England Dominate Portugal 20-8 in Places 5–8 Cross-Final
Zlín, 22 October 2026 – England produced a commanding performance to defeat Portugal 20-8 in their places 5–8 cross-final at the IKF European Korfball Championship 2026, securing a place in Saturday’s fifth-place match. Both sides have already secured automatic qualification for the IKF World Korfball Championship 2027 in the Netherlands.
Played at the Datart Sports Hall in Zlín, the match saw England take early control and steadily pull away. Shane Buckland was the standout performer with an outstanding eight goals, while Blake Palfreyman and Neala Brennan each contributed three. England’s attack was varied and clinical, featuring nine medium-range goals, four long shots and effective use of free passes. Portugal, under coach Carla Antunes, found it difficult to create consistent scoring opportunities, with Celise Ribeiro and Inês Santos leading their efforts with two goals each.
With the victory, England advance to the fifth-place final at 11:45 on Saturday. Portugal will contest seventh place at 10:00. As both teams finished inside the top eight at this European Championship, they have already booked their places at the 2027 World Championship (alongside the hosts, the Netherlands).
Expectations for the Final Day
England will head into the fifth-place match with confidence after a strong showing under coach John Denton. A high finish would further underline their status as one of Europe’s leading sides and provide positive momentum heading into the World Championship.
Portugal will look to bounce back and secure the best possible ranking in the seventh-place match. Despite today’s defeat, their qualification for the World Championship is secure, and a positive result on Saturday can still deliver a solid European ranking and valuable experience for the squad.
Both teams now turn their attention to Saturday’s placement finals as the championship concludes in Zlín.
