The national handball team of Greece delivered a dream performance in Rotterdam, defeating the Netherlands 38–33 to celebrate a historic qualification for the 2027 World Championship.
Following up their hard-fought 29–27 victory in the first leg in Chalkida, the national team sealed their ticket to the final tournament with an emphatic 67–60 aggregate win. Greece will head to Germany for the showpiece event, scheduled from January 13 to 31, 2027.
This marks only the second time in history that Greek handball will feature in the World Championship finals and the first since their memorable debut in Tunisia in 2005, where they finished in an impressive 6th place.
Greece’s handball on the world stage
Following their maiden appearance at the European Championship in Munich back in January 2024, Greece is now returning to Germany—this time on an even grander stage among the 32 best teams in the world.
The ticket to the finals was punched in dominant fashion. When Greece rallied from a 20–25 deficit in the 51st minute of the first leg in Chalkida to snatch a 29–27 win, they laid the psychological foundation for the rematch.
In Rotterdam, Greece initially stumbled into the Dutch trap, trailing 9–5 early on and 10–7 by the 13th minute. However, the Greek players responded furiously with a 5–0 run to take a 12–10 lead and never looked back. Dictating the tempo, they extended their advantage to 19–13 before closing the first half ahead 20–14.
Any fears of a Dutch comeback in the second half were quickly extinguished. Exhibiting immense composure, the Greek internationals consistently found solutions in attack, maintaining a comfortable cushion of three to seven goals (reaching 31–24 in the 48th minute). Realizing that elimination was inevitable, the Netherlands effectively threw in the towel during the final ten minutes, paving the way for a historic Greek celebration.
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