Greece won the gold medal in the Women’s World Cup by defeating Hungary 13:9 in the Final Eight held in Chengdu.
This marks the Greek ladies’ first-ever medal in the World Cup and their first medal at the intercontinental level in 13 years, following a bronze in the 2012 World League. In 2011, Greece achieved its greatest success in history by becoming the world champion.
In the bronze-medal match, the Netherlands defeated the Olympic champion Spain 10:8. Australia finished in fifth place, while Italy came in sixth. In the seventh-place game, Japan edged out China.
The World Cup was the last qualification tournament for the World Championships in Singapore. Greece, Hungary, and Italy qualified through the World Cup (find out more at the end of the article).
2025 Women’s World Cup Final, Day 3
Final
Greece – Hungary 13:9 (5:4, 1:0, 6:3, 1:2)
Greece: E.Plevritou 3, Xenai 3, Siouti 3, V.Plevritou 2, Tricha 1, Ninou 1.
Hungary: Garda 2, Garda 2, Valyi 1, Dobi 1, Baksa 1, Leimeter 1, Farago 1, Hajdu 1.
Greece maintained the lead throughout the match, allowing Hungary to equalize only three times (1:1, 2:2, 3:3). The Greeks established a crucial advantage during the middle two quarters.
In the 8th minute, Greece earned a 2-goal lead for the first time (5:3), while Hajdu made it 4:5 in the last second of the first period. Both defenses were up to the task in the second quarter. Xenaki gave Greece a 6:4 lead in this period. Hungary had several nice chances, but the Greeks’ goalkeeper Tzourka posted one save after another (she finished the match with 13 saves).
Leimeter ended Hungary’s scoreless phase in the 25th minute, but the Greeks’ speed attackers did a great job in the third period. Christina Siouti scored twice within 49 seconds to make it 8:5. In the middle of the quarter, Eleftheria Plevritou stretched the margin to four with a nice goal from a distance (10:6). Her sister, Vasiliki Plevritou, closed the third period scoring from the right and practically sealed Greece’s win as her team headed into the final quarter with a 12:7 advantage.
Bronze-medal game
Netherlands – Spain 10:8 (3:3, 3:1, 2:0, 2:4)
Netherlands: Van der Weijden 2, Van de Kraats 2, Rogge 2, Van der Sloot 1, Keuning 1, Ten Broek 1, De Vries 1.
Spain: E.Ruiz 2, Prats 1, Ortiz 1, A.Ruiz 1, Guiral 1, Leiton 1, Munoz 1.
The teams that were considered favorites to win the gold medal faced off in the bronze-medal game.
The Netherlands bounced back better from their semifinal loss. While Spain’s attack did not match the standard expected of an Olympic champion, the Dutch defense deserves commendation. The teams were in a neck-and-neck race until 4:4. From the 12th until the 24th minute, the Netherlands scored four goals and didn’t concede a single one. They earned an 8:4 lead before the final eight minutes. Spain couldn’t come back. It just halved the gap in the fourth quarter.
5th-place game
Italy – Australia 13:14 (3:5, 2:0, 3:2, 2:3, PSO 3:4)
Italy: Bettini 5, Ranalli 3, Gant 1, Giustini 1.
Australia: A. Andrews 4, Wiliams 2, C.Andrews 1, Mitchell 1, Emerson 1, Jackovich 1.
Penalty shootout – Italy: Ranalli, Meggato, Bettini. Australia: Mitchell , A. Andrews, Fasala, Hearn.
The 5th-placed game produced big twists and turns. Australia went to 4:0 after less than three minutes of the game. However, Italy leveled at 5:5 by the middle break and earned a 2-goal advantage in the third quarter (7:5 and 8:6). A minute before the end, Italy was ahead 10:9. Thirty-six seconds from the end, Olivia Mitchell equalized and sent the match to a penalty shootout. The “Aussies” had stronger nerves in the shootout.
7th-place match
Japan – China 18:17 (3:6, 4:5, 5:5, 6:1)
Japan: Arima 4, Kawaguchi 3, Kobayashi 3, Nishiyama 2, Inaba 1, Ura 1, Shitara 1, Sunabe 1, Inoue 1.
China:Yan 4, Zhou 3, Znang 2, Shao 2, Y.Zhang 1, S. Wang 1, Yan 1, Nong 1, X.Wang 1, Zou 1.
China controlled the game and the result for more than three quarters. The hosts were building a big advantage step by step. Early in the fourth quarter, they had a 17:12 lead. But Japan kept them goalless in the last 07:30 minutes while scoring six goals to secure 7th place.
World Championships Singapore, participants
Following the conclusion of the World Cup, the list of participating teams in the 2025 World Championships has been finalized.
Only Croatia will make its debut at the Worlds. The draws for both the men’s and the women’s tournaments will take place on May 7.
Olympic Games (medal winners): Spain, Australia, Netherlands.
World Cup: Greece, Hungary, Italy.
European Championships: France, Great Britain, Croatia (6th – 8th place)
Pan American Championships: USA (gold), Argentina (silver)
Asian Championships: China (gold), Japan (silver)
Oceania: New Zealand
Africa: South Africa
Host: Singapore
