Today, on October 16, the women's national handball team of Ukraine will start in the main round of European qualification for the first-ever Women's World Cup, which will take place in 2025.

Training sessions for the women's national handball team of Ukraine began on October 7 in Uzhhorod. Eighteen players were called up to the squad. On the 13th, our girls departed for the Czech Republic, where they will play their matches in the main round of qualification for the World Cup-2025 in the city of Teplice (Sportarena Teplice).

The blue-and-yellow team has been placed in Group 3, where they will face teams from the Czech Republic (hosts of the mini-tournament), Northern Ireland, and France. Only the group winner will advance to the next stage.

Tickets for matches featuring Ukraine's national team can be purchased on-site or via this link. The cost of a ticket for one game day is 150 Czech crowns. Entry for children under 15 years old is free.

Join and support our team!

The Philippines will host the first Women's World Cup in handball. In the final tournament, which will take place from November 21 to December 7, 2025, sixteen national teams will participate.

Composition of Ukraine's women's national handball team

Goalkeepers — Victoria Kislava (Torreblanca Melilla C.F., Spain), Natalia Mytrofanova (CLUB VALDETIRES FERROL FSF, Spain), Anastasia Terekh (Club Recreativo Leocs de Porto Salvo, Portugal); field players — Anna Shulga (unaffiliated), Polina Drozd (PU-62, Finland), Yulia Titova (ASD SOLARITY, Italy), Anna Kaverzina, Xenia Burlachenko (both — Grupo Desportivo de Árvore, Portugal), Xenia Grytsenko, Yulia Forsyk (both — AD.CEUTA, Spain), Snejana Volovenko, Oleksandra Skibina, Anastasia Klypachenko (all — "Energy-UDU" Kyiv), Iryna Dubitska, Anastasia Kalagina (both — Club Recreativo Leocs de Porto Salvo, Portugal), Daria Kovshyk (Torreblanca Melilla C.F., Spain), Yulia Kostyuk, Sofia Ruban (both — "Leader" Poltava).

Women's World Cup 2025 in Handball

Main Round Qualification. Group 3

October 16, 2024

Ukraine — France (5:00 PM)

Northern Ireland — Czech Republic (8:00 PM)

October 17, 2024

Northern Ireland — Ukraine (5:00 PM)

Czech Republic — France (8:00 PM)

October 19, 2024

France — Northern Ireland (5:00 PM)

Czech Republic — Ukraine (8:00 PM)

Match times are in Kyiv time.

Women's World Cup 2025 in Handball. European Qualification Format

Twenty-five teams will compete for four spots at the world championship in the main and elite rounds. Spain and Portugal have received direct entries to the elite round.

Main Round (matches — October 15–19)

Twenty-three teams are divided into five groups of four participants each and one group of three. Group winners advance to the elite round.

Before the draw, twenty-three teams, including Ukraine's national team, were seeded based on their ranking of women's national handball teams' coefficient ratings.

Group 1: Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Lithuania.

Group 2: Hungary, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway. 

Group 3: Ukraine, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, France.

Group 4: Finland, Slovenia, Moldova, England.

Group 5: Sweden, Belgium, Slovakia, Latvia.

Group 6: Poland, Netherlands, Kazakhstan.

Elite Round (draw — October 31, matches — March 18–23, 2025)

Eight teams, including Spain and Portugal, will be divided into two quartets. The top two teams from each group advance to the final stage.

The first Women's World Cup in handball will take place in 2025. Sixteen teams will participate in the tournament. Quotas for participation are distributed as follows: Europe — 4, South America — 3, Asia — 3, Africa — 2, CONCACAF — 2, Oceania — 1. The host country (Philippines) will also receive a spot.

Following the introduction of the Women's World Cup in handball, UEFA will expand the women's European Handball Championship to eight teams. The tournament will be held every four years, with the next one taking place in 2027.

As a reminder, Ukraine's national team has finished fourth, third, and second at all three Women's European Championships that have been held so far — in 2019, 2022 (rescheduled from 2021), and 2023.