-team tournament to be held from 26 November to 14 December.
Alongside the two co-hosts, France were automatically qualified for the 2025 edition when they won the 2023 title. Norway secured early qualification when they won the EHF EURO 2024, as did the other medallists in that competition, Denmark and Hungary.
