The team will face its groupmates first: Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, March 7, followed by Great Britain the day after.

Head coach Ergo Rohi said the team is determined to secure a strong start in its qualifiers.

"We have to be ready: this is a historic step for the Estonian women's handball team. We've been waiting for this opportunity, and we must be prepared," Rohi said.

"I believe the first phase of the European Championship qualifiers will bring two very evenly matched games, and we are going in to win them."

Estonia made its debut in the World Championship qualifiers last October, drawing against Finland before losing to Israel.

"I think the quality and level of our opponents are roughly the same as they were against Finland and Israel. The difference is that we are less familiar with Bosnia and Great Britain," Rohi added.

The team's leading player remains Alina Molkova, who plays professionally in Romania.

Other key players competing include Polina Gorbatsjova, Laura Kärner, Inga Bušina, Darja Belokurova, and Mariel Tiimus.

"Since we have participated in various tournaments in recent years, we are getting more visibility, and as a result, players with Estonian citizenship are finding us," Rohi added.

Qualification process and tournament structure

Five host nations — Czechia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Turkey — have already secured their spots at the final tournament this December.

An additional 19 teams are to qualify through preliminary rounds.

The first round of qualifiers consists of three groups of three teams each.

The group winners advance to the second phase, where they will join 21 other teams in six groups of four.

Then, the two best teams from each of these second-phase groups, along with the four best third-placed teams, will qualify for the final tournament.

"Women's handball in Estonia is growing. We now have four clubs, and I believe more will join next season," Rohi went on.

"Teams developing young players have gained new motivation from seeing our women compete at a higher level," he concluded.

Handball is a seven-a-side Olympic sport, mostly played indoors.

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