The Greek men’s handball national team has qualified for the World Championship for the first time in 22 years after defeating the Netherlands 38–33 at the Topsportcentrum at Rotterdam.
Traveling to the Netherlands aiming to make history, the “blue and white” delivered a commanding performance under coach Zaravinas, overcoming an early deficit and controlling the match across both defence and attack.
Greece trailed 9–5 in the 10th minute before responding strongly to take momentum, with key contributions from Panagiotou and Arabatzis as the team steadily pulled ahead and maintained control for the remainder of the contest.
The side showed resilience after the difficult opening stages, repeatedly extending its lead through a series of dominant intervals including 13–17, 17–22, 20–25 and 26–32, before closing out the victory 33–38.
For Greece, Panagiotou scored 7 goals while Arabatzis added 6, with further support from Eleftheriadis, Boskos, Toskas and others in a balanced team effort.
The result secures Greece’s place at the 2027 World Championship, marking a significant milestone for the national side after more than two decades outside the tournament.
