Sweden has lined up fourth and fifth places in the latest championships.
Can the medal finally come this year's World Championship?
Very possible, according to the national team captain Tomas Axnér, who highlights, among other things, a good draw in the championship in November-December.
I see opportunities in the championship. Not least because we have a draw that is favorable, he says.
We have tough teams on our side as well, but with a good performance, we should get a quarterfinal where we may enter with a slight favorite position or at least be evenly matched.
And once in a semifinal, as is well known, anything can happen.
"A bit frustrating"
However, it has been said before, emphasizes Jamina Roberts, who makes her 260th national team match in Thursday evening's European Championship qualification against Ukraine in Alingsås. Including before last year's European Championship, where Sweden eventually became fifth.
Well, it's absolutely true, but it's also about performing. We have thought that we have had good draws before, but still not gotten better than fourth, she says.
I absolutely believe that we have a good way, but it's about doing the job all the way.
Jamina Roberts has previously won a European Championship silver (2010) and a European Championship bronze (2014) with the national team. But since then, Sweden has not quite made it in the decisive matches.
We sat before the last championship and were a bit tired of coming fourth. Then we came fifth instead. So we think that we have come forward and that we are better, but we still have no medal with this team, she says.
Of course, it's a bit frustrating in a way.
"Want to go far"
Tomas Axnér, who recently extended his contract over the Olympic Games 2028 and the European Championship on home ground at the end of the same year, believes, however, that the Swedish medal chances this winter are better than in a long time.
Next up are two European Championship qualification matches - against Ukraine in Alingsås on Thursday evening and away against Lithuania on Sunday. But the World Championship premiere on November 27 is already in mind now.
We try all the time to think about what we do now and what it can give us during the World Championship, he says.
We want to go far and take a medal. So we really want to optimize and take advantage of this time.
This is how it has gone in the championships since Tomas Axnér took over as national team captain for the women's handball team:
European Championship 2020: eleventh, Olympic Games 2021: fourth, World Championship 2021: fifth, European Championship 2022: fifth, World Championship 2023: fourth, Olympic Games 2024: fourth, European Championship 2024: fifth.
This year's handball World Championship will be held in Germany and the Netherlands at the turn of the month November-December.
Sweden has been drawn against Brazil, the Czech Republic, and Cuba in the group stage, which for Sweden begins in Stuttgart on November 27. The three best teams in the group will advance to the main round in Dortmund for meetings with the top three from group Norway, Angola, South Korea, and Kazakhstan.
