With exactly two years remaining until the Opening Ceremony, excitement is building across the sporting world for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, and handball fans have every reason to mark their calendars. The Olympic handball competition is set to begin on 12 July 2028, two days before the opening ceremony, throwing off an action-packed tournament that will bring together the best national teams on the planet in one of the most anticipated editions in the sport’s Olympic history.

The men's preliminary round throws off at the Long Beach Arena on 12 July 2028, officially launching Olympic handball competition at LA28 two days ahead of the Opening Ceremony. The women's preliminary round follows a day later, with the two competitions alternating through the group stage before the tournament builds to quarter-finals, semi-finals and, finally, gold medal matches in the closing days of the Games.

Handball at LA28 will be staged at the Long Beach Arena, a versatile venue located in the heart of Long Beach’s downtown waterfront. The arena is no stranger to Olympic action, having hosted volleyball during the 1984 Olympic Games, and it will now provide a vibrant, fan-friendly setting for handball’s return to the Olympic stage in Southern California.

The Games themselves will run from 14 to 30 July 2028, staging 51 sports across more than 40 venues stretching from downtown Los Angeles to Oklahoma City and even New York. LA28 will make history as the first Summer Games since London 1948 to be staged without building any new permanent venues, relying instead on Southern California’s world-class sporting infrastructure - a reflection of the Games’ commitment to sustainability and smart, community-focused planning.

For fans eager to be part of the action, the ticketing journey is already well underway. Following the most successful Olympic ticket launch in history - which saw more than 4 million tickets claimed by fans across 85 countries during the opening sales phase - LA28 has announced that Drop 2, the second public ticket on-sale, will run from 10 to 20 August 2026. Fans wishing to secure a chance at tickets must register for the LA28 Ticket Draw at Tickets.LA28.org before the registration window closes on 22 July 2026. Those selected will be notified on 6–7 August, ahead of their assigned purchasing window.

Handball supporters hoping to attend matches at Long Beach Arena should take note: tickets will be available across a range of price points, with the process fully digital and managed through AXS and Eventim, LA28’s Official Ticketing Service Provider. Fans can purchase up to 12 Olympic event tickets.
As the countdown to LA28 continues, the Games are shaping up to be a landmark celebration - for elite competition and for community impact and sustainability. From record-breaking ticket demand to a host city already investing heavily in youth sports and long-term environmental resilience, Los Angeles is preparing to deliver a Games experience deeply rooted in both global celebration and local legacy.

Handball at Los Angeles 2028

12 teams will compete in each the men’s and women’s handball competitions at the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad. The only qualified teams so far are the hosts – United States of America – with both the men’s and the women’s teams at the start of the competition.

So far, no teams have secured their tickets via the qualification path, with the first ones being the winner of the Women’s EHF EURO 2026, which will take place in December, and the winner of the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship, scheduled between 13 and 31 January 2027.