Handball World Cup
“Generation of awesome handball”: The start of a new era?
After the silver coup, the German handball players want to become permanent guests in the World Cup finals. National coach Markus Gaugisch leaves his future open. The president warns of a “snapshot.”
The German handball players’ miraculous World Cup silver coup ended in Dortmund with a warm embrace from the entire team. Last photos, a last laudation at the reception in the city of the German Handball Association and once again the cheers of the fans, then the exhausted and tired players parted ways. “We all have headaches,” commented veteran Xenia Smits with a pained smile when the vice world champions were received by Dortmund Mayor Alexander Kalouti (CDU).
Before the entry in the city’s Golden Book on Monday afternoon, some of the players who had arrived late from Rotterdam were separated again. Some had to go straight to the airport. The team, which had celebrated the silver medal after the unnecessary final defeat on Sunday against Olympic champions Norway, fell into each other’s arms once again. “It was a World Cup the way you want it to be,” said DHB President Andreas Michelmann as he said goodbye.
The World Cup party started in Rotterdam city center on Sunday evening with well-known hits. With Germany flags and World Cup glasses, some of which the players still wore in Dortmund, they danced into the party room after their silver coup. At the champagne reception, the final defeat was long forgotten. “Open bar with an open end,” said team manager Anja Althaus as the motto of the night during the game, thus giving the starting signal for the celebration that lasted until the early hours of the morning.
The greatest success in German women’s handball since the title in 1993 makes the DHB women hungry for more. “Once you’ve experienced it once, you don’t want to experience it anymore. Germany can do handball,” said backcourt player Emily Vogel proudly and speculated: “I think it could be a great future for us.”
The status of perpetual quarter-final loser is a thing of the past. “Now perhaps the generation of great handball is coming,” announced national coach Markus Gaugisch promisingly.
Will national coach Markus Gaugisch continue?
How much influence does the 51-year-old still have on this generation? His working paper expires in the summer and contract discussions were postponed until after the tournament. “I’m up for handball. That’s the most important thing. I want to work with a team. We’ll sit down and see,” explained Gaugisch, without revealing any tendencies. It is no secret that the Göppingen native, who has held the position since 2022, could also imagine a coaching role in men’s handball.
DHB President Michelmann would like to continue working in this constellation. After the Olympics and the last European Championships, the coach drew his conclusions and made courageous decisions, praised Michelmann. “So he played a huge part in the success, that’s very clear.” He sees no reason not to continue the collaboration.
Smits: “This team is worth its weight in gold”
Whether with or without Gaugisch: “We want to build on this success and continue writing history,” announced sports director Ingo Meckes. In the proclaimed “Decade of Handball”, the DHB wants to massively increase the visibility of women’s handball. Lighthouse projects like this home World Cup should serve as a catalyst. “The sporting result is a boost for the entire movement,” said Meckes.
With an almost identical line-up, the DHB team could shape a new era in women’s handball. Experienced players like Xenia Smits (31) or Emily Vogel (27) can play for many more years. At the same time, the World Cup debutants around Aimée von Pereira have huge potential. “This team is worth its weight in gold,” said Smits.
After the TV debate: Who will be broadcasting in the next few years?
The more successful handball, the greater the media interest. The knockout games on free TV each attracted several million viewers to their screens. “Now we see what we can achieve if we throw a few balls around,” said backcourt player Viola Leuchter proudly. At the start of the tournament, President Andreas Michelmann called it “a disgrace” that ARD and ZDF were joining in late.
ARD and ZDF explained their late start by saying that the live media exploitation rights to the Women’s Handball World Cup had already been awarded in 2019 and the host countries were not yet known at the time. An average of 5.786 million people watched the World Cup final on ARD. There will probably be less discussion in the future.
ARD and ZDF have the rights to the games of the German men’s and women’s national teams at the European Championships until 2030. The German World Cup games in 2027, 2029 and 2031 can be seen on ProSieben and Sat.1 as well as Joyn. The pay TV rights for all games are held by Dyn. Will the DHB women always play in front of an audience of millions in the future?
Federal bases are scheduled to open in 2027
The silver coup and the enthusiasm of the local fans certainly make the DHB women dream. About fuller halls in the Bundesliga. About girls who emulate them and children who start playing handball. Michelmann warned that this success should not be a snapshot. “It’s about creating the necessary structures to be able to permanently claim to be in the semi-finals,” said the DHB President.
The federal bases are intended to help in this way. One each is scheduled to open in Leipzig and Stuttgart in 2027, with two more in the north and west to follow. “The philosophy behind the model is to strengthen the players individually so that they can later appear with a world-class team. Of course, we also have to ensure that the women can make a living from handball during their active time,” explained Michelmann. The DHB professionals have received the same daily allowance as the men since 2025. There was a record bonus of 300,000 euros for World Cup silver.
dpa
