Qualifying for Women’s World Championship 2019 throws off

While most eyes in women’s handball turn to France for the EHF EURO 2018, elsewhere in Europe the first qualification phase to the Women’s World Championship 2019 in Japan will be played over the next two weekends.

Divided over four groups, 16 teams will battle it out for a total of five spots in the play-offs in June. The four group winners as well as the best second-ranked team will advance to the play-offs.

There are three criteria in place to determine the best second-ranked team:

- higher number of points obtained in the group matches,
- superior goal difference after the group matches,
- higher number of goals scored in the group matches.

If these criteria fail to lead to a decision, a draw will determine which second-ranked team joins the four group winners into the play-offs. This draw would take place at the EHF Office in Vienna on 3 December, a day after all matches in the four groups have been completed.

GROUP 1 (30 November-2 December):
Slovakia
Kosovo
Ukraine
Israel

GROUP 2 (30 November-2 December):
Switzerland
Faroe Islands
Lithuania
Finland

GROUP 3 (23-25 November):
Belarus
Portugal
Italy
Greece

GROUP 4 (30 November-2 December):
Turkey
FYR Macedonia
Iceland
Azerbaijan

There will be 13 European teams participating at the 24-nation Women‘s World Championship 2019.

France as the 2017 champions are already qualified; they will be joined by the three best-ranked teams at the Women’s EHF EURO 2018 and another nine teams which qualify through the European play-offs.

The finals tournament in Japan will take place from 29 November until 15 December 2019.