The 2025 IHF World Women's Handball Championship will be 27th edition of the IHF World Women's Handball Championship, the biennial international handball championship organised under the aegis of IHF for the women's national teams across the world. The tournament will be held from 26 November to 14 December 2025.
The championship is to be jointly hosted by Germany and the Netherlands. It will be fourth time in history that the championship is jointly hosted.[1] The final will be held in Rotterdam.
For the third time, 32 teams will take part, following the expansion in 2021. Continental championships acted as qualification, with the exception of Europe, who also use their own qualification process alongside the European Championship. Qualifiers took place between October 2024 and April 2025. Egypt, Faroe Islands and Switzerland will make their debut at the championship, with the Faroes becoming the smallest nation to ever qualify.
France are the defending world champions, having won the 2023 edition after beating Norway 31–28 in the final in Herning.
Bidding process
On 11 October 2018, the IHF announced the bidders for the championship.[2]
On 28 February 2020, the tournament was awarded to Germany and Netherlands unopposed at its meeting held in Cairo, Egypt.[5][6] It will be fourth time in history that the championship is jointly hosted after 1995, 1999 and 2023. Overall, this is Germany's fourth time hosting after 1965,[a]1997 and 2017. This will be Netherlands's third time hosting the world championship after 1971 and 1986.
Preparations
On 27 November 2024, Tess Lieder, a member of the 2019 winning squad with the Netherlands, was announced as an ambassador.[7]
On 22 October 2025, a 54-square-metre artwork in Stuttgart was unveiled in preparation for the tournament.[8]
"Catch the Dream" will be the official motto of the competition.[9]
Tickets
On 21 November 2024, the first tickets were released.[10] By 24 January 2025, Dortmund stated that their is high demand for the tournament and 30% of tickets have been sold, with Germany's games in Stuttgart being sold out.[11]
Five venues will be used in the tournament. While every venue bar Dortmund will host the preliminary round, only Dortmund and Rotterdam will host the main round and quarterfinals with the latter hosting the semifinals and final.
On 16 May 2022, the German Handball Association (DHB) presented the German venues:[12] All venues have previous experience with hosting a World Handball Championship.
The World Championship hosts will be directly qualified, along with the reigning world champions. Since there are two organisers, all from Europe, the number of compulsory places for Europe is reduced by one: 3 instead of default 4. The number of compulsory places awarded to other continental confederation remains unchanged. In regards to the 12 performance spots, and based on the results of the 2023 Women's World Championship, Europe receives 11 more spots, while South and Central America takes 1.
Qualifying occurred between October 2024 and April 2025. Each region's continental championships acted as world championship qualification, although Europe also has its own qualification process. With the exception of Belarus and Russia, who are banned of the IHF due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, all remaining IHF member associations were eligible to enter qualification.
Egypt, Faroe Islands and Switzerland will make their debut at the championship, with the Faroe Islands becoming the smallest nation to ever qualify, overtaking Greenland. Of the returnees, Uruguay return for the first time since 2011. Cuba came back after their last appearance was in 2019. Tunisia, return after missing out on 2023. Paraguay advanced to three consecutive finals for the first time. Iceland and Senegal qualified for two consecutive finals for the first time. Originally, China failed to qualify after finishing outside the top four at the Asian Championship, however, they were belatedly given a wildcard, continuing run of making every world championship since 1986.[19]
Notable absentees include 2024 Olympic participants Slovenia, whose last failure to qualify was 2015. Slovenia became the first team since Croatia in 2013 to not qualify for the next world championship after taking part in the previous Olympics. Cameroon and Congo both failed to qualify having participated at the previous two championships. 2023 participants, Greenland, couldn't qualify after failing to enter the 2025 Nor.Ca. Women's Handball Championship for financial reasons.[20][21]Chile and Ukraine failed to qualify after taking part in 2023.
On 31 March 2025, China was given the first wildcard due to good performances and country's position, making it a big market for the sport.[19]
The United States were provisionally given a wildcard, so the team could use this opportunity to prepare for the 2028 Summer Olympics which they will be hosting.[22][23] However, their lack of progress led the IHF to choose a different wildcard. Later on, four countries applied.
After their play off loss to Serbia, Slovenia's coach, Dragan Adžić, stated that his team deserved the last wildcard.[24]
On 12 May 2025, Croatia was given the second wildcard.[25]
The draw took place at 18:00 CET in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands on 22 May 2025 at the Noordbrabants Museum.[26][27][28] The guests for the draw were former German goalkeeper, Clara Woltering, and Dutch internationals, Debbie Bont, and former captain, Danick Snelder. The draw started with, in order, pots 1, 2, 3 and 4 being drawn, with each team selected then allocated into the first available group alphabetically.
Team allocation
In addition, six teams were pre-assigned by the two host nations into each of the available vacant groups:[29]Slovenia were originally seeded into group D in Trier.[30] But after their non-qualification, Faroe Islands replaced them.[31]
In the group stage, teams are ranked according to points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). After completion of the group stage, if two or more teams have the same number of points, the ranking will be determined as follows:
Highest number of points in matches between the teams directly involved;
Superior goal difference in matches between the teams directly involved;
Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams directly involved;
Superior goal difference in all matches of the group;
Highest number of plus goals in all matches of the group;
If the ranking of one of these teams is determined, the above criteria are consecutively followed until the ranking of all teams is determined. If no ranking can be determined, a decision shall be obtained by IHF through drawing of lots.
First match(es) will be played: 27 November 2025. Source: IHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
First match(es) will be played: 27 November 2025. Source: IHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
First match(es) will be played: 26 November 2025. Source: IHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference. (H) Hosts
First match(es) will be played: 26 November 2025. Source: IHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
First match(es) will be played: 28 November 2025. Source: IHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference. (H) Hosts
First match(es) will be played: 28 November 2025. Source: IHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
First match(es) will be played: 27 November 2025. Source: IHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
First match(es) will be played: 27 November 2025. Source: IHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
First match(es) will be played: 4 December 2025. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
First match(es) will be played: 4 December 2025. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
First match(es) will be played: 3 December 2025. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
First match(es) will be played: 2 December 2025. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
First match(es) will be played: 4 December 2025. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
First match(es) will be played: 3 December 2025. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
Places 1 to 4 and 25 to 32 will be decided by play-off or knock-out. The losers of the quarter finals will be ranked 5th to 8th according to the places in the main round, points gained and goal difference. Teams finishing third in the main round will be ranked 9th to 12th, teams finishing fourth in the main round 13th to 16th, teams finishing fifth in the main round 17th to 20th and teams ranked sixth 21st to 24th. In case of a tie in points gained, the goal difference of the main round will be taken into account, then number of goals scored. If teams will still be equal, number of points gained in the preliminary round will be considered followed by the goal difference and then number of goals scored in the preliminary round.
↑ Oceanian teams who enter, participate in the Asian Championship to decides their qualification. However, Australia withdrew before the tournament, meaning no Oceanian team qualified.
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