2025 World Men's Handball Championship qualification
The 2025 World Men's Handball Championship qualification decided who qualified for the 2025 World Men's Handball Championship in Croatia, Denmark and Norway. Qualifying occurred between February 2023 and June 2024. The championship will feature 32 teams for the third time.
The World Championship hosts will be directly qualified, along with the reigning world champions. In regards to the 12 performance spots, and based on the results of the 2023 Men's World Championship, Europe receives 11 more spots, while Africa takes 1.
Detailed summary of 2025 World Men's Handball Championship qualification process
Sixteen teams competed in the African Championship, held in Cairo, Egypt, from 17 to 27 January 2024.[9] The top five from the championship qualified. Those teams ended up being Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Guinea and Tunisia.[10][11]
The three highest ranked non-qualified teams secure a ticket to the world championship. Since Denmark (who finished second) already qualified as a co-host, fourth placed Germany took the place.
The championship will be held from 6 to 12 May 2024 in Mexico where the winner secures the regional ticket.[14] Had the United States won, second place would've taken the ticket. Cuba were victorious and qualified for the World Championship.[15]
Six teams competed in the South and Central American Championship, held at the La Casa del Handball Argentino in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 16 to 20 January 2024.[16] The top three from the championship qualified. Brazil, Argentina and Chile would finish in top three and advance to the world championship.[17][18]Brazil were the first country from any region to qualify on 18 January 2024.[19]
After no Oceanian team achieved a top 5 finish in the Asian Championship, two wildcards were given out by the IHF. United States was given the first wildcard on 18 October 2018, in order to prepare them for the 2028 Summer Olympics which they are hosting.[2][3] Regarding the second wildcard, 12 nations reportedly applied, with 2 of the applicants unknown.[20]
On 23 May 2024, Switzerland was given the second wildcard by the IHF due to multiple reasons: their sporting merit, their commercial reach, their project and the IHF's TV partner asked the Swiss to be picked.[23][24][25] Prior to their selection, Switzerland's coach, Andy Schmid, stated that after their narrow penalty shootout loss to Slovenia, The Swiss' performance merited a wildcard.[26][27]
Notes
^All hosting federations are automatically entitled to take part in the World Championship. If there is more than one organiser from the same continental confederation, the number of compulsory places of the respective confederation shall be reduced accordingly. If there is more than one organiser and the organisers are not from the same confederation, the IHF Council shall decide about the reduction of the compulsory places, considering only the compulsory places of the confederations involved.
^The reigning world champion automatically qualifies for the next World Championship and, as a rule, is placed first in the first performance row. In case the reigning world champion is also hosting the next World Championship, the confederation of the reigning world champion obtains one additional performance place.
^The continental confederation of Oceania does not have a direct compulsory place for a confederational qualification event, therefore, the Oceanian confederation is invited to participate in the Asian qualification events. The compulsory place is awarded to Oceania if the representative from Oceania is ranked 5th or higher in the Asian qualification. If Oceania fails to rank 5th or does not participate, the IHF Council will award this place as a free wild card.
^If the teams representing Oceania fail to finish in the top 5 of the Asian Championship or does not participate, the IHF Council will change Oceania's spot into a second wild card.
^If countries from Oceania (Australia or New Zealand) participating in the Asian Championships would have finished within the top 5, they would have qualified for the World Championships. As they finished placed sixth or lower, the place was transferred into a second wildcard spot.
^To bear in mind the 2028 Summer Olympics, the IHF Council awarded the United States wild cards for the 2025 and 2027 World Championships.[2][3]