Poland Defeat Slovakia 15-11 and Book World Championship Spot
Zlín, 22 October 2026 – Poland secured a hard-fought 15-11 victory over Slovakia in their places 9–12 cross-final at the IKF European Korfball Championship 2026, earning the right to contest ninth place tomorrow and automatically qualifying for the IKF World Korfball Championship 2027 in the Netherlands.
The match, played at the Datart Sports Hall in Zlín as part of the final phase, saw Poland take control after a competitive opening. At half-time the score stood at 8-6 in Poland’s favour. Captain Tamara Siemieniuk was the outstanding performer for the winners, finishing with five goals, while Lukasz Krzemienowski, Julia Arent and Marcin Nowak also contributed. Slovakia, led by Zuzana Bušíková and Zuzana Hrosovska (two goals each), stayed in contention through penalties and long-range efforts from Ema Ondrejcova and others, but Poland’s greater consistency in the second half proved decisive.
With this result, Poland advance to tomorrow’s 19:15 match for ninth place and have already secured their place at the 2027 World Championship. Slovakia will face the loser of the other 9–12 fixture in the 11th-place match at 17:30. Places 9 and 10 at this European Championship carry automatic qualification for the World Championship (the Netherlands, as hosts, are already qualified).
Expectations for the Final Day
Poland will enter tomorrow’s ninth-place final with confidence after a strong tournament that included topping their second-phase group. Under coach Robert Williams, they will aim to finish as high as possible and carry positive momentum into the World Championship. A win would confirm a top-nine European ranking and further underline their progress as a rising force.
Slovakia, coached by Hans van Hellemont, will look to bounce back in the 11th-place match. While they miss out on automatic World Championship qualification, a strong performance can still provide valuable experience and a respectable final ranking as they continue to develop as a competitive European side.
Both teams now turn their attention to tomorrow’s placement finals as the championship reaches its climax in Zlín.
