Dagur Sigurdsson: “I wanted something I could burn for”

The Croatian team had their ups and downs in recent years, aiming to get back on the medal track. Winning silver at the World Championship granted their wishes, but now they are stepping into a new era — playing without longtime team captain and handball legend Domagoj Duvnjak, centre back Igor Karacic and goalkeeper Ivan Pesic, who decided to bid farewell to the national team.

Head coach Dagur Sigurdsson had an unbelievable first year at the helm, and with new challenges lying ahead, he is more than ready to lead Croatia to the future with a promising squad that's been gathering more and more experience at a high level. The Icelandic coach talks about the current challenges in this interview.

It's been 40 days since Croatia's incredible World Championship silver medal, followed by warm welcomes in Zagreb, Zadar and other cities. Now that some time has passed, how do you reflect on this achievement?

Dagur Sigurdsson: I'm extremely proud of what we achieved as a team. It was a fantastic month, both in terms of our performances and the connection we built. The atmosphere in Arena Zagreb was like a fairy tale — just unbelievable. As a coach, when you're in the middle of a competition, you don't always get to enjoy every moment. But when I went back to Iceland after the tournament, I started to realise what kind of achievement this really was and what an incredible life experience it had been.

The end of February 2025 also marked exactly one year since you took over as Croatia's head coach. Looking back, did you ever imagine things would unfold this way? Not just in terms of success and results, but also in how you were welcomed by the people, the team?

Dagur Sigurdsson: No, I have to say no, because this was something I could never have imagined. The atmosphere in the arena, and then the welcome in Zagreb — it was just crazy. There was no way for me to expect something like that. I had coached a lot of Croatian players before and followed Croatian sports over the years, so I knew about the passion. And that passion was one of the reasons I took this job in the first place. I wanted something I could burn for. I saw Croatia as the right place to go all in, to take on a real challenge. But I could never have imagined this kind of reaction and reception.

Since taking over, you've qualified for the Olympic Games, competed in Paris, and led Croatia to a World Championship silver on home soil. Over the past year, you've also given many players a chance in the national team as you searched for the right balance. Was this part of your vision, to have so many players come through the squad to identify those who should carry Croatia forward?

Dagur Sigurdsson: Yes. Croatia have a lot of great players, but for me, the biggest challenge from the start was finding the right balance, especially between defence and attack, within the backcourt line, and between experienced and younger players. That was the tricky part. Finding the right defence, the right mix of players. It's something that's always ongoing. It's not like we found the perfect solution now, and everything will stay the same. Teams change from game to game, injuries happen, players retire, new challenges appear. The most important thing is having a vision and knowing how we want to play and represent ourselves.

Your challenge at the moment is the EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers against Czechia. Given Croatia's recent World Championship success, you are the favourites, but do you see Czechia as a challenge?

Dagur Sigurdsson: Absolutely. Czechia had a good World Championship, even though they had some ups and downs in their performances. But they are on a good path and I believe they will be better. I see them as an up-and-coming team, a humble nation with a great handball tradition. They have the ambition to move up, and this is the perfect timing for them to face Croatia. It's a huge challenge for us, but our team is also quite strong despite the changes we had in the squad.

In the first game you won 35:29 after a strong second half performance, but they were keeping up throughout the first half. What was the main reason for that and what do you need to work on for the rematch?

Dagur Sigurdsson: We had problems in the first half with our 5-1 defence, we were soft on the right side and they got too many easy goals. And we had too many two-minute suspensions. We changed our defence to 6-0 in the second half, we got more goals from a distance, won more balls and scored from fast breaks.

The rematch in Arena Zagreb is one of the Highlight Matches, but the game will also mark a significant moment — a farewell to Domagoj Duvnjak, Igor Karacic and Ivan Pesic, as well as awarding every player from 1994 to 2025 who won a medal for Croatia.

Dagur Sigurdsson: There always comes a time when great players finish their national team careers, and this is the moment they have chosen. I'm very happy for them and really thankful for what they gave to Croatian handball, not just to our team, but to the sport in general. The whole thing in Arena Zagreb will be great.

How do you plan to adapt the team's playing style in their absence, especially considering Duvnjak's leadership role?

Dagur Sigurdsson: It's always exciting to find new combinations and see what players step up. If we're talking about this week, of course, I would love to have all my players available, but we also have some injuries to work with.

As you said, some players are missing, like Ivan Martinovic, Zvonimir Srna, David Mandic, but we have Halil Jaganjac back, and Luka Moslavac and Diano Neris Cesko are among the new faces ready to take the court. In the first clash against Czechia we could see it was Tin Lucin who stepped up.

Dagur Sigurdsson: I'm satisfied with how everyone reacted in this game. Everybody played a good role. We tried to play as much as we could on the players who are in the rhythm from January, but you could see Tin Lucin was especially strong and took responsibility. We also had Luka Cindric in the attack all game and it was important to have him for his experience. There are a lot of positive things to take from it.

The current captain for this action is Luka Cindric, but we know that in the future that will be Ivan Martinovic, who is unfortunately injured. He is seen as a key figure for the future. Can you share why you chose him as captain?

Dagur Sigurdsson: He's a very important player for us, and he has a lot of respect from his teammates. He's extremely professional in his approach to the game. We still have experienced players in the squad who will support him, and I have no doubt he will carry on the leadership role that Duvnjak left behind.

The Arena Zagreb against Czechia has been sold out for weeks, and fans are still asking for tickets. How excited are you to be back in that incredible atmosphere again?

Dagur Sigurdsson: It's fantastic to see that kind of enthusiasm and support. It's a great recognition of what the team achieved at the World Championship. It's always special to have that connection with the fans again, and I know the players and I can't wait to step back into Arena Zagreb. It will be emotional.

Photos © Czech Handball Federation (main & in-text), kolektiff (in-text)