Showdown in Finland: Women’s Baltic Sea Handball League reaches final battles for title

March 18, 2025

The Women’s Baltic Sea Handball League (WBSHL) is set to culminate its 2024/2025 season with a thrilling final weekend in Kauniainen, Finland. The top teams from the Baltic region will compete for the championship title, promising fans an unforgettable showcase of top-tier handball.

Season Highlights

Throughout the season, teams have demonstrated exceptional skill and competitiveness. Notable performances include:

CASCADA – HC Garliava SM: Excelled in their home tournament, winning all matches and showcasing their dominance. Additionally, in January, they secured a crucial Lithuanian derby victory against Vilnius Eglė in an away match, solidifying their position at the top of the standings.
Vilnius Eglė: Dominated the tournament in Estonia, securing victories against GrIFK, Mistra, and Jēkabpils SS. Their narrow 28–27 win over reigning champions GrIFK was a standout moment.
GrIFK: The Finnish team, reigning champions from the previous season, opened the current season with commanding victories over Mistra and Jēkabpils SS.

Final Weekend Details

The concluding matches of the WBSHL will be held at Kauniaisten Palloiluhalli in Finland. Fans can anticipate intense competition as teams vie for the coveted championship title.

Lithuanian CASCADA-HC Garliava SM heads to the weekend in the lead winning all of its four games. It’s closely followed by Vilnius Eglė and HIFK with both teams having three wins to their name. Then in a tight group with two wins are reigning champions GrIFK, REIR/Dobele SS and Mistra. In the bottom of the pack, SK Latgols has won one of its matches and Jēkabpils SS is still searching for the opening points.

The final weekend kicks off in Estonia on Thursday when Mistra and Latgols play against each other. The next morning both of the teams will jump on the ferry and travel across the Baltic Sea to Finland where Kauniainen hosts the final tournament.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to host the tournament and bring international handball to our home arena. We hope that many people will come to watch the games and support the event. We also want to ensure that the visiting teams have a fantastic experience while they’re here,” home team GrIFK’s head coach Patrik Johanson greets the guests.

The reigning champions have played a strong season winning the Finnish league’s regular season thus securing a straight place in the semi-finals. GrIFK is heading to the final weekend in search for results as well as improving its game.

“Our primary goal is, of course, to win every remaining game and see how far we can go. At the same time, we want to use this weekend as an opportunity to develop our game further and fine-tune our performance in preparation for the Finnish semi-finals,” Johanson states.

Garliava is on top of the standings with a clean sheet and the Lithuanian team managed to beat their local rivals Vilnius Eglė earlier this season. Both teams are battling for the first spot in both the Lithuanian league and WBSHL.

“The season is going well. There have been ups and downs like in every sport, but we are aiming for the highest places,” – head of the club Laimis Dambrauskas evaluates.

“Our main goal is to play fast handball and to finish the WBHSL strong,” Dambrauskas continues.

Vilnius Eglė is leading their compatriots in the domestic league, but is trailing Garliava in the Baltic Sea Handball League. The team values the opportunity to play against teams from different countries.

“For our young team, every international match is an important experience. A lot of our club’s players represent the national team, so it’s just helping the players to improve. Our goal is to demonstrate a good game, and strive for the highest results.”

HIFK has a short travel to its neighbouring town and is well prepared for the final tournament as they made the semi-finals of the Finnish league earlier this week. HIFK still has a chance to claim the trophy in the WBSHL and the aim is set high.

“Our goal is to win every game. Our strengths so far have been our defence, so we’ll try to utilize that by playing a tough defence and fast attacks,” team leader Nea Härkönen brings insight of her team’s goals.

Mistra is defending the Estonian colours as the only representative of its country and still has a shot of winning the Baltic Sea Handball League. The team is looking to fight for the top spots.

“Top 5 is a must. Top 3 would be awesome,“ coach Martin Kalvet lays down the goal for the upcoming weekend.

The three Latvian teams REIR / Dobele SS, SK Latgols and Jēkabpils SS have had a tough start to Baltic Sea Handball League, but are hoping to finish on a high note.

“We want to play fairly and earn points. We want to play fast and modern handball, but it doesn’t always work out because such a game requires a lot of endurance,” Latgols coach Māris Cibuļskis points out.

Jēkabpils is traveling to Finland to hunt for their first win of the season in the Baltic Sea Handball League.

“We have a couple of goals for the weekend. First, we want to be competitive in every game and give our best effort. Second, we want to use the tournament as an opportunity to develop our younger players and give them valuable game experience. Finally, of course, we would love to win as many games as possible,” Jēkabpils goalkeeper Krista Zelčāne points out.

Schedule

Thursday, March 20

19:00 Mistra vs SK Latgols

Friday, March 21

15:00 Jēkabpils SS vs HIFK

17:00 GrIFK vs SK Latgols

19:00 Vilnius Eglė vs REIR / Dobele SS

21:00 Mistra vs CASCADA – HC Garliava SM

Saturday, March 22

11:00 SK Latgols vs Vilnius Eglė

13:00 CASCADA – HC Garliava SM vs Jēkabpils SS

15:00 HIFK vs Mistra

17:00 REIR / Dobele SS vs GrIFK

Sunday, March 23

10:00 Vilnius Eglė vs HIFK

12:00 GrIFK vs CASCADA – HC Garliava SM

Standings

Place	Team	G	W	L	Diff	+/-	Points
1.	CASCADA – HC Garliava SM	4	4	0	137 : 100	37	8
2.	Vilnius Eglė	4	3	1	139 : 104	35	6
3.	HIFK	4	3	1	93 : 69	24	6
4.	GrIFK	4	2	2	95 : 69	26	4
5.	REIR / Dobele SS	5	2	3	125 : 141	-16	4
6.	Mistra	4	2	2	95 : 112	-17	4
7.	SK Latgols	4	1	3	99 : 125	-26	2
8.	Jēkabpils SS	5	0	5	102 : 165	-63	0