Since cementing their place at the top table of global handball, the Netherlands’ women’s handball team have set their sights high. 

IHF World Championship gold (2019), silver (2015) and bronze (2017) and EHF European Championship silver (2016) and bronze (2018) plus two, consecutive top five finishes at the Olympic Games – 4th (2016) and 5th (2020) have seen them become one of the most feared teams around.

Most recently, their European (6th – 2022) and World (5th – 2023) championship rankings have slipped outside of medal contention with the results meaning direct qualification through to Paris 2024 was missed, instead they relied on their finish at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 to be part of the final Paris 2024 qualification process.

First on coach Per Johansson’s teamsheet is Lois Abbingh. The 31-year-old left back plays her club handball for EHF Champions League side Vipers Kristiansand, who she has led to a current quarter-final spot in the women’s elite club competition and is sitting inside the top 10 scorers for the season.

Abbingh returned to world championship action late last year after maternity leave and will go up against club teammates Jana Knedlikova from Czechia and the Spanish pair of Paula Arcos and Lysa Tchaptchet in Torrevieja.

More than a third of Johansson’s squad play their club handball in Denmark, with Odense. They include goalkeeper Yara ten Holte, who has impressed at the very highest level, along with the creative and assist-provider Dione Housheer, plus centre back Larissa Nusser, who also returned to world championship action last year following a long-term cruciate ligament injury recovery period. 

The goalscoring threat comes across the court, not least from the ever-positive and full-of-life Angela Malestein https://www.ihf.info/node/1869, the FTC Rail-Cargo Hungaria winger who is never short of a goal.

That 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship saw the Netherlands play all three opponents they will face in Torrevieja, with all three beaten: 41:26 vs Argentina, 33:20 vs Czechia and 29:21 vs Spain.

All those involved with the Netherlands will be hoping that history does not repeat from the 2012 Olympic Qualification Tournament, held in Guadalajara, Spain. Back then, the Netherlands beat Croatia (29:28) and Argentina (30:21), but lost to Spain (21:31) and with all three European teams on four points each, the Dutch goal difference was the worst and they missed out on a London 2012 place.

Swedish-born Netherlands coach Johansson has been tasked with developing the Dutch team ahead of the country co-hosting the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship and has previously been in charge of the Sweden and Montenegro national teams.

With his team already qualified for the 2024 EHF European Championship, Johansson will use their penultimate qualification group match against Portugal in early April as a warm-up for his first team, before he moves them to Malaga, Spain for a preparation camp for the Olympic Qualification Tournament. A second, younger side will then turn out place for the Netherlands’ final continental qualification clash against Finland a few days later.

Key players: Lois Abbingh (left back), Angela Malestein (right wing), Yara ten Holte (goalkeeper), Dione Housheer (right back)

History at the Olympic Games: 2016 – 4th, 2020 – 5th

Olympic Qualification Tournament #2 (in Torrevieja, Spain): Netherlands (NED), Czechia (CZE), Argentina (ARG), Spain (ESP)