Bojana Popović and Hele Tomsen did not make it, but even without them, Denmark's team in the semifinals of the Women's Handball World Championship promises to be a spectacle.
The last three world champions and a hot-blooded Germany will fight for the semi-finals on Friday, and the winners will fight for the world crown on Sunday.
France is defending its 2023 title, Norway was the champion in 2021, and the Netherlands in 2019, while the Germans have been waiting for the world throne since 1993.
The first semi-final match at 5:45 PM will be played by Germany and France, and at 8:30 PM, the home team Netherlands and the first favorite Norway will take to the court and in front of the "Ahoj Arena" gate.
How much can "invaders" Germany, which has reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2007 and has been among the top four at any major competition since 2008, do against teams that are used to medals?
"From now on, everything that comes with this is already like gold, but we will continue to fight. We will give our all for the entire 60 minutes to make the biggest surprise, even though we know that they are now in the final phase of the biggest teams in the world," said Emili Fogel, Germany's left back, to the IHF.
Her selection, regardless of history, is hardly an outsider because it has shown how powerful it is so far.
"We're really proud to be one of the top four in the world, to be a part of it all. There's no need to be afraid or to change anything, because we're playing really well," Fogel added.
Katrin Lunde, Nora Merk, Heni Rystad and her friends were better than Montenegro in the quarterfinals (32:23), while the Dutch women had no problems with Hungary (28:23).
There was no drama on the other side of the table, as Germany easily defeated Brazil (30:23), and after losing to the Netherlands in the last match of the group stage, the French "vented their anger" in the match against Denmark (31:26).
The Scandinavian team, led from the bench by Thomsen and our legend Bojana Popović, was undefeated until the quarterfinals, but completely disappointed in the fight for the semifinals.
Norway is chasing its fifth world title, France its fourth, and the Netherlands and Germany its second - in whose hands will the cup end up?
SP 2026.
Quarterfinals
Dortmund
Germany - Brazil 30:23
Norway - Montenegro 32:23
Rotterdam
Denmark - France 26:31
Netherlands - Hungary 28:23
Semi-Finals (Friday)
Rotterdam
France - Germany (5:45 p.m.)
Netherlands - Norway (8:30 p.m.)
Bonus video:
