European play-offs end with several surprising results, USA win North American tournament – draw to take place on 10 June in Munich

30 of the 32 participants for the 2027 IHF Men’s Handball World Championship in Germany have now been confirmed following the conclusion of the European play-offs and the North America & Caribbean qualification tournament last weekend. While the United States comfortably secured qualification for a tenth World Championship appearance, several surprising results occurred in Europe, with six participants of the EHF EURO 2026 missing out on qualification for the World Championship – including top nations such as the Netherlands, Hungary and Switzerland.

Italy, one of Germany’s opponents in the qualification for the EHF EURO 2028, prevailed against Switzerland in a neighbouring duel. After losing the first leg 29:32 in Zurich, Bob Hanning’s side celebrated a 38:31 home victory, securing qualification for the World Championship for the second consecutive time. Italy will therefore be seeded as the head of Group B in Stuttgart at the draw ceremony on 10 June at Munich’s Hofbräuhaus. The biggest sensation came from Greece against the Netherlands. A 29:27 home win was already considered a surprise, but the return leg turned into a real disaster for the Dutch, as Greece secured another convincing victory, 38:33.

Another extremely close – and equally surprising – decision came in the neighbouring clash between Serbia and Hungary. Serbia won the first match at home 31:29 after already leading 18:12 at half-time. In the second leg, Hungary led by three goals several times, but in the end the 31:30 victory was not enough to secure a World Championship ticket. Austria also narrowly missed qualification in dramatic fashion. Against Poland, Austria lost the home leg in Graz 25:26, while in Olsztyn the team coached by Iker Romero led 17:13 at half-time before Poland equalised at 30:30 with five seconds remaining – enough to book their place at the World Championship.

Other encounters ended more clearly: France won both matches against Czechia in the debut of new coach Talant Dujshebaev, while North Macedonia comfortably defeated Slovakia and Norway dominated Türkiye. The Faroe Islands qualified for a Men’s World Championship for the first time ever after winning both matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Slovenia, who defeated Montenegro twice, and Spain, who secured two victories against Israel, completed the European line-up.

Meanwhile, the United States comfortably won the North America qualification tournament on home soil in Bettendorf. The hosts of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles defeated Canada, Mexico and Greenland in the preliminary round before recording a 32:18 victory against Greenland in the final. The final two World Championship spots will be awarded through IHF wild cards, which are expected to be announced soon.

Results – European World Championship play-offs

Norway – Türkiye 43:30, 37:30
Austria – Poland 25:26, 30:30
Greece – Netherlands 29:27, 38:33
Switzerland – Italy 32:29, 31:38
Czechia – France 26:37, 31:36
Montenegro – Slovenia 28:29, 29:31
Serbia – Hungary 31:29, 30:31
Slovakia – North Macedonia 24:31, 23:38
Bosnia and Herzegovina – Faroe Islands 22:24, 28:33
Spain – Israel 32:27, 36:29 (both matches played in Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Pots for the World Championship draw on 10 June in Munich

Pot 1:
Denmark, Germany, Croatia, Iceland, Portugal, Sweden, Egypt, Argentina

Pot 2:
France, Montenegro, 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, Wild Card 1, Wild Card 2

Seeded teams for the 2027 Men’s World Championship

Group A in Munich: Germany
Group B in Stuttgart: Italy
Group C in Munich: Croatia
Group D in Stuttgart: France
Group E in Kiel: Sweden
Group F in Magdeburg: Portugal
Group G in Kiel: Denmark
Group H in Magdeburg: Iceland