2025 IHF Women's World Championship: Preliminary round schedule released

When the 27th IHF Women’s World Championship throws off on Wednesday, 26 November, Spain will face Paraguay, at 18:00 CET, in the SWT Arena in Trier, while Montenegro take on the Faroe Islands in Group D of the preliminary round of the world handball flgaship competition.

Two matches will also be played in Group C, in the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, where Serbia face Uruguay and Germany are pit against Iceland, with the throw off hours announced at a later date.

Eight matches will be played on the next day, Thursday, 27 November,  when matches are scheduled in the Netherlands, with Romania facing Croatia at 18:00 CET and Denmark meeting Japan at 20:30 CET in the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, while Switzerland make their debut against the Islamic Republic of Iran at 18:00 CET and Hungary take on Senegal at 20:30 CET in the Maasport Arena in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

The 48 games of the preliminary round are scheduled between 26 November and 2 December, with every side having a rest day between two matches. The preliminary round will be concluded by the matches played by co-hosts the Netherlands against Austria (20:30 CET) and Argentina against Egypt (18:00 CET) in Rotterdam, and the ones featuring Tunisia and the People’s Republic of China (18:00 CET) and France against Poland (at 20:30 or 21:00 CET) in s’Hertogenbosch.

The main round and the President’s Cup’s groups are scheduled between 2 and 8 December. The main round matches are hosted by the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund and the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, with the President’s Cup matches held in s’Hertogenbosch. Their throw off times will be announced at a later date.

The quarter-finals will be played on 9 and 10 December in Dortmund and Rotterdam respectively, with the final weekend featuring two semi-finals and the two medal matches scheduled for 12 and 14 December.

Rotterdam will host the IHF Women’s World Championship final for the second time in history, after the 1986 edition, when the Soviet Union beat Czechoslovakia, 30:22, in the last act, winning the title for the second time.

Tickets for the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship are available on the official website of the competition, worldhandball25.com.