This year was the year of the World Cup.
The World Cup took place from January 14th to February 2nd and was played in 3 countries (Croatia, Denmark, and Norway).
The World Cup games were played in 5 different cities: Bærum (Norway), Herning (Denmark), Zagreb, Varaždin and Poreč (Croatia).
The favorite teams to win the world champion title were Denmark (three-time champion), France, Germany, and Spain.
In the preliminary phase there were some surprises, such as Italy, a country that is not very traditional in the sport, achieving 2nd place in the group and Portugal and Brazil qualifying in 1st and 2nd place, ahead of Norway.
In the Main Round, Denmark and Germany were in the same group, with both qualifying for the quarter-finals. France also easily secured qualification for the quarter-finals.
However, we had several surprises such as Portugal and Brazil qualifying for the quarter-finals, leaving Norway, Sweden, and Spain out of the title race.
In the quarter-finals, Denmark beat Brazil comfortably (33-21), France and Croatia won by the smallest of margins, but the big surprise was Portugal's victory over Germany by the smallest of margins after extra time.
In the semi-finals, we had a surprise, as France was eliminated by Croatia. On the other hand, Denmark showed why they are favorites to renew the title by beating Portugal by 13 goals.
In the game for 3rd and 4th place, France beat Portugal by the smallest of margins.
In the final, Denmark once again showed its worth by beating Croatia 32-26.
