IHF Women’s World Championship 2025 pots are ready!
There are more than six months left until the start of the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship, co-hosted by Germany and the Netherlands. However, preparations are now in the final stages, with the draw set to take place in the historic halls of the Noordbrabants Museum in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, on Thursday, 22 May at 18:00 CEST.
The International Handball Federation (IHF) Council has awarded the two available wildcards to Croatia and the People’s Republic of China, completing the 32-team line-up for Germany/Netherlands 2025.
With the full roster confirmed for the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship, the competition will feature 18 European teams, 5 Asian teams, 4 African teams, 4 from the South and Central American Confederation, and 1 from the North American and Caribbean Confederation.
The tournament will take place from 26 November to 14 December across five venues in Germany and the Netherlands. The Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, the Porsche-Arena in Stuttgart, and the Trier Arena in Trier will host matches in Germany, while the Netherlands will host games in the Maaspoort in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam.
Two quarter-finals will be played in Dortmund and two in Rotterdam, with the final weekend hosted in Rotterdam.
With all qualified teams confirmed, the draw pots can now be revealed.
Eight European teams are in Pot 1, including reigning world champions France, reigning Olympic champions Norway, and Denmark, bronze medallists from the previous edition. Co-hosts Germany and the Netherlands are also in Pot 1, along with Sweden, Hungary, and Montenegro.
Pot 2 includes Poland, Brazil, Serbia, Romania, Switzerland, Spain, Austria, and Angola. Pot 3 features Czechia, Japan, Senegal, Iceland, Argentina, the Faroe Islands, the Republic of Korea, and Tunisia.
Pot 4 consists of wildcard entries China and Croatia, along with Egypt, Uruguay, Kazakhstan, Paraguay, Cuba, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Furthermore, the IHF Executive Committee unanimously approved the request of the Local Organising Committees (LOCs) of Germany and the Netherlands to assign teams to specific cities or groups, in accordance with Article 1.3.2 of the Regulations for IHF Competitions.
The LOCs have opted to place teams with the largest fan bases as close as possible to their borders and to distribute the strongest teams—based on previous results—equally between the two host nations.
Germany and the Netherlands will participate in the preliminary round of the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship in Groups C and E, which will be held in Stuttgart and Rotterdam, respectively.
France, the reigning world champions, will compete in Group F in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Hungary, another top contender, is seeded in Group B, also in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Denmark, bronze medallists at the 2021 and 2023 IHF Women’s World Championships, will play in Group A in Rotterdam, while 2023 runners-up and current Olympic champions Norway are set to compete in Group H in Trier. The Faroe Islands are also seeded in Group D, in Trier.
The final seeded team is Sweden, who will play in Group G in Stuttgart.
Mandatory Credit © Jozo Cabraja / kolektiff
