12 teams took part in phase 1 of the qualifiers and were divided into four groups of three members each. The matches took place between 25 and 27 October and the group winners made their way through to the next phase.
- all four winners managed to end the weekend with no defeats
- even though they secured a clear win on Friday against Great Britain (37:23), Lithuania had a more difficult mission against Greece; the latter managed to make an impressive comeback after being four goals down in the second half, but a last second goal from Vakare Damuleviciute brought another victory for Lithuania
- Kosovo topped group 2 with victories over Belgium (32:28) and Bosnia Herzegovina (32:26); right back Leonora Demaj was the hero of the weekend for Kosovo, netting 24 times and becoming the top scorer in qualifiers phase 1
- it wasn’t the ideal weekend for Finland, who hosted the games in group 3; after sharing points in the duel against Estonia (24:24), the hosts had a disappointing Saturday following an eight-goal defeat against eventual group winners Israel (26:18)
- Italy’s last participation in the IHF Women’s World Championship was in 2001, when they hosted the event, so the two victories this weekend gave them a little boost of confidence; they shared group 4 with Luxembourg and Bulgaria and controlled both games from start to finish to secure the ticket for the next phase
Leonora Demaj brings hope to Kosovo
After making it to phase 2 of the qualifiers at the last edition of the event, Kosovo reach the same stage of the competition once again. At the 2023 IHF Women's World Championship, they were eliminated by Poland, so for 2025 they hope they can achieve more. Luckily, they have a secret weapon in Leonora Demaj.
The 27-year-old right back stole the spotlight this weekend at the tournament in Belgium, where she scored 24 goals in two matches, more than any other player. Belgium's Nele Antonissen came a close second with 21 successful shots.
After scoring 11 times in the opening match on Friday, against Belgium, Leonora Demaj had an even greater performance in the clash against Bosnia Herzegovina, netting 13 times and helping Kosovo celebrate in Belgium.
The draw to determine the pairings for phase 2 of the qualifiers will take place in conjunction with the Women's EHF EURO 2024, on 14 December in Vienna. The two-leg play-offs will be played in April 2025, with the 2025 IHF Women's World Championship to be held from 27 November to 14 December 2025 and co-hosted by the Netherlands and Germany.
