Great drama and a thrilling turnaround marked the final match of the Women’s Teams Event Phase One at the 2025 European Teams Championships Stage 1 in Sarajevo. Belgium and Slovenia battled fiercely for the top position in Group D, with Belgium ultimately prevailing in a full five-match thriller.
Slovenia’s Sara TOKIC and Ana TOFANT started strong, defeating Julie VAN HAUWARET and Lilou MASSART, respectively. However, Margo DEGRAEF turned the tide of the match.
“Despite the advantage Slovenia built, we never felt like we were behind. Every match was close and could have gone either way. The Slovenian team surprised us by placing Sara TOKIC as their first player, which didn’t work in our favor. But we knew the team draw worked to our advantage for the second half of the match, and that proved right,” explained VAN HAUWARET.
DEGRAEF won a nail-biting five-game match against Katarina STRAZAR, reigniting Belgium’s momentum.
Both teams had already secured a place among the top 12 for the next stage, but the match determined who would take the top spot in Group D.
“You have to approach every match as if it’s a final. Only that kind of mentality can bring results. We gave everything we had,” said VAN HAUWARET.
In addition to Belgium and Slovenia, Latvia also advanced to the next phase, while Cyprus will compete in the 13–17 playoff.
The top seeds in the Women’s Teams Event, the Netherlands, faced a tough challenge against Bosnia and Herzegovina but successfully defended their top spot in Group A. Bulgaria finished second, followed by Denmark with two wins. The hosts, Bosnia and Herzegovina, placed fourth and, along with Scotland, will play in the 13–17 playoff.
In Group B, England remained undefeated, with Switzerland and Lithuania securing the other two qualifying spots. Greenland will head to the playoff.
Greece delivered a powerful performance in Group C, securing their place among the top 12 teams. Moldova, with two wins, and Norway, with one, also advanced. Finland will compete in the playoff.
The top 3 teams from each group advanced to the Main Stage (positions 1-12).
The remaining teams will compete for positions 13-17.
Main Stage (Positions 1-12)
4 groups of 3 teams
The group winners qualify directly for the ETC Final Stage.
The second-placed teams will play additional matches for the two remaining spots in the Final Stage.
Main Stage (Positions 13-17)
One group of 5 (Round-robin)
