A total of 32 teams from around the world will compete at the Handball World Championship 2027 in Germany. The participants have been divided into eight preliminary round groups, with four teams in each group.
Germany, Denmark, France, Spain, Croatia, Sweden and Norway are among the established European handball nations taking part, while teams from Africa, Asia, North America and South and Central America complete the international field.
The preliminary round will be played in Munich, Stuttgart, Kiel and Magdeburg. The top three teams from each group qualify for the main round, while the fourth-placed teams continue in the President’s Cup.
Handball World Championship 2027 groups
The 32 participating teams are divided into Groups A to H:
| Group | Teams | Host city |
|---|---|---|
| Group A | Germany, Serbia, Tunisia, Uruguay | Munich |
| Group B | Egypt, Italy, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia | Stuttgart |
| Group C | Croatia, Spain, Chile, Türkiye | Munich |
| Group D | Argentina, France, Brazil, Kuwait | Stuttgart |
| Group E | Sweden, Norway, Greece, Qatar | Kiel |
| Group F | Portugal, Faroe Islands, Poland, Algeria | Magdeburg |
| Group G | Denmark, Slovenia, USA, Angola | Kiel |
| Group H | Iceland, North Macedonia, Bahrain, Japan | Magdeburg |
The groups were drawn on 10 June 2026 at the Hofbräuhaus in Munich after the complete 32-team line-up had been confirmed.
Group A: Germany, Serbia, Tunisia and Uruguay
Host nation Germany begins the World Championship in Group A at the SAP Garden in Munich.
Germany will face Tunisia, Uruguay and Serbia in the preliminary round. The hosts open their tournament against Tunisia on 13 January, followed by Uruguay on 15 January and Serbia on 17 January.
Serbia secured its World Championship place through the European qualification play-offs, winning a dramatic tie against Hungary by an aggregate score of 61:60. Tunisia qualified through the African championship, while Uruguay represents South and Central America.
Germany needs to finish among the top three to qualify for Main Round Group I in Cologne.
Group A
- Germany
- Serbia
- Tunisia
- Uruguay
Venue: SAP Garden, Munich
Group B: Egypt, Italy, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia
Group B will be played at the Porsche-Arena in Stuttgart and includes teams from three different continental regions.
Egypt enters the tournament as one of Africa’s leading handball nations. Cape Verde is another African representative, while Italy qualified through the European play-offs after eliminating Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia received one of the two IHF wild cards for the tournament. It will be the country’s 11th appearance at a Men’s World Championship.
Group B
- Egypt
- Italy
- Cape Verde
- Saudi Arabia
Venue: Porsche-Arena, Stuttgart
Group B is particularly important for Germany because the three teams progressing from Groups A and B will meet in Main Round Group I in Cologne.
Group C: Croatia, Spain, Chile and Türkiye
Group C provides another attractive line-up in Munich.
Croatia and Spain bring considerable international experience, while Chile represents South and Central America. Türkiye will make its Men’s World Championship debut in Germany after receiving an IHF wild card.
Türkiye’s participation also gives the tournament a particular connection to the host country because of Germany’s large population with Turkish roots.
Spain secured its place through European qualification, while Croatia had already qualified through its performance at EHF EURO 2026. Chile qualified through the South and Central American championship.
Group C
- Croatia
- Spain
- Chile
- Türkiye
Venue: SAP Garden, Munich
The three best teams will advance to Main Round Group II.
Group D: Argentina, France, Brazil and Kuwait
Group D in Stuttgart features France, Argentina, Brazil and Kuwait.
France qualified through the European play-offs with two victories over Czechia. Argentina and Brazil represent South and Central America, while Kuwait qualified from Asia.
France has been one of the most successful nations in international men’s handball for decades, while Brazil and Argentina have played an important role in the development of the sport in South America.
Group D
- Argentina
- France
- Brazil
- Kuwait
Venue: Porsche-Arena, Stuttgart
The best three teams from Group D will join the qualifiers from Group C in Main Round Group II in Cologne.
Group E: Sweden, Norway, Greece and Qatar
Kiel will welcome a particularly strong Scandinavian presence in Group E.
Sweden and Norway will both play their preliminary round matches at the MERKUR Ostseehalle. Greece and Qatar complete the group.
Greece produced one of the notable results of European qualification by eliminating the Netherlands. After winning the first match 29:27, Greece also won the second leg 38:33 to qualify for the World Championship.
Qatar secured its place through the 2026 Asian championship.
Group E
- Sweden
- Norway
- Greece
- Qatar
Venue: MERKUR Ostseehalle, Kiel
The three qualifiers from Group E will later meet the top three teams from Group F in Main Round Group III in Hanover.
Group F: Portugal, Faroe Islands, Poland and Algeria
Group F takes place at the GETEC Arena in Magdeburg.
Portugal was already qualified before the European play-offs, while Poland booked its World Championship place following an extremely close qualification tie with Austria.
The Faroe Islands will make history in Germany by appearing at a Men’s World Championship for the first time. They qualified by defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina in both legs of their European play-off.
Algeria completes the group after qualifying through the African championship.
Group F
- Portugal
- Faroe Islands
- Poland
- Algeria
Venue: GETEC Arena, Magdeburg
The best three teams progress to the main round in Hanover.
Group G: Denmark, Slovenia, USA and Angola
Reigning world champions Denmark start their title defence in Kiel.
Denmark has dominated recent World Championships, winning four consecutive titles in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025. Ahead of the 2027 draw, the IHF noted that Denmark had not lost a World Championship match since 2017 and had built a 39-game winning streak in the competition.
The Danes will face Slovenia, the United States and Angola in Group G.
Slovenia qualified through the European play-offs, while the USA won the North America and Caribbean qualification tournament. Angola represents Africa.
Group G
- Denmark
- Slovenia
- United States of America
- Angola
Venue: MERKUR Ostseehalle, Kiel
The three qualifying teams will progress to Main Round Group IV in Hanover.
Group H: Iceland, North Macedonia, Bahrain and Japan
Group H will be played in Magdeburg.
Iceland had already secured its World Championship place before the European qualification play-offs. North Macedonia then qualified by comfortably defeating Slovakia over two legs.
Bahrain and Japan represent Asian handball after reaching the decisive stages of the Asian championship.
Group H
- Iceland
- North Macedonia
- Bahrain
- Japan
Venue: GETEC Arena, Magdeburg
The top three will join the qualifiers from Group G in Main Round Group IV in Hanover.
All 32 teams at the Handball World Championship 2027
The World Championship features representatives from Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and South and Central America.
The complete field consists of:
- Europe: Germany, Denmark, Croatia, Faroe Islands, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
- Africa: Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Egypt and Tunisia.
- Asia: Bahrain, Japan, Kuwait and Qatar.
- North America and the Caribbean: United States of America.
- South and Central America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.
- Wild cards: Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
Germany qualified automatically as the host nation, while Denmark entered automatically as the reigning world champion. The remaining teams qualified through continental competitions, European play-offs or the two IHF wild cards.
Newcomers at the 2027 World Championship
The tournament will also feature nations reaching important milestones.
The Faroe Islands will make their Men’s World Championship debut after successfully qualifying through the European play-offs. The Faroese defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 22:24 away and 33:28 in the second match to earn their historic place in Germany.
Türkiye will also appear at the tournament for the first time. The IHF awarded Türkiye one of two wild cards, with Saudi Arabia receiving the other.
These teams add another dimension to a field that also contains many of the most established nations in international handball.
European teams dominate the field
Europe provides the largest number of participants at the 2027 World Championship.
Germany and Denmark had already qualified automatically, while Croatia, Iceland, Portugal and Sweden earned early qualification through European competition.
Ten further European places were decided through the qualification play-offs in May 2026. France, Slovenia, Norway, Serbia, Spain, Italy, the Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, Greece and Poland won their respective qualification ties.
Europe therefore provides 16 directly qualified teams, with wildcard entrant Türkiye increasing the number of European participants further.
How were the World Championship groups drawn?
The draw was based on four performance pots. Each preliminary round group received one team from each pot.
The pots for the final draw were:
- Pot 1: Denmark, Germany, Croatia, Iceland, Portugal, Sweden, Egypt, Argentina
- Pot 2: France, Slovenia, Norway, Serbia, Spain, Italy, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia
- Pot 3: Greece, Poland, Brazil, Bahrain, Tunisia, Cape Verde, Chile, USA
- Pot 4: Qatar, Kuwait, Japan, Algeria, Angola, Uruguay, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia.
Several teams had already been assigned to specific groups and cities before the draw. Germany was fixed in Group A in Munich, while Denmark was allocated to Group G in Kiel. Other seeded teams included Croatia, France, Sweden, Portugal and Iceland.
The venue allocations also took travel distances and expected fan interest into account. Denmark, for example, was placed in Kiel close to the Danish border.
How many teams qualify from each group?
Three of the four teams in each preliminary round group advance to the main round.
With eight groups, this means:
32 teams → 24 teams in the Main Round
The eight teams finishing fourth move into the President’s Cup, where positions 25 to 32 are determined.
The main round groups are formed as follows:
| Preliminary Round | Main Round | Host City |
|---|---|---|
| Groups A + B | Group I | Cologne |
| Groups C + D | Group II | Cologne |
| Groups E + F | Group III | Hanover |
| Groups G + H | Group IV | Hanover |
Results against teams from the same preliminary round group that also qualify are carried forward into the main round. This makes matches between eventual qualifiers especially important because the points remain relevant in the next tournament stage.
The top two teams in each main round group advance to the quarter-finals.
Germany’s possible opponents in the Main Round
Germany starts in Group A together with Serbia, Tunisia and Uruguay.
If Germany finishes among the top three, the host will advance to Main Round Group I in Cologne. There, Germany will meet the three qualifiers from Group B: Egypt, Italy, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia.
Germany will not play another qualifier from Group A again during the main round. Instead, the result of the preliminary round match against that team is carried forward.
A top-two finish in Main Round Group I would send Germany into the quarter-finals, which will also be played in Cologne.
Denmark starts its title defence in Kiel
Denmark enters the World Championship as the defending champion and starts in Group G.
The Scandinavian team has won the last four editions of the Men’s World Championship – 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025 – an unprecedented sequence in the competition.
Denmark faces Slovenia, USA and Angola during the preliminary round in Kiel. If the defending champion progresses, its main round will take place in Hanover against qualifiers from Group H.
Only after reaching the quarter-finals would Denmark move to Cologne.
From 32 teams to eight quarter-finalists
The group stage is the foundation of the World Championship format.
All 32 nations initially play three preliminary round games. Twenty-four progress to the main round, where each team plays three additional opponents.
The first and second-placed teams from each of the four main round groups qualify for the quarter-finals.
The route through the tournament is therefore:
32 teams in the Preliminary Round → 24 teams in the Main Round → 8 quarter-finalists → 4 semi-finalists → 2 finalists → World Champion
The preliminary round begins on 13 January 2027. After the main round, the knockout stage will take place entirely at the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, where the new world champion will be crowned on 31 January 2027.
With traditional handball powers, reigning champions Denmark, host nation Germany, ambitious challengers and World Championship newcomers, the Handball World Championship 2027 teams and groups provide a diverse starting field for three weeks of international handball in Germany.