The women's handball team tries to advance in its desert at the World Cup

The women’s handball team hit rock bottom at the Paris Olympics, where it finished last, and remains immersed in its own unique, deep and often difficult rebuilding process. Coach Ambros Martín threw open the windows a year ago, welcomed a large group of young players and tried to regenerate the atmosphere in the locker room. Those involved have already warned that the new project will need a lot of patience and cooking time to try to return to an elite that has long been distant, from the unexpected world silver of 2019. For now, the goal in these assembly times is to compete as best as possible, undergo competitive stress and, if all goes well, advance.

The World Cup in Germany and the Netherlands, which begins this Wednesday with the match against Paraguay (6pm, Teledeporte), comes after proving firsthand that there is still a lot of mountain to climb. The coach gave up the usual preparatory tournament in Spain, in which he usually received medium-low level rivals, and the team went to the Posten Cup, in Straume (Norway), to face the hosts and Olympic champions, a grown Hungary, and Serbia who is now coached by José Ignacio Prades, former assistant of Ambros Martín and former Spanish coach.

The tournament depicted the current state of a beardless team: crushing defeat against Norway (41-19), victory in the final against Serbia (27-29; they lost by five halfway through the second half) and clear inferiority against Hungary (37-28). The Nordic team’s first corrective action after just three training sessions left Ambros Martín no room other than to accept reality: “We are still far from the best. We just have to work and improve. There is no room for regrets,” he declared after the “hard blow”. After the third match, against Hungary, against whom he had no choice in the second half, he wanted to send a message of encouragement. “We will go to the World Cup with good dynamics and sensations,” he assured despite the clear defeat.

The tenderness of many players is still evident. Half of the players called up play in the Spanish league, which is not notable for its toughness, and around half have barely made around twenty appearances. Players who should be important in this new cycle, such as scorer Danila So Delgado, Ester Somaza, Lyndie Tchaptchet, Carmen Arroyo, Anne Erauskin and Ona Vegué, only debuted or started to have continuity a year ago in the Guerreras. And in a position as decisive as scoring, Lucía Prades made her debut in September. On this journey they are accompanied by veterans Alicia Fernández, Kaba Gassama or a young woman with experience like Paula Arcos.

Dazzling

The new era began a year ago with two promising matches against the powerful France (they also won a friendly), but since then the logical difficulties of a group under construction have emerged. The World Cup calendar, however, offers him a smooth landing to gain working time. After making their debut on Wednesday against Paraguay (29th in the last two World Cups), they will continue against the debuting Faroe Islands (Friday, 8.30pm) and will close the first phase with Montenegro (Sunday 30th, 6.00pm), which is more demanding. Three advance to the next stage, so you shouldn’t have any problems. There they would meet the teams classified in group C (Germany, Serbia, Iceland and Uruguay), another level to continue adding matches and not in the big showcase, where Norway, France, Denmark, Sweden, the host Netherlands and even Hungary are competing for the podium.

When the page was turned after the Olympic fiasco, the federation and the coach took it for granted that at least these first two important tournaments (the 2024 European Championship and this World Cup) would serve to warm the fever. In the background there are not only the 2028 Games, but the 2029 World Cup that Spain will organize.

Long lights to try to revive a team that, since reaching its peak with the bronze in London 2012, had been in decline. The present is still raw and hopes point to the medium and long term, where the first shoots appear. The junior team won European silver this summer with a generation that had won world gold in the youth category the previous year. In parallel, the base began working with a technical training program inspired by the men’s program with Jordi Ribera. Spain has no choice but to work for the future starting from important championships like this World Cup.

The 17 have been summoned

Objective: Nicole Wiggins (Super Amara Bera Bera) and Lucía Prades (Super Amara Bera Bera).

Central: Elba Álvarez (Super Amara Bera Bera) and Alicia Fernández (MKS Zagłębie Lubin).

Backwards: Paula Arcos (Gloria 2018 Bistrita) and Maddi Bengoetxea (Elda Prestigio).

left back: Ester Somaza (Super Amara Bera Bera), Danila So Delgado (Gloria 2018 Bistrita) and Carmen Arroyo (Super Amara Bera Bera).

Far right: Anne Erauskin (Super Amara Bera Bera) and Maitane Etxeberria (Super Amara Bera Bera).

Left wing: Lisa Oppedal (AtticGo Elche), Jennifer Gutiérrez (Gloria 2018 Bistrita) and Ona Vegué (Blomberg-Lippe).

Pin: Lyndie Tchaptchet (Super Amara Bera Bera), Kaba Gassama (Gloria 2018 Bistrita) and Lysa Tchaptchet (Odense).

Spain matches

Wednesday (Paraguay, 6pm), Friday (Faroe Islands, 8.30pm) and Sunday (Montenegro, 6pm). If she is among the top three, she advances to the Main Round (from Tuesday 2 December to Saturday 6 December).