Netherlands secure Gold at the IKF U19 World Korfball Championship
The Netherlands have lived up to their pre-tournament favourites tag, clinching the Gold medal at the IKF U19 World Korfball Championship, which concluded today. The final, officiated by Lukas Pazourek (CZE) and Pardeep Dahiya (IND), saw the Dutch team defeat Belgian with a decisive 18-10 victory with Jinthe Kraaijeveld leading the scoring for the Netherlands with an impressive 5 goals.
Yani Thonon opened the scoring for Belgium with a running-in shot, but it wasn’t long before the Netherlands, sporting their new Craft kit, quickly established a significant lead, scoring 9 unanswered goals. The half-time score stood at 11-5 in favour of the Netherlands, a gap that ultimately proved too challenging for Belgium to overcome in the second half.
The journey to the final saw some compelling semi-final clashes on Saturday. In the first semi-final, the Netherlands demonstrated their dominance early on against the host nation, Czechia. By half-time, the score stood at a commanding 3-13 in favour of the Dutch, effectively securing their place in the final. Final score: 7-23. With the result decided, the Czech team quickly turned their focus to the bronze medal match the following day. The Dutch team’s performance was marked by their clinical shooting accuracy, particularly from their male players, with Seth Roeleven leading the way with 5 goals, followed by Bert Zijlema with 4, and Mikai Van Het Kaar with 3.
The second semi-final provided a much tighter and more dramatic affair between Belgium and Chinese Taipei. In a thrilling contest, Chinese Taipei held a slender 6-8 lead at the half-time break. However, Belgium emerged from the interval with renewed vigour, scoring five unanswered goals that forced Chinese Taipei into an immediate time-out. Despite a valiant effort and two late goals in the dying seconds, Chinese Taipei couldn’t overcome Belgium’s second-half surge. The final score was 14-12 in favour of Belgium, and the emotional scenes after the final whistle clearly illustrated the significance of the victory for the Belgian players, coaching staff, and their enthusiastic supporters in the arena.
Bronze medal match
Earlier today the battle for the Bronze medal also provided excitement, with Chinese Taipei emerging victorious over the host nation, Czechia. The final score stood at 19-14 in favour of Chinese Taipei, securing them a well-deserved place on the podium. Adding to the success of the event, the Bronze medal match between Czechia and Chinese Taipei was broadcast live on national television in Czechia. Another landmark moment represents a significant step forward in raising the profile of korfball within Czechia and exposing our dynamic sport to a wider audience.
958 goals scored
Guillem MartÍn of Catalonia distinguished himself as the top male goal scorer of the championship, scoring an impressive 24 goals. Throughout the championship, he consistently found the korf, contributing to the grand total of 958 goals scored across all matches of the IKF U19 World Korfball Championship 2025. On the female side, Anna VÁgÓ of Hungary emerged as the top scorer with a total of 20 goals, also contributing to the impressive overall tally.
Our thanks…
The International Korfball Federation is immensely grateful to the Czech Korfball Association for their outstanding work in hosting this successful championship. The dedication of the numerous volunteers and the tireless efforts of all the IKF officials ensured a smooth running and overall success of the event. Without their commitment and passion, this memorable championship would not have been possible.
Final ranking
The final rankings of the IKF U19 World Korfball Championship:
- The Netherlands
- Belgium
- Chinese Taipei
- Czechia
- Catalonia
- England
- Türkiye
- Hong Kong China
- Germany
- Hungary
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Poland
The Podium
Full results
Live streams
*Click on the right ≣ icon to select the game you want to watch
Final Scores – FRI, 18/04
Final Scores – SAT, 19/04
Final Scores – SUN, 20/04
The teams of the IKF U19 World Korfball Championship 2025
Where to follow
All fans around the world will be able to watch and follow this tournament live on youtube.com/ikfchannel and on www.worldkorfball.sport (with live results and live streams, statistics, scorers, play-by-play …), as well as on social media on the hashtags #u19wkc and #korfball, with the best image galleries, clips and highlights.
You can find all this content and much more visiting the following official IKF profiles (see below):
► facebook.com/korfball.org
► instagram.com/korfball_org
► tiktok.com/@korfball.sport
