IHF Men's Handball World Championship

And after the thrilling and atmospheric matches of the 2019 World Cup and 2024 European Championship, the Olympic Park will once again be the venue for two preliminary round groups. Fans have something extra to look forward to, as the German team will play its three preliminary round matches at the SAP Garden – including the World Cup opening match on 13 January!

As with the two previous tournaments, Olympiapark München GmbH and the German Handball Federation (DHB) are responsible for organising the 2027 World Cup in Munich. The atmosphere at the often sold-out games during the last two tournaments in the Olympiahalle was overwhelming, whether at the 2019 World Cup with big teams such as Croatia and Spain or at the 2024 European Championship with Iceland and Denmark.

Demand for tickets for the 2027 Handball World Cup is high. Currently, no tickets are available, with the exception of hospitality packages, for the German team's preliminary round matches at the SAP Garden in Munich, or for the main round and quarter-finals (with Germany qualifying) in Cologne. Around 180,000 tickets have been sold so far. There is also great interest outside the German group. Therefore, anyone who wants to experience the 2027 World Championship live should plan now and take advantage of the offers.

The framework data for the preliminary round schedule is already known: On Wednesday, 13 January 2027, the German national team will play the World Cup opening match at the SAP Garden, with further preliminary round matches involving Germany scheduled for Friday, 15 January, and Sunday, 17 January. The second preliminary round group in Munich will play its matches on 14 January, 16 January and 18 January. Parallel to Munich, the preliminary round matches of the two groups in Stuttgart will also take place from 13 to 18 January. The six preliminary round match days of two groups will be held in Kiel and Magdeburg, each one day apart, from 14 to 19 January. The top three teams from each of the eight preliminary round groups will advance to the main round.

Die Zusammensetzung der Vorrundengruppen wird sich in den kommenden Monaten weiter konkretisieren. Im Anschluss an die EHF EURO 2026 werden weitere Nationen als Gruppenköpfe gesetzt – bislang ist Dänemark als Gruppenkopf für den Vorrundenstandort Kiel gesetzt. Der nächste Meilenstein wird im Frühsommer erreicht, wenn am 10. Juni die Auslosung aller Vorrundengruppen in München stattfindet. Ab dann wird das Programm für die Spielorte München, Stuttgart, Kiel und Magdeburg ebenso stehen wie das mögliche Tableau für die Hauptrundenspielorte Hannover und Köln.

Läuft für die DHB-Auswahl alles nach Wunsch, könnte die Mannschaft vom 13. bis 18. Januar 2027 in München das erste Kapitel für ein erfolgreiches Turnier und damit für ein erneutes Wintermärchen schreiben.