Germany’s Handball Euphoria: Silver Sparks a New Era for the Women
Euphoria in Germany has been fueled by the success of the women’s national handball team, who reached their first World Championship final in 32 years and won the silver medal at the 2025 tournament.
The World Championship final on ARD attracted an average audience of 5.786 million viewers. At the start of the tournament, however, there were no broadcasts on Germany’s national free-to-air channels — something DHB President Andreas Michelmann called “a disgrace.”
ARD and ZDF explained their late entry by saying that the live media rights for the Women’s Handball World Championship had already been awarded back in 2019, at a time when the host countries were not yet known. After the strong ratings for the knockout stage, it is unlikely that future broadcasts will be questioned in the same way.
ARD and ZDF hold the rights through 2030 for matches involving Germany’s men’s and women’s national teams at the European Championships. Germany’s World Championship matches in 2027, 2029, and 2031 will be shown on ProSieben and Sat.1, as well as on the streaming platform Joyn.
The federation president emphasized that this success must now be “capitalized on” through the further development of handball in Germany.
Federal training centers are expected to play a key role. One center is planned to open in Leipzig and another in Stuttgart in 2027, with two more to follow in the north and west of the country. “Behind this model is the philosophy of strengthening players individually so that we can later compete with a world-class team. Of course, we also have to ensure that women can make a living from handball during their playing careers,” Michelmann explained, as reported by Handball-World.
From 2025 onward, the women’s team will receive the same daily allowances as the men.
For winning silver at the World Championship, a record bonus of €300,000 was paid out. The difference compared to the men’s bonus for silver (set at €350,000) was covered by sponsor DKB Bank.
“What a World Championship. Being in Rotterdam on final day and seeing your fighting spirit was impressive — so much heart, team spirit, and great handball,” the sponsor said in a message.
PHOTO: IHF, Kolektiff
