Federal President Steinmeier and Chancellor Merz extended their congratulations to the German women’s national handball team following their silver medal win at the World Championship held in Germany and the Netherlands. Steinmeier noted on Instagram that although a bit of luck was missing in the final game, the players fought until the last second and demonstrated their true potential. Merz echoed these sentiments on X, praising the team’s passion, unity, and impressive performances despite falling short of the title.

The German team celebrated its most significant achievement in over three decades with this silver medal, the first World Championship medal since a bronze in 2007 and the closest to gold since their win in Oslo 32 years ago. After a shocking semifinal victory over world champions France, the German squad, coached by Markus Gaugisch, was narrowly defeated by Norway in the final, who secured their third consecutive major title following recent Olympic and European Championship successes.