The action of the World Cup has begun with Croatian handball players gearing up for their opening match against Senegal in Gothenburg on the first day of December. Following this, they will face China two days later and end the group stage with a derby for first place hosted by Sweden.
In comparison to the last gathering in the European Championship qualifiers, the team has a new coach. Ivica Obrvan has taken over from Šoštarić and has ten days to get to know the team while training some players in Podravka. The team is then set to prepare for the next week in Poreč before the World Cup begins on the 20th. Despite some injury problems two weeks ago, Obrvan is confident that the team will be ready and aims to reach the quarterfinals, which would secure qualification for the Olympic Games.
To prepare for the World Cup, the team will play in the Croatia Cup in Novigrad against Congo and Montenegro, who could potentially be their opponent in the second round. The absence of Ana Debelić, who recently became a mother, will make preparations more time-consuming and demanding. The team’s biggest wish is to qualify for the Paris Olympics, with Keti Ježić being the only member who participated in the London Olympics. They are hopeful and determined to make it happen.