Serbia Hold Edge Over Switzerland in Zlín 13–16 Placement Match
Zlín, 22 October 2026 – Serbia and Switzerland produced a tight, competitive contest in their cross-placement match for places 13–16 at the IKF European Korfball Championship 2026. Played at the Datart Sports Hall as part of the final phase in Zlín, the game pitted two sides looking to secure the best possible finish before tomorrow’s placement finals.
Serbia led 7–5 at half-time in a low-scoring but intense first period. Nikola Perkovic and Petar Jovanovic each scored twice for the Serbs, with captain Milena Ignjatijevic adding a penalty. Switzerland stayed in touch throughout, driven by Romain Nijenhuis, who scored three goals (two running-in shots and one medium). Louise Otterman and Samuel Malkin also contributed for the Swiss, who showed resilience after earlier defeats in the second group phase.
The match formed part of the 13–16 bracket. With Ireland having earlier beaten Scotland in the other fixture, the winner of Serbia versus Switzerland advances to tomorrow’s match for 13th place, while the loser will contest 15th. Neither side is in contention for entering next year's World Championship 2027, but the automatic qualification for the next EKC-B will be also a good prize for those which end in higher rankings at this EKC 2026.
Looking Ahead to the Final Day
Serbia will aim to build on their recent improvement, including a golden-goal win over Scotland, and the organisational strength shown by coach Andrija Vukic and captain Ignjatijevic. A place in the 13th-place final would represent a positive step after a difficult start to the tournament.
Switzerland, led by coach Juliette Nijenhuis and with Nijenhuis in strong scoring form, will look to reverse their recent results and finish as high as possible. Both teams understand that while 9th and 10th carry the key reward of World Championship qualification, a strong result in the lower placement matches still matters for ranking, experience, and momentum heading into future campaigns.
Tomorrow’s placement games will decide the final order in the 13–16 range, while the championship itself concludes on 24 October with the European title at stake.
