Denmark’s record-breaking dominance, Germany’s home ambitions and plethora of ambitious sides will headline the draw for the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship in Germany, where the 32 qualified teams will discover their preliminary round groups on Wednesday, 10 June, at 18:00 CEST in Munich.

Reigning world champions Denmark arrive at Germany 2027 as the team to beat, having already written history with four consecutive IHF Men’s World Championship titles between 2019 and 2025.

While losing some key players due to retirement, Denmark continued their extraordinary run, and have not lost a World Championship match since 2017, extending their winning sequence to 39 games. Backed by another European title won in January 2026, completing the treble with the Olympic Games, Denmark will be seeded into Group G in Kiel, where one of the loudest arenas in Germany will expect another deep run from the Scandinavian powerhouse.

Hosts Germany will carry their own weight of history into the draw. The last time they hosted the IHF Men’s World Championship in 2007, they turned the country “handball‑crazy” and went all the way, defeating Poland in Cologne to lift their third world title. Nearly two decades later, Germany will again open a home World Championship in front of their own fans, this time in Munich as top seeds in Group A, looking to build on the momentum of a strong generation, which has already qualified for finals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and at the EHF EURO 2026.

 

Germany 2027 will also bring together a complete set of reigning continental champions. Egypt, who recently claimed a fourth consecutive CAHB African Men’s Championship title and a record‑equalling 10th continental crown in Kigali, lead Africa’s challenge from Pot 1, underlining their status as one of the most consistent forces outside Europe. Egypt will head either to group B or D, as six other teams from Pot 1 have already been seeded.

The teams in Pot 1 will be joined by the South and Central American champions, Argentina, which continue to be a reference point for the region and will be also heading to Group B or D. 

The United States of America represent North America and the Caribbean as NACHC title holders, underlining the rapid progress of handball in the USA. On the Asian side, Bahrain come into the draw as winners of the 2026 Asian Men’s Handball Championship in Kuwait, where they topped a strong field to secure their place at Germany 2027 and are in Pot 3.

Among the other major contenders in Pot 1 are Croatia, runners‑up at the last edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship and now seeded into Group C in Munich, as well as Sweden, the traditional European powerhouse who will start in Group E in Kiel. Portugal and Iceland complete a highly competitive Pot 1, with each seed already assigned to one of the four German host cities: Munich (Germany, Croatia), Stuttgart (Italy, France), Kiel (Sweden, Denmark) and Magdeburg (Portugal, Iceland).

Pot 2 brings further star quality, featuring France, Slovenia, Norway, Serbia, Spain, Italy, the Faroe Islands and North Macedonia - all capable of shaping the race for the knockout phase. Pot 3 adds Greece, Poland, Brazil, Bahrain, Tunisia, Cape Verde, Chile and the United States of America, while Pot 4 contains Qatar, Kuwait, Japan, Algeria, Angola, Uruguay and the two wild card recipients, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.

With seeding and city assignments already confirmed, the draw in Munich will largely determine the early narrative of the championship. Denmark’s quest to extend their unbeaten World Championship streak will be closely watched from Kiel, where they could be paired with dangerous European opposition from Pot 2 or ambitious non‑European sides from Pots 3 and 4. Germany’s group in Munich will be another focal point, as the hosts aim to build a strong start in front of home fans in a venue they share with fellow top seeds Croatia, setting up the possibility of blockbuster clashes in the main round.

The draw will be conducted by the Chairperson of Commission of Organising and Competition, Pascal Jenny and former Germany player Anja Althaus and will be available on the IHF YouTube channel.

2027 IHF Men's World Championship - pots

Pot 1: Denmark, Germany, Croatia, Iceland, Portugal, Sweden, Egypt, Argentina
Pot 2: France, Slovenia, Norway, Serbia, Spain, Italy, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia
Pot 3: Greece, Poland, Brazil, Bahrain, Tunisia, Cape Verde, Chile, United States of America
Pot 4: Qatar, Kuwait, Japan, Algeria, Angola, Uruguay, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia