| Tourney Name: | 2025 World Women's Handball Championship |
| Country: | Germany |
| Country2: | Netherlands |
| Num Teams: | 32 |
| Confederations: | 5 |
| Previous: | 2023 World Women's Handball Championship |
| Next: | 2027 World Women's Handball Championship |
The 2025 IHF World Women's Handball Championship will be 27th edition of the championship to be jointly hosted by Germany and the Netherlands under the aegis of International Handball Federation (IHF) from 27 November to 14 December 2025. It will be fourth time in history that the championship is jointly hosted.[1] Catch the Dream will be the official motto of the competition.[2]
France are the defending world champions, having won the 2023 edition.
Only Germany/Netherlands entered a bid for hosting the tournament. The tournament was awarded in its meeting held in Cairo, Egypt, on 28 February 2020.
| Competition | Dates | Host | Vacancies | Qualified | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nations | 28 February 2020 |  Cairo | 2 | ||
| 2023 World Championship | 17 December 2023 | 1 | |||
| 2024 South and Central American Championship | 26–30 November 2024 |  Niterói | 3+? | ||
| 2024 African Championship | 27 November – 7 December 2024 |  Kinshasa | 4+? | ||
| 2024 Asian Championship | 3–10 December 2024 |  New Delhi | 4+? | ||
| 2024 European Championship | 28 November – 15 December 2024 | 3 | |||
| 2025 Nor.Ca. Women's Championship | 1+? | ||||
| European qualification | 24 October 2024 – 13 April 2025 | 11 | |||
| Wild card | 18 October 2018 |  Doha | 2 |
1. To bear in mind the 2028 Summer Olympics, the IHF Council awarded the United States wild cards for the 2025 and 2027 World Championships.[3] [4]
2. If countries from Oceania (Australia or New Zealand) participating in the Asian Championships finish within the top 5, they will qualify for the World Championships. If either finishes sixth or lower, the place would have been transferred to the wild card spot. As New Zealand didn't registered and Australia withdrew before the draw, the place is transferred.
| Country | Qualified as | Qualification date | Previous appearances in tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| Co-host | 15 (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023) | ||
| Co-host | 14 (1971, 1973, 1978, 1986, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023) | ||
| Wild card | 5 (1975, 1982, 1986, 1993, 1995) | ||
| 16 (1986, 1990, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023) | |||
| 12 (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023) | |||
| 15 (1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023) | |||
| 5 (1997, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2011) | |||
| 10 (1975, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021) | |||
| 17 (1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023) | |||
| 2 (2019, 2023) | |||
On 16 May 2022 the German Handball Association (DHB) presented the German venues:[5]
On 5 April 2023 the Netherlands Handball Association presented the Dutch venues:[2] [6]
The schedule was announced on 21 November 2024.[7]
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All points obtained in the preliminary round against teams that advance as well are carried over.
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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.
| Rank | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| 6 | ||
| 7 | ||
| 8 | ||
| 9 | ||
| 10 | ||
| 11 | ||
| 12 | ||
| 13 | ||
| 14 | ||
| 15 | ||
| 16 | ||
| 17 | ||
| 18 | ||
| 19 | ||
| 20 | ||
| 21 | ||
| 22 | ||
| 23 | ||
| 24 | ||
| 25 | ||
| 26 | ||
| 27 | ||
| 28 | ||
| 29 | ||
| 30 | ||
| 31 | ||
| 32 |
| Qualified for the 2027 World Women's Handball Championship |