Men's Handball World Cup 2027 back in Munich

The atmosphere in the Olympic Hall has been overwhelming at the last two tournaments. At the 2019 World Championship with big teams like Croatia and Spain, and at the European Championship earlier this year with Iceland and Denmark. But the atmosphere at the SAP Garden is likely to be surpassed at the 2027 Handball World Championship. For the fifth time, the World Championship will be held in Germany, and in January 2027, the host nation will be playing in Munich for the first time. This was decided by the German Handball Federation in the selection of venues.

Mayor Dieter Reiter: "It is a great honour that the opening game of the Handball World Championship will take place here in Munich at the SAP Garden. I am convinced that we can expect a great tournament with spectacular sport. At the same time, I hope that the World Championship will give a positive impetus to popular sport and inspire many people to become active themselves.

Marion Schöne, Managing Director of Olympic Park Munich GmbH, said: "We are delighted that the Olympic Park will once again host a group game of the 2027 Handball World Championship after the exciting and atmospheric matches in 2019 and 2024. What's even better is that the German team will be playing its first World Championship matches here, guaranteeing a full arena. We will once again give a warm welcome to all the teams and their fans. I would also like to thank the City of Munich for its support over the past few months. The positive vote of the city council was a clear signal that Munich wants to host the Handball World Championship again in 2027.

For the first time, matches will be played in the ultra-modern SAP Garden, which has been home to four-time German ice hockey champions EHC Red Bull Munich since the end of September. The arena will also be the home venue for the basketball team of FC Bayern Munich when the Euroleague is in full swing. The SAP Garden will have a capacity of just over 10,000 for the handball World Cup matches.

The tournament is another highlight in the history of the Olympic Park after more than five decades of fantastic sporting events. The Federal Republic of Germany has hosted the World Handball Championship four times. After the premiere in 1961, the first World Championship matches were held in Munich in 1982 with two main round matches. The Olympic Hall was not on the list of venues for the 2007 tournament. In 2019, handball fans will be able to watch 15 preliminary round matches there, compared to twelve matches at the first European Handball Championship in Germany in 2024.

Germany's final opponents in the SAP Garden will be announced after the qualifying tournaments and the draw. Information on advance ticket sales will follow. If everything goes according to plan for the DHB's selection, Germany could be laying the foundations for their third World Cup title in history in Munich in January 2027.