A home from home for Austria in Croatia, but can they inspire the new generation?

04 Dec. 2024

A home from home for Austria in Croatia, but can they inspire the new generation?

“After the performances we've shown at the EHF EURO 2024, the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification Tournament and the 2025 IHF World Championship qualification itself, our goal is definitely the main round,” said Austria’s head coach Aleš Pajovič after he guided his side to a 64:56 aggregate two-legged victory over Georgia in May to stamp their ticket to Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025.

But it was not plain sailing for the European side in against the Georgians, a nation who have never qualified for a senior IHF Men’s World Championship.

The first leg, away in Tbilisi, saw a narrow 27:25 (12:12) victory for the Austrians, led by eight goals from Sebastian Frimmel with the left wing again leading his side (seven goals) in the return leg in Vienna a few days later, to seal a 37:31 (21:17) second game victory and overall win.

“I said before the first game that we were better than Georgia, but we didn't show that in the first game,” explained Pajovič. “But at home, in front of our fantastic crowd, we've punched our ticket to the World Championship. I am very satisfied – we're back at the World Championship after we missed it in 2023. The goal has been achieved.”

A 2026 European Championship qualification campaign has provided some much-needed competitive action ahead of the world championship, after the Austrians missed out on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after losing to Germany in their third and final qualification tournament match – and, ultimately, Paris 2024 decider – back in March (31:34).

In early November, the Austrians saw off Türkiye 31:28 (17:13) and a few days later grabbed a 29:29 (12:12) draw against Switzerland, who were awarded a wild card for Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025. This game highlighted the fighting spirit of the Austrians, who drew level thanks to an equalising strike with a second left on the clock.

Austria set foot on the court at the Žatika Sport Centre in Poreč for their opening world championship group C match against Kuwait on Tuesday 14 January with the Croatian seaside resort remembered fondly by the fans, if not the players.

Back at the EHF EURO 2018, Austria were based in the same town, but lost all their games in a tough preliminary group featuring France, Norway and Belarus. However, a fan-favourite ‘Österreich-Haus’ (Austria House) proved popular and will return in 2025.

With the house, fans can expect entertainment, warm-ups and walks to the arena on matchdays with non-matchdays providing game analysis, former players and even a visit from Pajovič. All of this should make his team feel settled, at home and ready for the task in hand.

Austria’s best-ever finish at an IHF Men’s World Championship was second in 1938 in the then four-team tournament, but they can only boast a 13th spot in the modern-day event, in the 24-team edition back at Qatar 2015. After reaching the eighth-finals, they lost 27:29 against hosts – and 2025 group opponents – Qatar, despite leading at half-time.

They also faced another group opponent in 2025, France, at the 2021 world championship in Egypt, but were comprehensively beaten 35:28 in the preliminary round.

While the global stage has not been too kind, it is the continental championships where Austria have excelled in recent years and with it, have brought a notoriously winter sport-happy country along with them for the ride.

"Every major event is something special for us players. Croatia, Denmark and Norway are three great handball nations. Being able to play in these countries will be another great experience. Our ultimate goal is to reach the main round. We go into every game to win. We'll see what happens in the end," said left back Nikola Bilyk.

Eighth-place finishes at both the 2020 and 2024 editions of the EHF EURO have established the side as one to watch, with the 2024 event held in Germany working its way into the consciousness of the Austrian public at a time when they are usually glued to watching sports on snow and ice on the television.

At Germany 2024 Austria beat Romania (31:24) and Hungary (30:29), and registered impressive draws with Croatia (28:28), Spain (33:33) and Germany (22:22). A loss against France (28:33) was paired with defeat against Iceland (24:26) which put them out of contention for the 5/6 placement match.

“Measured in terms of participation in major events over the past 15 years, Handball is Austria's most successful Olympic team sport,” explained Bernd Rabenseifner, Secretary General of the Austrian Handball Federation to ihf.info.

“Every participation in a World or European Championship increases public awareness and is a key factor in attracting children and young people to the sport. In addition, the increase in popularity helps clubs and the federation to attract partners and sponsors. 

“After the extremely successful EHF EURO 2024, it was important for the national team to qualify for the next major event in order to capitalise on the resulting hype and hopefully ignite a new euphoria.”

The final preparation period for the Austrians starts on Monday 2 January with a camp at home, before the team move on to Poland for a four-team friendly tournament from 8 to 10 January, where they will face the hosts, along with Tunisia and Japan.

Key players: Sebastian Frimmel (left wing), Nikola Bilyk (left back), Lukas Herburger (line), Constantin Möstl (goalkeeper), Lukas Hutecek (left back), Tobias Wagner (line)

Qualification for Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025: European Qualification Phase 2 vs Georgia (64:56 on aggregate)

History in tournament: 1938: 2nd, 1958: 11th, 1993: 14th, 2011: 18th, 2015: 13th, 2019: 19th, 2021: 26th

Group at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025: Group C (Austria, France, Kuwait, Qatar)