The final 10 places reserved for Europe for the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship have been awarded this week, after the 10 doubleheaders of the Qualification Europe Phase 3 took place throughout the continent.

While several powerhouses secured their place in the competition, there will also be a newcomer, the Faroe Islands, which will make their maiden appearance at the IHF Men’s World Championship, while Greece have secured their place only for the second time in 30 editions, after finishing sixth in 2005.

Arguably Greece’s qualification was the most shocking outcome of any doubleheader in the Qualification Europe Phase 3, especially as they were meeting a seasoned team, the Netherlands, which took part in the previous two editions of the IHF Men’s World Championship and finished 14th and 12th respectively.

Greece started the first leg, on home ground, well, but the Dutch side came back strongly and were leading by three with 13 minutes to go. Yet Greece roared back, on the back of a seven-goal outing from Dimitrios Panagiotou, and took a 29:27 win.

Panagiotou scored seven goals in the second leg too, but Greece were absolutely unstoppable in attack, entering the break with a six-goal lead, 14:20. The Netherlands had a lot to do to muster a comeback, but fell short of even trying, as Greece’s lead grew, only for the Dutch side to concede a 33:38 loss in the second match.

For Greece, this is the second apperance at the World Championship, after their best generation, which also made it to the quarter-finals of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, finished sixth at Tunisia 2005.

The Faroe Islands were close twice to secure a place at the World Championship, but learning was part of the process and with a golden chance to earn their ticket to Germany 2027, they took full advantage of that chance.

After a 24:22 away win against Bosnia Herzegovina, the Faroe side saw themselves down by two goals, 15:17, on their home turf, in Torshavn. But once again, right wing Hákun West av Teigum was a crucial part of the team, scoring 11 goals for the second game in a row, igniting a comeback, which saw the Faroe Islands celebrated their first World Championship appearance, with a 33:28 win, and a 57:50 aggregate win.

A nip-and-tuck encounter ensued in the most balanced tie of this phase, after Serbia took a 31:29 home win against Hungary, in a battle of two strong, seasoned and talented sides.

In a do-or-die match in Tatabanya, Hungary started stronger, 10:7, but Serbia’s new staff, with Raul Gonzales at the helm, managed to keep the players calm and weather the storm.

Soon, the gap was erased and the two teams entered half-time deadlocked, 17:17. Once again, Hungary led by three, 22:19, as right wing Bence Imre and right back Zoran Ilic combined for 10 goals, but Serbia came back once again.

With no goal scored in the last three minutes and Hungary turning the ball over in the last attack, Serbia managed to hold the fort, concede a 30:31 loss, and return to the World Championship after four years, with a 61:60 aggregate win.

Another comeback win secured Italy’s second consecutive apperance at the World Championship. Down three goals against Switzerland after the first leg, Italy took early control of the second leg in Faenza and Gianluca Dapiran shined, scoring 12 goals, while goalkeeper Domenico Ebner had 12 saves, with Italy clinching a 38:31 win, thanks to an outstanding 81% attacking efficiency.

Slovenia punched their ticket to Germany 2027 with two wins against Montenegro, 29:28 and 31:29, with Aleks Vlah scoring seven and eight goals respectively in these two matches for Uros Zorman’s side.

One goal separated Poland and Austria after 120 minutes of fierce handball, with Poland taking the World Championship ticket. Their 26:25 win in the first leg was crucial, as the second match in Olsztyn gripped everybody.

Austria led by four goals in the first half, entered the break with a four-goal lead, 17:13, but Poland wrestled back the lead late in the match. Austria’s line player Tobias Wagner put his team ahead with 81 seconds left, 30:29, Iker Romero’s side had the chance to go two goals ahead, but Nikola Bilyk missed his shot, only for Poland to push ahead with five seconds left, through Michal Daszek, and secure a draw, 30:30, which saw them advance.

The biggest gap was recorded by North Macedonia, which disposed of Slovakia with a 69:47 aggregate win. Norway also beat Türkiye twice, for an 80:60 aggregate win, while France, the bronze medallists at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, eliminated Czechia with a 73:57 aggregate win. Spain also secured two wins against Israel in Buenos Aires, for a 68:56 win on aggregate against Israel.

The Faroe Islands, France, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia and Spain will join other six European sides – Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Portugal, Sweden and Croatia – at the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship.

Argentina, Chile and Uruguay will represent South and Central America, Asia will see Japan, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait play, Egypt, Cape Verde, Algeria and Tunisia represent Africa, while the North America and Caribbean Confederation have the United States of America as the qualified team.

30 of the 32 teams participating at the 2027 IHF Men's World Championship are now known, with the other two places reserved for two wild cards. The draw for the preliminary round will take place on 10 June in Munich.

Qualification European Phase 3 – results

Slovakia vs North Macedonia 47:69 on aggregate (24:31; 23:38)
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Faroe Islands 50:57 on aggregate (22:24; 28:33)
Czechia vs France 57:73 on aggregate (26:37; 31:36)
Switzerland vs Italy 63:67 on aggregate (32:29; 31:38)
Montenegro vs Slovenia 57:60 on aggregate (28:29; 29:31)
Serbia vs Hungary 61:60 on aggregate (31:29; 30:31)
Spain vs Israel 68:56 on aggregate (32:27; 36:29)
Greece vs Netherlands 67:60 on aggregate (29:27; 38:33)
Norway vs Türkiye 80:60 on aggregate (43:30; 37:30)
Austria vs Poland 55:56 on aggregate (25:25; 30:30)

Photo credit: Faroe Islands Handball Federation