Stars to watch at the Women's Handball World Championship 2023
With the 2023 World Women's Handball Championship in Norway, Denmark and Sweden from 29 November to 17 December, Olympics.com takes a look at some of the biggest names competing at the event.
Handball
The world’s finest handball players are showcasing their best skills at the 2023 IHF World Women's Handball Championship beginning on Wednesday 29 November.
From strong and powerful pivots to technical and agile wings, here are some of the handballers to look out for at this year’s World Championship with an Olympic quota spot on offer.
Cristina Neagu has yet to play at the 2023 World Championship having struggled with a knee injury but is hoping to play in the main round.
Cristina Neagu (Romania)
The four-time IHF World Handball Player of the Year, Cristina Neagu, is regarded as one of the best women’s handballer in history.
It might be one of the last times where handball fans can watch the Romanian star in action for her country, as Neagu has announced she will retire after Paris 2024.
In 2018, the left back tore her ACL at the European Championship, but she fought her way back and continued scoring countless goals.
The greatest scorer in women’s handball history reached 1,000 Champions League goals in January, the only third player ever to do so, and Neagu will most likely surpass the 1,000 goal mark for Romania during this year’s Women’s World Championship.
Henny Reistad was awarded the 2022 European Championship MVP.
Henny Reistad (Norway)
Henny Reistad’s shots and breakthroughs are what characterise the Norwegian star. The physical phenomenon was awarded the 2022 European Championship MVP, and Handball Planet named her the 2022 World Female Handball Player.
Last season, she was the top scorer of the EHF Champions League with 142 goals, which also gave her the EHF Excellence Awards Best centre back of the season.
Reistad has struggled with a calf injury in the build-up to the World Championship and did not play any of Norway’s three Posten Cup matches last week. However, the 24-year-old Team Esbjerg player is expected to recover in time.
Pauletta Foppa became the top scorer in the final at Tokyo 2020.
Pauletta Foppa (France)
As a 22-year-old Pauletta Foppa has already achieved more than most handballers do in their entire career and is arguably the best line player in the world.
At Tokyo 2020, she was the top scorer in the final with seven goals, helping secure France its first ever gold medal in women’s handball.
The Brest Bretagne player was selected to the All-Star team as the best in her position at Tokyo 2020, the World Championships 2021, the EHF Champions League 2021 and at last year’s European Championship.
Her technique and power will be crucial in both offence and defence for France to get a change of avenging the loss in the final to Norway two years ago.
Kristina Jørgensen is enjoying a brilliant season with French champions Metz.
Kristina Jørgensen (Denmark)
Denmark took a convincing victory in their final friendly before the World Championship defeating Brazil 33-16 with Kristina Jørgensen top scoring with eight goals.
The 25-year-old left back has taken her play to another level after joining Metz, the club with whom she became French champion last season.
She is currently the team’s top scorer in the Champions League having scored 51 goals – just one less than the competition leader.
Her great performances have sparked the interest of Hungarian champions Győri, the team she will join next season.
Jørgensen is set to play a key role for Denmark as they aim to win the 2023 World Championship on home soil.
Bruna de Paula will lead the Brazil national team at the 2023 World Women's Handball Championship.
Bruna de Paula (Brazil)
Brazil’s left back Bruna de Paula has now taken over the role as the leader of the national team.
As a child, she used to wake up early to help her mother in the coffee fields. Now she plays for one of the biggest handball teams in the world in Győri, and was the team’s top scorer in their final Champions League game before the World Championship.
Before joining the Hungarian side, de Paula claimed the EHF European League with Nantes and was awarded MVP of the Final Four.
The 27-year-old star has shined several times with Brazil’s national team, taking the country to two Pan American Games titles and two South and Central American Championships.
In 2013, Brazil became the second non-European team to win the World Championships. De Paula and her compatriots will be heavy underdogs this time.
Markéta Jeřábková has won the Champions League twice with Vipers Kristiansand.
Markéta Jeřábková (Czechia)
The EHF Champions League winner and MVP of the EHF FINAL4 two seasons ago, Markéta Jeřábková, is set to lead Czechia at the 2023 World Championship.
After winning the Champions League twice with Vipers Kristiansand of Norway, she joined Ikast Håndbold in Denmark before the season.
This season, Jeřábková has helped her team to a current second place in the Danish league, scoring 42 goals – the same number of goals she has bagged in the Champions League.
Nathalie Hagman was the top scorer at the 2021 World Women's Handball Championship with 71 goals.
Nathalie Hagman (Sweden)
The Swedish right wing Nathalie Hagman took the top scorer title at the World Women's Handball Championship two years ago with 71 goals – 27 more than second place.
Now 32 years old and with 12 World and European Championship tournaments under her belt, Hagman is one the most experienced players on the Sweden national team.
Following three seasons at Nantes in France, where she was named best right wing of the league in 2023, Hagman moved to Romania and Râmnicu Vâlcea in the summer.
At last year’s European Championship, Hagman also became her country’s top scorer, and it almost seems like she is getting better and better.
Ana Gros is among the top 10 scorers of all time in the Champions League competition.
Ana Gros (Slovenia)
Regarded as one of the best players in the world, Ana Gros is the captain of the Slovenian national team.
Gros shone when Slovenia beat eventual runners-up Denmark at the 2022 European Championship in the preliminary round, adding eight goals to her name.
The right back, known for her ability to hammer in goals from long distances, secured the Champions League top scorer crown in 2020/21. She is among the top 10 scorers of all time in the competition.
The Győri ace was named the EHF Excellence Awards best right back of the 2022/23 season. Now, she is enjoying her last season with the team after agreeing to re-join her former club Krim in Slovenia for 2024.
At this year’s World Championship Slovenia’s success again rely on the shoulders of 32-year-old Gros.
Estavana Polman was the the 2019 World Championship MVP.
Estavana Polman (Netherlands)
The 2019 World Championship MVP, Estavana Polman, has just made her way back to play for her Romanian team Rapid București following a knee injury.
Therefore, Polman is coming into the World Championship with only a few games under her belt since her return in October.
If the centre back can return to her best level from 2019, where she took the Netherlands to their first ever world title, the ‘Oranje Dames’ can be a contender for the title again this year.
Ryu Eun-hee is the biggest name from the Republic of Korea at the 2023 World Women's Handball Championship.
Ryu Eun-hee (Republic of Korea)
The biggest star of the most successful Asian team in handball is without doubt Ryu Eun-hee.
Ryu has played in Europe for four years, now representing one of the most successful teams, Győri, where she has become a Hungarian champion twice.
The 33-year-old right back has clinched four Asian Championship titles and was also part of the team that won the 2014 Asian Games.
Paris 2024 qualification has already been obtained by the Republic of Korea after they won the 2022 Asian Championship.
Albertina Kassoma plays for Romanian side Rapid București.
Albertina Kassoma (Angola)
The 1.94m-tall line player Albertina Kassoma’s physique and power is matched by few.
Kassoma represents Romanian side Rapid București with whom she also competes in the Champions League. The Angola ace has scored 19 times this season in Europe’s top-tier club competition.
Angola have already sealed their eighth consecutive berth for the Olympic Games after beating Cameroon 27-21 in the final at the African qualifier on home soil in Luanda.
The Africans' best result at a World Championship is a seventh place from 2007. If 27-year-old Kassoma performs at her best, the 15-time African champions Angola can be a dark horse in any major competition.