Another 10 European teams qualify for Women’s 20 World Championship 2018

11 tickets to the Women’s 20 World Championship 2018 in Hungary were at stake when the qualification tournaments were played across Europe over the weekend.

10 of these 11 tickets were eventually awarded, with the decision in group 5 yet to be taken. On Saturday, as a result of interventions by government authorities in Serbia, the EHF took the decision not to play the remaining games at the tournament in Serbia. Further information on the next steps and rescheduling of the remaining matches will be announced when available.

The top-two teams qualified from groups 1 to 4, with Spain and Portugal making the cut in a close finish in group 1.

Spain, Portugal and Austria were all on four points at the tournament’s end, but goal difference eventually placed Spain first and Portugal second.

There were no doubts in group 2 with Romania winning all three matches and Croatia two out of three to qualify. The Netherlands and Sweden had won two matches each before they shared the spoils in the final group 3 match, 26:26, and celebrated their respective qualification.

Germany travel home – and eventually to Hungary – from the qualification tournament in Iceland (group 4) with a perfect record of three wins from as many matches. The hosts also qualified as second-ranked team following wins against Lithuania and FYR Macedonia.

In group 6, from which only the first-ranked team qualified, Slovenia won in confident fashion, beating the Faroe Islands (28:24) as well as Turkey (25:21).

The same held true for Montenegro who qualified from group 7 after they beat Greece (28:14) and Switzerland (26:17).

The Women’s 20 World Championship will take place in Hungary from 1 to 15 July.

France and Denmark, the teams ranked 1 and 3 at the Women’s 19 EHF EURO 2017, Russia, winners of the Women's 18 World Championship 2016, and Hungary as organisers were already qualified, bringing the total number of European participants at the 24-nation event to 15.