From Friday to Sunday, the Swiss handball players will be honing their skills for the World Championships at the Yellow Cup in Winterthur. They are the defending champions.
03.01.2025, 05:30
03.01.2025, 07:26
SDA
Although the Swiss failed to beat Olympic fourth-placed Slovenia on penalties in the World Championship play-off, they will be allowed to take part in the World Championship finals in Croatia, Denmark and Norway from January 14. They received one of two wildcards and will face the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland in the preliminary round in Herning (Denmark).
"We're looking forward to presenting ourselves on the big World Cup stage. But first we have to focus on the Yellow Cup," says national coach Andy Schmid. The traditional event in Winterthur was held for the first time in 1972. Initially it was a tournament for clubs, but since 1998 only national teams have competed against each other. In the last three editions, the hosts have always come out on top; Switzerland has won nine times in total.
Andy Schmid was still involved as a player a year ago, now he wants to lead the team to another triumph as coach. He is relying on a good mix. On the one hand, the team consists of experienced players who have already left their mark in the national league, such as captain Nikola Portner. On the other hand, Schmid is counting on promising youngsters. Eight players from the 20-man squad for the Yellow Cup have played eleven or fewer international matches, with Valentin Wolfisberg making his debut.
The Swiss opponents are Italy, Kosovo and the Netherlands. The former and the latter are also taking part in the World Cup finals. Although their record against Italy is clearly positive with 16:4 wins and three draws, the southern Europeans have made some progress, as underlined by their two victories in the World Cup play-off against Montenegro. The Italians are taking part in the international championships for only the third time ever.
The Swiss will play Kosovo for the first time. On paper, the strongest opponent in Winterthur is the Netherlands. Although the record of 27:10 wins and five draws also speaks clearly in favor of the SHV selection, four of the last six duels have been lost. At this year's European Championship, the Dutch finished in 12th place, well ahead of the Swiss (21st).
The Yellow Cup therefore offers an ideal platform to get a good feeling for the World Cup against strong but beatable teams. That is Schmid's declared goal.
