Luxembourg’s women’s national handball team will face Great Britain in two World Championship qualifiers on 21 and 25 October. The first match will take place in England, with the return fixture scheduled for the Coque in Kirchberg. Luxembourg are believed to have a realistic chance of progressing to the next round.
Nina Kanto has been in charge of the team since June. Before these qualifiers, the former French international had already held two training camps. The final 18-player team will only be confirmed shortly before departure.
At a press conference, two experienced players, Joy Wirtz and Laura Willems, both of HB Dudelange, shared their impressions of the first training sessions under the new coaching staff and their expectations for the upcoming matches.
Kanto played at the highest level for many years and continues to head the training centre at Metz Handball, who won the most recent Women’s Champions League. The players can see that their new national coach embodies this level of professionalism.
In recent years, Luxembourg’s women have struggled to achieve strong results in qualifying campaigns, although some of their opponents have been on a different level. Qualifying against Great Britain is a realistic possibility and would be a significant milestone for women’s handball in Luxembourg. However, the opposition should not be underestimated.
With few preparation matches under their belts, it is difficult to say whether the team has fully gelled yet. For Luxembourg handball, it would be important to see the players and coaching staff emerge from the two matches against Great Britain with a positive attitude and renewed confidence.
