While the 28th edition of the IHF Men's World Championship is just around the corner, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are also getting closer. Only 21 months separate us from the opening ceremony, which will take place in the French capital on 26 July 2024.

Preparations are now in full swing before the start of the competition. Handball is on the programme for the 15th time in history and the 14th time in a row for the men, a streak that started with Munich 1972, and for the 13th time in a row for the women.

The two venues that will host the two handball tournaments at Paris 2024 have been officially confirmed: the South Paris Arena 6 in Paris and, from the quarter-finals onwards, the Pierre Mauroy football stadium in Lille.

South Paris Arena 6 is part of the Paris Expo, an exhibition and convention centre that is one of the most active in Europe and most visited in France. Across 35 hectares, 228,000 sqm of exhibition halls and eight pavilions, Paris Expo welcomes 7.5 million visitors each year. With Halls 1, 4 and 6, and those set aside for Games logistics, Paris Expo will be a major hub for the Paris 2024 Games.

The knockout phase in the two Olympic tournaments will be held at the Stade Pierre Mauroy, a multi-use, retractable-roof stadium in Lille with a seating capacity of 26.000 spectators. Inaugurated in August 2012, it is the home of Lille OSC, champions in the French football league in the 2020/21 season. Still, it also has a long history of hosting other sports like handball, basketball, tennis or rugby.

It also hosted three matches at the 2017 IHF Men's World Championship, setting a record of 28.010 spectators at the quarter-final between France and Sweden, won 33:30 by the hosts on their way to lifting the trophy.

Qualification underway

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, will be held in Paris, France from 26 July to 11 August 2024.

Starting a day before, on 25 July and taking place until the end of the Games, 12 men's and 12 women's teams will compete in their respective tournaments. 

As the host nation, France's men's and women's teams have automatically qualified, with various continental and qualification tournaments deciding the remaining 22 teams. The Norway women's team has secured their place at Paris 2024 with the win at the EHF EURO 2022, while the IHF Men's World Championship winner will also get a berth for Paris 2024 after the tournament's conclusion.