The women's handball team of Bosnia and Herzegovina represents Bosnia and Herzegovina in international women's handball competitions. It is governed by the Handball Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
History When Bosnia and Herzegovina became independent in 1992, the Handball Federation of Bosnia became the national handball governing body in the country, joining the European Handball Federation and the International Handball Federation. That same year, the federation established the first official women's national handball team to represent the newly independent nation in international competitions.
After a 13-year absence from competition, the senior women's national team was reassembled in Lukavac on 15 March 2021. Radan Rovčanin was selected as the team's coach.
2022 European Women's Handball Championship qualification Greece-Bosnia In their first match for the European Championship in 2022, Bosnia and Herzegovina faced the Greece women's national handball team, who secured a 29-18 victory. The top scorers for Greece were Maria Chatziparasidou and Vailiki Gkatziou, scoring six goals each. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armina Isić led with five goals, followed by Marija Gudelj scoring four times.
Bosnia-Italy In their second match, Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Italy with a score of 25-22 at the qualification tournament held in Greece. This marked the first official win for the women's national team in 14 years, following their long period of inactivity, returning Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EHF list.
Latvia-Bosnia In their third match, Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Latvia with a score of 31–19.
Following the conclusion of the tournament in Greece, coach Radan Rovčanin commented:
World Championship qualification in 2023 In 2023, the Bosnia and Herzegovina women's national handball team participated in the first phase of qualification for the 2023 World Women's Handball Championship, which is scheduled to be held in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Ahead of the qualifiers, the team underwent a coaching change. Alma Čehajić Hadžović was appointed as the new head coach, replacing Radan Rovčanin.
In the first round of qualification, Bosnia and Herzegovina played against Greece in a two-legged tie, with both matches taking place in Cazin at the JU Sportski centar "Salih Omerčević". The first match ended with a narrow 23–21 victory for Greece. In the second leg, Bosnia and Herzegovina secured a 22–21 win. However, the overall result was not sufficient to advance to the next round of qualification, as Greece progressed on aggregate.
Qualifications for the 2024 European Women's Handball Championship In April 2023, the Bosnia and Herzegovina women's national handball team was drawn into a qualifying group for the 2024 European Women's Handball Championship, alongside Croatia, Romania, and Greece. Adnan Bašić, head coach of ŽRK Krivaja, was appointed as the selector of the national team.
Romania-Bosnia On 12 October 2023, Bosnia and Herzegovina faced Romania at the Sala Sporturilor Mioveni. The match ended in a heavy defeat for Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a final score of 49–18, after trailing 26–11 at halftime.
The match drew media and online attention due to an unusual incident in which a Bosnian player mistakenly passed the ball to the referee instead of a teammate. The referee caught the ball, momentarily confused, before returning it to the Bosnian players, allowing play to resume.
Bosnia-Croatia In their next qualifier, Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered a second defeat, losing to Croatia with a score of 31–17. The match was held in Cazin, at the JU Sportski centar "Salih Omerčević". Ana Vrančić and Armina Isić were the top scorers for Bosnia and Herzegovina with four goals each, while Edina Demić scored three times. For Croatia, Nikolina Zadravec, Dejana Milosavljević, and Andrea Šimara each scored five goals, leading their team to victory.
Current squad
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results and future matches that have been scheduled.
2000
2001
2002
2003
2006
2007
2008
2018
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Coaches Radan Rovčanin: 04.03.21- 21.10.22 (596 days) Alma Čehajić Hadžović: 21.10.22- 19.09.2023 (333 days) Adnan Bašić: 19.09.2023- Current
Top Results Challenge Trophy - 2000 Champion Challenge Trophy - 2006 Champion Challenge Trophy - 2008 3rd place Challenge Trophy - 2018 Champion
References