The quarter-finals of the men’s handball competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games delivered some hugely entertaining matches in the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, with two matches going into extra-time, three finishing with a one-goal difference and only one seeing a team secure a five-goal win.

After the France vs Germany match in the quarter-finals of the women’s handball competition delivered a world record attendance for a women’s match, with 26,548 spectators attending, the four quarter-finals in the men’s handball competition saw over 100,000 fans being in the stands of the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille.

The biggest attendance for this edition of the Olympic Games in handball was registered in the fantastic quarter-final between the hosts and the reigning champions, France, and Germany, with 27,014 spectators attending the match.

It was a special occasion, as superstar Nikola Karabatic, who won 17 medals in major international competitions and is a three-time Olympic champion, bid his farewell to handball, after “Les Bleus” conceded a 34:35 extra-time loss against Germany.

The match between Denmark and Sweden was also attended by 26,449 spectators, while the third most attended quarter-final was the one between Norway and Slovenia, with 26,406 spectators.

The early throw off between Spain and Egypt, which also featured extra-time, saw 25,697 spectators in the stands of the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, which took the total number of spectators to over 100,000 for the quarter-finals day of the men’s handball competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

More precisely, 105,566 spectators attended the four matches, a fantastic performance for handball. Taking into account the women’s quarter-finals, 196,416 spectators attended the first two days of handball in the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, with a fantastic atmosphere, recognised by players and coaches, as well as the IOC President, Dr Thomas Bach, who was in the stands for the Germany vs France match.