Following the conclusion of four continental competitions which took place in January, 19 teams have already booked their places at the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship in Germany, with the remaining 13 berths to be decided over the next few months.

The 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship will take place in Germany between 13 and 31 January in six venues – Munich, Stuttgart, Magdeburg and Kiel will host matches in the preliminary roubd, with Cologne and Hanover taking centre stage for the main round, while Magdeburg remains the host for the President’s Cup.

The quarter-finals (26 and 27 January), the semi-finals (29 January) and the medal matches (31 January), as well as the Placement Matches 5-8 (29 and 31 January) will be hosted by the LANXESS Arena in Cologne.

Qualified teams so far

From Europe, six teams are confirmed: hosts Germany, reigning world champions Denmark, plus Iceland, Croatia, Portugal and Sweden. With four World Championship spots available at the Men’s EHF EURO 2026, the semi-finalists secured qualification; but as Germany and Denmark were already qualified, Portugal and Sweden claimed the two additional berths from fifth and sixth place.

Africa will be represented by Egypt, Tunisia, Cape Verde, Algeria and Angola, after Angola’s comeback win against Nigeria in the Placement Match 5/6 at the 2026 CAHB African Men’s Championship, earning their first World Championship appearance since 2021 and sixth overall.

From Asia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Japan clinched their spots by reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 AHF Asian Men’s Handball Championship. South and Central America provide four teams: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, all qualifying from the 2026 South and Central American Men’s Handball Championship.

The line-up will be completed by the winner of the North America and the Caribbean Men’s Handball Championship, ten teams from the European Qualification Phase 3 play-offs in May 2026, plus two wild cards awarded by the IHF Council.

 

 

 

 

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Draw in Munich and seeding

The draw for the preliminary round of the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship will take place on 10 June 2026 in Munich, at the Hofbräuhaus. In line with the IHF Regulations, the draw will respect performance criteria, with teams placed into pots according to their results at previous events and qualification tournaments.

Germany, seeded in Pot 1, will play in Group A as organising country. As host, Germany had the right to choose its preliminary round group within its performance row, which is drawn last after the other rows from lowest to highest.

Following a request by the German Handball Federation (DHB), the IHF confirmed that Denmark will be seeded into preliminary round Group G in Kiel. This decision reflects Germany’s wish, as organiser, to place Denmark in a venue close to the German–Danish border, making it easier for Danish supporters to travel and attend matches in large numbers, and is in accordance with the Rules and Regulations for IHF Competitions.

Schedule and key dates

The tournament will be played from 13 to 31 January 2027, with the playing order defined in the official match schedule. Preliminary round matches are distributed so that every team enjoys at least one rest day between games, ensuring no side plays on consecutive days and safeguarding player health and performance.

The main round and President’s Cup follow immediately after the preliminary round, again observing at least one day’s rest between all matches for every team. The final weekend in Cologne will feature the semi-finals, placement matches 5–8, the bronze-medal match and the final, all staged with rest days between appearances for each team involved.