22.01.2024, 11:00
Path to the World Championship 2025 and the Olympic Games set

NEWS: Pot 1 for IHF Men’s World Championship qualification play-off confirmed

After the first teams booked the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 semi-final places, the ranking of the teams in positions 13 to 24 was determined, and their progression through to qualification for the IHF Men’s World Championship 2025 in Croatia, Denmark and Norway.

The three best-ranked teams from the Men’s EHF EURO 2024, except the host nations Croatia, Denmark and Norway, will qualify directly for the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, while the remaining 11 spots will be decided through qualification Europe play-off.

The 11 teams in pot 1 of the draw will be the teams ranked 1 to 17 at the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 without Croatia, Denmark and Norway and without the three best teams apart from the hosts which will also qualify directly to the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship.

Pot 2 will consist of the seven remaining teams according to the final ranking of the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 and the four teams from the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship Qualification Phase 2 Part 1. Those four teams will only be known on 17 March 2024. The matches of the Qualification Europe play-offs will take place from 8 to 12 May 2024.

The draw for the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship Qualification Phase 2 play-off matches is planned for Saturday, 27 January 2024.

Which teams will qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games?

Hosts France and the reigning world champions Denmark are already qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Apart from those two teams, the best-ranked team of the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 will directly qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Next to France and Denmark, five teams from Europe already qualified for participation at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualification tournaments in March 2024, based on their ranking from the 2023 IHF World Championship. They are Spain, Sweden, Germany, Norway and Hungary.

A total of two places are available for Europe at these qualification tournaments. Those two places will go to the two best-ranked teams at the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 in Germany which are not already qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and are also not already qualified for participation in the qualification tournaments.  

Croatia and Slovenia (based on the ranking at the 2023 IHF Men's World Championship) are the first and second replacement teams to qualify for participation at the qualification tournaments if any of the five European teams (Spain, Sweden, Germany, Norway and Hungary) are the best-ranked team at the Men’s EHF EURO in Germany, apart from France and Denmark.

TEXT: European Handball Federation