Women’s Handball World Cup: Senegal Still Believes in Qualification

Beaten 26–17 by Hungary in their opening match on Thursday, Senegal still came away with reasons to be hopeful. “The Lionesses held a team that usually scores thirty goals against nations like Norway or France to just 26,” coach Yassine Messaoudi noted after the match. On Saturday, in their second outing against Switzerland, the Franco-Algerian coach’s players fell short by a single goal, losing 25–24. Against the Swiss, the West Africans even led by two goals midway through the game, 17–15, after a score from Sophie Kébé.

“We all still have that defeat against Switzerland stuck in our throats,” admits Nafy Leïla Ndiaye. “We’ve just come out of two matches against strong European sides with two losses. But the goal remains to qualify for the main round. To do that, we need this third place. And for that, we must deliver an intense game, a very committed game,” insists the vice-president of the Senegalese Handball Federation (FSHB), speaking to Sport News Africa.

A Determined Mindset Ahead of Iran Clash

With a competition format that sends the top three teams from each group to the main round, Senegal still has every chance of repeating their 2023 performance, when they lost 30–20 to Hungary in the second round. In their third World Championship appearance, the Lionesses do not intend to bow out early. “The match against Switzerland was important, but the one against Iran is decisive. Senegal must beat Iran to reach the main round. The number one objective is to get there,” said coach Messaoudi.

Present in ’s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, Sambou Biagui describes a team eager to bounce back after their second loss. “It was time for regrouping on Sunday morning in the Lionesses’ camp, with the coach’s speech at breakfast. The group is fully aware of the stakes. The message from the Federation has been received loud and clear: win and repeat the 2023 feat by reaching the main round. It’s a match everyone here is waiting for,” explained the president of the FSHB Communication Commission, speaking to SNA.

A Win to Secure Qualification

For the FSHB vice-president, Yassine Messaoudi has the tools needed to guide Senegal to this crucial third place ahead of Iran. “The coach is relying on the collective. This defeat shook the players. Just look at how the match unfolded — they lost by a whisker, just one goal… After the post-match video sessions and meetings, Yassine (Messaoudi) managed to regroup the team. The mindset is now combative heading into this afternoon’s match,” she added.

Currently third ahead of Iran, who sit last, and with a better goal difference than today’s opponent, Senegal will need to take control of the game. The coach will have to involve his bench more while leaning on Gnonsiane Niombla and Dounia Abdourahim, the two former French internationals now eligible to play for Senegal’s Lionesses. A victory would seal qualification for the main round — a significant achievement, two years after the 2023 edition. And all this without their best player, Soukeyna Sagna, absent for personal reasons.