The Swiss handball team suffered an unexpected and bitter setback with their failure in the World Cup play-off against Italy. Nevertheless, those responsible are sticking to their chosen path.
18.05.2026, 14:19
18.05.2026, 14:31
SDA
There were also critical voices when Andy Schmid was appointed as national coach, as he took up the post in February 2024 with no experience. However, the five-time Bundesliga MVP quickly silenced the critics. In the World Cup play-offs in May 2024, the Swiss only lost on penalties to Slovenia, who had previously finished 6th at the European Championships.
The strong performances in these two games were rewarded with a wild card for the 2025 World Championship, which the SHV team finished in a very good 11th place. The Swiss then qualified for this year's European Championships, where they reached the main round and drew against Hungary and Iceland. The 12th place was also a great success and meant that the team faced Italy, a weaker team on paper, in the play-offs for the 2027 World Cup in Germany. The failure with an overall score of 64:68 is all the more bitter.
No lessons learned from the first leg
"We didn't come to terms with the role of favorites at all," Schmid was dismayed to discover in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. He hoped that his players would learn the necessary lessons from the first leg, in which the Swiss won 32:29 despite trailing by 6 goals at one stage. However, that was not the case. On the contrary: With the exception of Noam Leopold, no one was up to the task in the 31:38 defeat in Faenza.
"We were defeated by a team that outplayed us in all the attributes that characterize handball," says Schmid. "I don't blame anyone for not wanting to, but I had the feeling they weren't able to. That was the crass thing. They were paralyzed by the atmosphere, by this pressure situation."
For Pascal Jenny, President of the Swiss Handball Federation, it is "a really huge setback". It was a mystery to him that the defense, actually the team's showpiece, was "almost unbelievably weak" in the two games. Commenting on the performance in Italy, he said: "You feel like you're in a nightmare." When asked whether this setback was part of the development of a young team, Jenny replied: "No, it shouldn't really happen with the quality of the players; it wasn't to be expected in any way."
No more competitive matches until the 2028 European Championship at home
The failure is more than painful in two respects. Firstly, because the World Cup is being held in Germany, the handball country par excellence. Jenny speaks of "the biggest World Cup of all time"; he also wanted to use it to spark euphoria for the 2028 home European Championships in Zurich. Secondly, because the Swiss no longer have a competitive match until this highlight. They will play the Euro Cup in November, March and May, in which they will face the other European Championship hosts Denmark, Spain and Portugal once at home and once away. Ultimately, however, nothing is at stake there.
For Schmid, this is "almost the most bitter aspect": "We would have needed the World Cup to continue to learn and perform in these pressure situations." Being together for a long time before and during a final tournament has always been extremely beneficial for them. For Schmid, the World Cup in Germany would have been all the more special as he played there for twelve years. But despite this "bitter pill", he tries to take a pragmatic view of failure: "It's part of the game. You can't just stand there when the sun is shining."
A setback is also an opportunity
Schmid also sees the first setback in his coaching career as an opportunity: "It will now crystallize who is a competitive athlete with skin and hair. But first I'll look in my mirror." It is clear that the critical voices are now getting louder again. Jenny has already received messages questioning the staff and also that Schmid will also be coaching the top NLA club Kriens-Luzern from the summer, which is "extremely important" for him.
Jenny emphasizes: "The senior national coach is of course not an issue. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted from our path to the home European Championships. At the same time, we have to take an honest look and think about whether all the pieces of the puzzle are in the right place and where we can still improve. Andy will do that too, he's a good enough strategist for that. In the end, however, we also have to hold the players accountable. But I've always said that we'll settle the accounts after the home European Championships. It should stay that way." Jenny continues to dream of a medal in 2028.
