The Handball World Championship 2027 match schedule is set. The 30th IHF Men’s Handball World Championship will take place in Germany from 13 to 31 January 2027, with 32 teams competing across six host cities. The tournament starts with the preliminary round in Munich, Stuttgart, Kiel and Magdeburg before moving to Hanover and Cologne for the main round. From the quarter-finals onwards, all decisive matches will be played in Cologne.
Germany will open its World Championship 2027 campaign in Munich on 13 January. The hosts will play all three preliminary round matches at the SAP Garden, before potentially moving to Cologne for the main round and knockout stages.
Handball World Championship 2027 schedule at a glance
The tournament is divided into the preliminary round, main round, President’s Cup and knockout stage. The preliminary round runs from 13 to 19 January, followed immediately by the main round from 20 to 25 January. The knockout stage begins on 26 January, the semi-finals are scheduled for 29 January and the medals will be decided on 31 January in Cologne.
| Tournament stage | Dates | Venues |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Round | 13–19 January 2027 | Munich, Stuttgart, Kiel, Magdeburg |
| Main Round | 20–25 January 2027 | Cologne, Hanover |
| President’s Cup | during the second tournament stage | Magdeburg |
| Quarter-finals | from 26 January 2027 | Cologne |
| Semi-finals | 29 January 2027 | Cologne |
| Third-place match | 31 January 2027 | Cologne |
| Final | 31 January 2027 | Cologne |
The schedule has been designed so that teams have at least one rest day following each preliminary round matchday.
Preliminary Round schedule
The World Championship begins with eight preliminary round groups containing four teams each. The matches are spread across four host cities.
Munich hosts Groups A and C at the SAP Garden. Groups B and D play in Stuttgart, while Kiel hosts Groups E and G and Magdeburg welcomes Groups F and H.
| Host city | Arena | Preliminary Round groups |
|---|---|---|
| Munich | SAP Garden | Groups A and C |
| Stuttgart | Porsche-Arena | Groups B and D |
| Kiel | MERKUR Ostseehalle | Groups E and G |
| Magdeburg | GETEC Arena | Groups F and H |
Each team plays the other three teams in its group once. This means every nation is guaranteed three preliminary round matches before the tournament splits into the main round and President’s Cup.
The top three teams in every group qualify for the main round. The team finishing fourth continues in the President’s Cup.
Germany match schedule
Germany has been drawn into Group A and will play all three preliminary round matches in Munich. All games involving the hosts are scheduled for 20:30 local time.
| Date | Time | City | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027/01/13 | 20:30 | Munich | Germany – Tunisia |
| 2027/01/15 | 20:30 | Munich | Germany – Uruguay |
| 2027/01/17 | 20:30 | Munich | Germany – Serbia |
Germany’s opening game against Tunisia on 13 January will follow the official opening ceremony. The other preliminary round matches will generally be played at 18:00 and 20:30.
If Germany qualifies for the main round, the team will continue the tournament in Cologne. Should the hosts subsequently reach the quarter-finals, their knockout matches in Cologne are also scheduled for the 20:30 time slot, subject to the final tournament schedule.
Playing System at the Handball World Championship 2027
The Handball World Championship 2027 playing system consists of several stages. The format reduces the field from 32 teams in the preliminary round to eight teams in the quarter-finals before the world champion is decided in the knockout stage.
Preliminary Round
The 32 participating nations are divided into eight groups of four teams.
Each team plays three matches. The top three teams from each group advance to the main round, creating a field of 24 teams. The eight fourth-placed teams continue in the President’s Cup.
Main Round
The 24 qualified teams are divided into four main round groups with six teams each.
Two preliminary round groups are combined to form each main round group:
- Groups A and B → Main Round Group I
- Groups C and D → Main Round Group II
- Groups E and F → Main Round Group III
- Groups G and H → Main Round Group IV
Teams from preliminary Groups A, B, C and D travel to Cologne, while the qualifiers from Groups E, F, G and H continue their tournament in Hanover.
An important feature of the playing system is that teams carry forward the results earned against the other teams from their preliminary round group that also qualified for the main round.
Those matches are therefore not played again. Instead, each team faces the three qualifiers from the other preliminary round group.
This means that preliminary round results can have a major impact on the main round standings. Points won against another team that also reaches the main round remain relevant later in the competition.
How do teams qualify for the quarter-finals?
After the main round, the first and second-placed teams from each of the four groups advance to the quarter-finals.
Eight teams therefore remain in contention for the title:
- four main round group winners
- four main round runners-up
The quarter-finals mark the start of the knockout stage. From this point onwards, a defeat means elimination from the title race.
All knockout matches will take place at the LANXESS Arena in Cologne.
President’s Cup
Teams finishing fourth in their preliminary round group do not qualify for the main round. Instead, they move into the President’s Cup, where the lower final positions at the World Championship are determined.
The President’s Cup involves the eight teams that failed to reach the main round and determines positions 25 to 32. Matches in this part of the tournament will be played in Magdeburg.
The format ensures that every participating nation continues to play competitive matches even after missing out on the main round.
Main Round in Cologne and Hanover
The main round starts on 20 January 2027. Cologne and Hanover each host two main round groups.
The ZAG Arena in Hanover welcomes the qualifiers from preliminary Groups E to H, while the LANXESS Arena in Cologne hosts the teams progressing from Groups A to D.
Main round matches are generally scheduled for three time slots:
- 15:30
- 18:00
- 20:30
There may be adjusted throw-off times for matches involving France because of television broadcasting requirements. The IHF also reserves the right to make changes to the schedule.
Knockout stage in Cologne
From the quarter-finals onwards, Cologne becomes the sole host city of the Handball World Championship 2027.
The knockout stage starts on 26 January 2027. The eight remaining teams compete for four places in the semi-finals.
The semi-finals will take place on 29 January 2027. The two winners advance to the World Championship final, while the losing semi-finalists will compete for the bronze medal.
The tournament concludes on 31 January 2027 with the third-place match and the final at the LANXESS Arena.
Handball World Championship 2027 final
The Handball World Championship 2027 final will be played in Cologne on 31 January.
It is a significant location in German handball history. Twenty years earlier, Cologne was also the setting for the final of the 2007 World Championship, when Germany defeated Poland to win its third men’s world title. In 2027, the LANXESS Arena will once again stage the decisive match for the gold medal.
Match times at the World Championship
Most preliminary round matches are scheduled for evening sessions. Apart from the special arrangements on the opening day and selected matches involving France, the standard preliminary round throw-off times are 18:00 and 20:30.
The opening match on 13 January starts at 17:30. The official opening ceremony will then take place before Germany begins its tournament against Tunisia at 20:30.
During the main round, matches are scheduled at 15:30, 18:00 and 20:30.
Fans should check the official schedule before travelling to a match because the IHF reserves the right to adjust individual throw-off times.
Six host cities for the 2027 match schedule
The match schedule takes the tournament through six German cities:
- Munich
- Stuttgart
- Kiel
- Magdeburg
- Hanover
- Cologne
Munich, Stuttgart, Kiel and Magdeburg are the four preliminary round locations. Hanover joins the tournament for the main round, while Cologne hosts both the main round and the entire knockout stage.
This structure means that teams qualifying from the first half of the preliminary round groups move towards Cologne, while those from Groups E to H continue in Hanover before potential quarter-finalists also travel to Cologne.
Road to the Handball World Championship 2027 final
For the eventual world champion, the route to the title begins with three preliminary round matches. A successful team then plays three new opponents in the main round before entering the knockout stage.
The route to the title can therefore be summarised as:
Preliminary Round → Main Round → Quarter-final → Semi-final → Final
Results against other qualifying teams from the preliminary round are carried into the main round, making every early World Championship game potentially important. A team cannot afford to focus solely on qualifying for the next stage – points won or lost in the preliminary round may later determine whether it reaches the quarter-finals.
The final on 31 January 2027 will bring almost three weeks of World Championship handball to an end and determine the successor to the reigning world champions.