2023 World Men's Handball Championship

2023 World Men's Handball Championship
Tournament details
Host countries	Poland; Sweden
Venue(s)	9 (in 9 host cities)
Dates	11–29 January
Teams	32 (from 5 confederations)
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The 2023 IHF World Men's Handball Championship will be the 28th event hosted by the International Handball Federation. It will be held in Poland and Sweden from 11 to 29 January 2023. Denmark are the two-times defending World Champions, having won the 2019 and 2021 edition.

Bidding process

Eight nations initially expressed interest in hosting the tournament:^[1]

However until the bidding phase expired on 15 April 2015 only three nations entered documents to bid for this event.^[2] On 21 April 2015 it was announced that Poland and Sweden have agreed intentions to jointly hosting this tournament:^[3]

Hungary
Poland and Sweden

A decision was scheduled for 4 June 2015, but the Congress was moved to 6 November 2015. Poland and Sweden were chosen as the hosts. This is going to be the first time for Poland to participate as the host country at IHF World Men's Handball Championship.^[4]

Venues

The tournament will take place in nine cities (four in Poland and five in Sweden): Kraków, Gdańsk, Katowice, Płock, Stockholm, Malmö, Gothenburg, Jönköping and Kristianstad. The opening game will take place in Katowice while the final will take place in Stockholm.^[5]

Kraków	Gdańsk	Stockholm	Malmö	Gothenburg
Tauron Arena	Ergo Arena	Tele2 Arena	Malmö Arena	Scandinavium
Capacity: 15,030	Capacity: 11,409	Capacity: 19,000	Capacity: 13,000	Capacity: 12,000

Kraków Gdańsk Katowice Płock		Sweden, in orange, and Poland, in green are separated by the Baltic sea.	Gothenburg Stockholm Malmö Jönköping Kristianstad
Katowice	Płock	Jönköping	Kristianstad
Spodek	Orlen Arena	Husqvarna Garden	Kristianstad Arena
Capacity: 11,036	Capacity: 5,492	Capacity: 7,000	Capacity: 4,700

Marketing

The logo was unveiled on 23 August 2021. The logo was designed to be used on a dark blue background, but it may also stand alone. The logo synthetically presents a flying ball. It was inspired by a comet lighting up the sky. The symbol conveys dynamism and expression. The trails form a hand which, in combination with a ball in the foreground, create a characteristic and friendly graphic form. The logo’s colors refer to the national colors of Poland and Sweden, the organizers of the Men’s World Championship 2023. It carries a clear message about the sports discipline of handball. A skillful and well-balanced color split alludes to the cooperation of the event hosts and sticking together for the success of the Championship. The logo was designed by Polish design agency Studio Signature.^[6] The slogan: Stick Together was unveiled on 15 September 2021. The concept “Stick together” is the framework for all our communication and is the sender in all posts or other expressions coming from the 28th IHF Men’s World Championship Poland/Sweden 2023. We use “Stick together” to talk about the big questions and the broader context, but we also use “Stick together” locally in all marketing in each host city. It symbolizes by each concept:

Stick together for fair play.
Stick together as fans.
Stick together as a team.
Stick together to challenge.
Stick together in the arena.
Stick together to win.

It is also as part of both countries sustainability and capable communication concepts.^[7]

Qualification

The World Championship hosts will be directly qualified, along with the reigning world champions. Following the current IHF rules^[8] , the number of compulsory places awarded to each continental confederation is divided as follows: 4 places each for Africa, Asia and Europe. Due to there is more than one organiser from the same Continental Confederation (Europe), the number of compulsory places of the respective Continental Confederation shall be reduced accordingly. So only 3 compulsory places for Europe, while Africa and Asia are kept with 4 four places allocated. Starting in 2021 Pan America was split into two zones: the North America and Caribbean Zone having 1 place, and the South and Central America Zone having 3 places. One additional place is available for Oceania, but only when that region's national team ranks fifth or higher at the Asian Championship. Since no Oceania team placed among the top five at the Asian Championship, the IHF will award an additional wild card. In addition, there will be several performance places for the continental confederations (12 places), which are based on the teams ranked 1–12 in the preceding World Championship. Taking into consideration the results of the 2021 Men's World Championship, 20 out of 32 places are distributed as follows:

Distribution of Places (following current IHF rules^[9])	Vacancies	Details	Comments
Host countries ¹	2
Reigning World Champion ²	1
Performances places for the Continental Confederations Based on teams ranked 1-12 of the preceding world championship - Africa - Asia - Europe - North America and the Caribbean - South and Central America - Oceania	12	1 1 9 0 1 0	as Egypt ranked 7th of 2021 Men's World Championship as Qatar ranked 8th of 2021 Men's World Championship as 9 Europeans teams ranked 1-12 of 2021 Men's World Championship as Argentina ranked 11th of 2021 Men's World Championship
Compulsory Places for the Continental Confederations - Africa - Asia - Europe - North America and the Caribbean - South and Central America - Oceania	16	4 4 3 ¹ 1 3 1 ³	17 compulsory places reduced by 1 due to there is more than one organiser 4 compulsory places reduced by 1 due to there is more than one organiser from Europe place allocated to Oceania or an additional free wild card
Wild card ⁴	1
Total	32

¹All hosting federations are automatically entitled to take part in the World Championship. If there is more than one organiser from the same Continental Confederation, the number of compulsory places of the respective Continental Confederation shall be reduced accordingly. If there is more than one organiser and the organisers are not from the same Continental Confederation, the IHF Council shall decide about the reduction of the compulsory places, considering only the compulsory places of the Continental Confederations involved.

²The reigning World Champion automatically qualifies for the next World Championship and, as a rule, is placed first in the first performance row. In case the reigning World Champion is also hosting the next World Championship, the Continental Confederation of the reigning World Champion obtains one additional performance place.

³The compulsory place for Oceania is subject to fulfilling certain conditions. The Continental Confederation of Oceania does not have a direct compulsory place for a Continental Confederation qualification event. The Continental Confederation of Oceania is invited to participate in the Asian qualification events. The compulsory place is awarded to Oceania if the representative from Oceania is ranked 5th or higher in the Asian qualification. If Oceania fails to rank 5th or does not participate, the IHF Council will award this place as a free wild card.

⁴The wild card shall be awarded by the IHF Council.

Competition	Dates	Host	Vacancies	Qualified
Host nations	6 November 2015	Sochi	2	Poland Sweden
2021 World Championship	31 January 2021	Egypt	1	Denmark
2022 European Men's Handball Championship	13–30 January 2022	Hungary Slovakia	3	France Norway Spain
2022 Asian Men's Handball Championship	18–31 January 2022	Dammam	5	Bahrain Iran Qatar Saudi Arabia South Korea
2022 South and Central American Men's Handball Championship	25–29 January 2022	Recife	4	Argentina Brazil Chile Uruguay
European qualification	7 November 2021 – 16 April 2022	Various	9	Belgium Croatia Germany Hungary Iceland Montenegro North Macedonia Portugal Serbia
2022 Nor.Ca. Men's Handball Championship	26–30 June 2022	Mexico City	1	United States
2022 African Men's Handball Championship	11–18 July 2022	Egypt	5	Algeria Cape Verde Egypt Morocco Tunisia
Wild card	28 June 2022^[10]	—	1+1	Netherlands Slovenia

Qualified teams

Country	Qualified as	Qualified on	Previous appearances^{5, 6}
Poland	Co-host	6 November 2015	16 (1958, 1967, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021)
Sweden	Co-host	6 November 2015	25 (1938, 1954, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Denmark	World champion	31 January 2021	24 (1938, 1954, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, *2019, 2021*)
Bahrain	Top five at the 2022 Asian Championship	24 January 2022	4 (2011, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Iran			1 (2015)
Qatar			8 (2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Spain	Top three at 2022 European Championship	25 January 2022	21 (1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Saudi Arabia	Top five at the 2022 Asian Championship	26 January 2022	9 (1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)
Argentina	Top four at 2022 South and Central American Championship		13 (1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Uruguay	Top four at 2022 South and Central American Championship		1 (2021)
France	Top three at 2022 European Championship		23 (1954, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1978, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Brazil	Top four at 2022 South and Central American Championship		15 (1958, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Chile	Top four at 2022 South and Central American Championship		6 (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Norway	Top three at 2022 European Championship	28 January 2022	16 (1958, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2019, 2021)
South Korea	Top five at the 2022 Asian Championship	30 January 2022	13 (1986, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2021)
Belgium	European playoffs	19 March 2022	0 (debut)
Hungary		16 April 2022	21 (1958, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Croatia			14 (1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Iceland			21 (1958, 1961, 1964, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1986, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Serbia			4 ( 2009, 2011, 2013, 2019)
Germany			26 (1938, 1954, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990⁷, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Portugal		17 April 2022	4 (1997, 2001, 2003, 2021)
Montenegro			1 (2013)
North Macedonia			7 (1999, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Netherlands	Wild card	28 June 2022	1 (1961)
Slovenia	Wild card	28 June 2022	9 (1995, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021)
United States	Winner of the 2022 Nor.Ca. Championship	30 June 2022	6 (1964, 1970, 1974, 1993, 1995, 2001)
Morocco	Top five at 2022 African Men's Handball Championship	15 July 2022	7 (1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2021)
Tunisia			15 (1967, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Cape Verde			1 (2021)
Egypt			16 (1964, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Algeria		18 July 2022	15 (1974, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2021)

⁵ Bold indicates champion for that year

⁶ Italic indicates host country for that year

⁷ From both German teams only East Germany was qualified in 1990

Draw

The draw took place on 2 July 2022 at the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice.^[11]^[10]^[12]

Seeding

Following ranking of previous World Championship, and following IHF rules.^[13]

Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3	Pot 4
Hold Title (DEN as Europe 3) Europe 1 (Host SWE) Europe 2 Europe 4 Europe 5 Europe 6 Europe 7 Africa 1	Asia 1 Europe 8 Europe 9 South America 1 Europe 10 Host (POL as Europe 12) Europe 11 Europe 13	Europe 14 Europe 15 South America 2 Asia 2 Asia 3 Africa 2 South America 3 Africa 3	South America 4 Africa 4 Africa 5 Asia 4 Asia 5 North America 1 Wild card 1 Wild card 2

Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3	Pot 4
Denmark (Hold) Sweden (Host) Spain France Norway Iceland Germany Egypt	Qatar Croatia Belgium Brazil Portugal Poland (Host) Montenegro North Macedonia	Serbia Hungary Argentina Bahrain Saudi Arabia Cape Verde Chile Morocco	Uruguay Tunisia Algeria Iran South Korea United States Netherlands Slovenia

Groups

Each host country can assign one qualified team to each host city. Therefore Spain will play in group A (Krakow), Norway in group F (Krakow), and Denmark in group H (Malmö). Germany in group E (Katowice), Iceland in group D (Kristianstad) and Croatia in group G (Jönköping).^[14]

Group A (Krakow)	Group B (Katowice)	Group C (Göteborg)	Group D (Kristianstad)	Group E (Katowice)	Group F (Krakow)	Group G (Jönköping)	Group H (Malmö)
Spain Montenegro Chile Iran	France Poland (Host) Saudi Arabia Slovenia	Sweden (Host) Brazil Cape Verde Uruguay	Iceland Portugal Hungary South Korea	Germany Qatar Serbia Algeria	Norway North Macedonia Argentina Netherlands	Egypt Croatia Morocco United States	Denmark Belgium Bahrain Tunisia

Referees

The referee pairs were selected on 16 November 2022.^[15]

Referees
Algeria	Youcef Belkhiri Sid Ali Hamidi
Argentina	Julian Grillo Sebastián Lenci
Argentina	María Paolantoni Mariana García
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Amar Konjičanin Dino Konjičanin
Croatia	Matija Gubica Boris Milošević
Czech Republic	Václav Horáček Jiří Novotný
Denmark	Mads Hansen Jesper Madsen
Egypt	Alaa Emam Hossam Hedaia
France	Charlotte Bonaventura Julie Bonaventura

Referees
France	Karim Gasmi Raouf Gasmi
Germany	Robert Schulze Tobias Tönnies
Germany	Maike Merz Tanja Kuttler
Hungary	Ádám Bíró Olivér Kiss
Lithuania	Mindaugas Gatelis Vaidas Mažeika
North Macedonia	Gjorgji Nachevski Slave Nikolov
Montenegro	Ivan Pavićević Miloš Ražnatović
Norway	Håvard Kleven Lars Jørum

Referees
Portugal	Duarte Santos Ricardo Fonseca
Serbia	Marko Sekulić Vladimir Jovandić
Slovenia	Bojan Lah David Sok
South Korea	Koo Bon-ok Lee Se-ok
Spain	Ignacio García Andreu Marín
Sweden	Mirza Kurtagic Mattias Wetterwik
Switzerland	Arthur Brunner Morad Salah
Turkey	Kürşad Erdoğan Ibrahim Özdeniz

Preliminary round

All times are local (UTC+1).^[16]^[17]

Group A

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	Spain	Main round
2	Montenegro
3	Chile
4	Iran	Presidents Cup

First match(es) will be played: 12 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

12 January 2023 18:00	Chile	v	Iran	Tauron Arena, Kraków

12 January 2023 20:30	Spain	v	Montenegro	Tauron Arena, Kraków

14 January 2023 18:00	Montenegro	v	Iran	Tauron Arena, Kraków

14 January 2023 20:30	Spain	v	Chile	Tauron Arena, Kraków

16 January 2023 18:00	Montenegro	v	Chile	Tauron Arena, Kraków

16 January 2023 20:30	Iran	v	Spain	Tauron Arena, Kraków

Group B

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	France	Main round
2	Poland (H)
3	Saudi Arabia
4	Slovenia	Presidents Cup

First match(es) will be played: 11 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
(H) Hosts

11 January 2023 21:00	France	v	Poland	Spodek, Katowice

12 January 2023 18:00	Saudi Arabia	v	Slovenia	Spodek, Katowice

14 January 2023 18:00	France	v	Saudi Arabia	Spodek, Katowice

14 January 2023 20:30	Poland	v	Slovenia	Spodek, Katowice

16 January 2023 18:00	Slovenia	v	France	Spodek, Katowice

16 January 2023 20:30	Poland	v	Saudi Arabia	Spodek, Katowice

Group C

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	Sweden (H)	Main round
2	Brazil
3	Cape Verde
4	Uruguay	Presidents Cup

First match(es) will be played: 12 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
(H) Hosts

12 January 2023 18:00	Cape Verde	v	Uruguay	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

12 January 2023 20:30	Sweden	v	Brazil	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

14 January 2023 18:00	Brazil	v	Uruguay	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

14 January 2023 20:30	Sweden	v	Cape Verde	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

16 January 2023 18:00	Brazil	v	Cape Verde	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

16 January 2023 20:30	Uruguay	v	Sweden	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

Group D

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	Iceland	Main round
2	Portugal
3	Hungary
4	South Korea	Presidents Cup

First match(es) will be played: 12 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

12 January 2023 18:00	Hungary	v	South Korea	Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad

12 January 2023 20:30	Iceland	v	Portugal	Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad

14 January 2023 18:00	Portugal	v	South Korea	Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad

14 January 2023 20:30	Iceland	v	Hungary	Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad

16 January 2023 18:00	South Korea	v	Iceland	Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad

16 January 2023 20:30	Portugal	v	Hungary	Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad

Group E

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	Germany	Main round
2	Qatar
3	Serbia
4	Algeria	Presidents Cup

First match(es) will be played: 13 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

13 January 2023 18:00	Germany	v	Qatar	Spodek, Katowice

13 January 2023 20:30	Serbia	v	Algeria	Spodek, Katowice

15 January 2023 18:00	Germany	v	Serbia	Spodek, Katowice

15 January 2023 20:30	Qatar	v	Algeria	Spodek, Katowice

17 January 2023 18:00	Algeria	v	Germany	Spodek, Katowice

17 January 2023 20:30	Qatar	v	Serbia	Spodek, Katowice

Group F

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	Norway	Main round
2	North Macedonia
3	Argentina
4	Netherlands	Presidents Cup

First match(es) will be played: 13 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

13 January 2023 18:00	Argentina	v	Netherlands	Tauron Arena, Kraków

13 January 2023 20:30	Norway	v	North Macedonia	Tauron Arena, Kraków

15 January 2023 18:00	North Macedonia	v	Netherlands	Tauron Arena, Kraków

15 January 2023 20:30	Norway	v	Argentina	Tauron Arena, Kraków

17 January 2023 18:00	North Macedonia	v	Argentina	Tauron Arena, Kraków

17 January 2023 20:30	Netherlands	v	Norway	Tauron Arena, Kraków

Group G

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	Egypt	Main round
2	Croatia
3	Morocco
4	United States	Presidents Cup

First match(es) will be played: 13 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

13 January 2023 18:00	Morocco	v	United States	Husqvarna Garden, Jönköping

13 January 2023 20:30	Egypt	v	Croatia	Husqvarna Garden, Jönköping

15 January 2023 18:00	Egypt	v	Morocco	Husqvarna Garden, Jönköping

15 January 2023 20:30	Croatia	v	United States	Husqvarna Garden, Jönköping

17 January 2023 18:00	United States	v	Egypt	Husqvarna Garden, Jönköping

17 January 2023 20:30	Croatia	v	Morocco	Husqvarna Garden, Jönköping

Group H

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	Denmark	Main round
2	Belgium
3	Bahrain
4	Tunisia	Presidents Cup

First match(es) will be played: 13 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

13 January 2023 18:00	Bahrain	v	Tunisia	Malmö Arena, Malmö

13 January 2023 20:30	Denmark	v	Belgium	Malmö Arena, Malmö

15 January 2023 18:00	Belgium	v	Tunisia	Malmö Arena, Malmö

15 January 2023 20:30	Denmark	v	Bahrain	Malmö Arena, Malmö

17 January 2023 18:00	Belgium	v	Bahrain	Malmö Arena, Malmö

17 January 2023 20:30	Tunisia	v	Denmark	Malmö Arena, Malmö

Presidents Cup

Group I

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	A4	25th place game
2	B4	27th place game
3	C4	29th place game
4	D4	31st place game

First match(es) will be played: 22 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

18 January 2023 16:00	A4	v	B4	Orlen Arena, Płock

18 January 2023 18:30	C4	v	D4	Orlen Arena, Płock

20 January 2023 16:00	A4	v	C4	Orlen Arena, Płock

20 January 2023 18:30	B4	v	D4	Orlen Arena, Płock

22 January 2023 16:00	D4	v	A4	Orlen Arena, Płock

22 January 2023 18:30	B4	v	C4	Orlen Arena, Płock

Group II

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	E4	25th place game
2	F4	27th place game
3	G4	29th place game
4	H4	31st place game

First match(es) will be played: 19 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

19 January 2023 18:00	E4	v	F4	Orlen Arena, Płock

19 January 2023 20:30	G4	v	H4	Orlen Arena, Płock

21 January 2023 18:00	E4	v	G4	Orlen Arena, Płock

21 January 2023 20:30	F4	v	H4	Orlen Arena, Płock

23 January 2023 18:00	H4	v	E4	Orlen Arena, Płock

23 January 2023 20:30	F4	v	G4	Orlen Arena, Płock

31st place game

25 January 2023 13:00	I4	v	II4	Orlen Arena, Płock

29th place game

25 January 2023 15:30	I3	v	II3	Orlen Arena, Płock

27th place game

25 January 2023 18:00	I2	v	II2	Orlen Arena, Płock

25th place game

25 January 2023 20:30	I1	v	II1	Orlen Arena, Płock

Main round

All points obtained in the preliminary round against teams that advance as well, are carried over.

Group I

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	A1	Quarterfinals
2	B1	Quarterfinals
3	A2
4	B2
5	A3
6	B3

First match(es) will be played: 18 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

18 January 2023	A1	v	B3	Tauron Arena, Kraków

18 January 2023	B1	v	A2	Tauron Arena, Kraków

18 January 2023	A3	v	B2	Tauron Arena, Kraków

20 January 2023	A2	v	B3	Tauron Arena, Kraków

20 January 2023	B2	v	A1	Tauron Arena, Kraków

20 January 2023	A3	v	B1	Tauron Arena, Kraków

22 January 2023	A1	v	B1	Tauron Arena, Kraków

22 January 2023	A2	v	B2	Tauron Arena, Kraków

22 January 2023	A3	v	B3	Tauron Arena, Kraków

Group II

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	C1	Quarterfinals
2	D1	Quarterfinals
3	C2
4	D2
5	C3
6	D3

First match(es) will be played: 18 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

18 January 2023	C1	v	D3	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

18 January 2023	D1	v	C2	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

18 January 2023	C3	v	D2	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

20 January 2023	C2	v	D3	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

20 January 2023	D2	v	C1	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

20 January 2023	C3	v	D1	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

22 January 2023	C1	v	D1	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

22 January 2023	C2	v	D2	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

22 January 2023	C3	v	D3	Scandinavium, Gothenburg

Group III

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	E1	Quarterfinals
2	F1	Quarterfinals
3	E2
4	F2
5	E3
6	F3

First match(es) will be played: 19 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

19 January 2023	E1	v	F3	Spodek, Katowice

19 January 2023	F1	v	E2	Spodek, Katowice

19 January 2023	E3	v	F2	Spodek, Katowice

21 January 2023	E2	v	F3	Spodek, Katowice

21 January 2023	F2	v	E1	Spodek, Katowice

21 January 2023	E3	v	F1	Spodek, Katowice

23 January 2023	E1	v	F1	Spodek, Katowice

23 January 2023	E2	v	F2	Spodek, Katowice

23 January 2023	E3	v	F3	Spodek, Katowice

Group IV

Pos	Team	Qualification
1	G1	Quarterfinals
2	H1	Quarterfinals
3	G2
4	H2
5	G3
6	H3

First match(es) will be played: 19 January 2023. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

19 January 2023	G1	v	H3	Malmö Arena, Malmö

19 January 2023	H1	v	G2	Malmö Arena, Malmö

19 January 2023	G3	v	H2	Malmö Arena, Malmö

21 January 2023	G2	v	H3	Malmö Arena, Malmö

21 January 2023	H2	v	G1	Malmö Arena, Malmö

21 January 2023	G3	v	H1	Malmö Arena, Malmö

23 January 2023	G1	v	H1	Malmö Arena, Malmö

23 January 2023	G2	v	H2	Malmö Arena, Malmö

23 January 2023	G3	v	H3	Malmö Arena, Malmö

Final round

Bracket

Quarter-finals	Semi-finals	Final

25 January

I1
	27 January
III2

25 January

II1
		29 January
IV2

25 January

III1
	27 January
I2

25 January
		Third place
IV1
		29 January
II2

5–8th place playoffs

	Semifinals				Fifth place

	27 January


					29 January


	27 January




					Seventh place

					29 January

Quarterfinals

25 January 2023	I1	v	III2	Ergo Arena, Gdańsk

25 January 2023	II1	v	IV2	Tele2 Arena, Stockholm

25 January 2023	III1	v	I2	Ergo Arena, Gdańsk

25 January 2023	IV1	v	II2	Tele2 Arena, Stockholm

5–8th place semifinals

27 January 2023	LQF1	v	LQF3	Tele2 Arena, Stockholm

27 January 2023	LQF2	v	LQF4	Tele2 Arena, Stockholm

Semifinals

27 January 2023 18:00	WQF1	v	WQF3	Ergo Arena, Gdańsk

27 January 2023	WQF2	v	WQF4	Tele2 Arena, Stockholm

Seventh place game

29 January 2023 13:00	LSF1	v	LSF2	Tele2 Arena, Stockholm

Fifth place game

29 January 2023 15:30	WSF1	v	WSF2	Tele2 Arena, Stockholm

Third place game

29 January 2023 18:00	LSF1	v	LSF2	Tele2 Arena, Stockholm

Final

29 January 2023	WSF1	v	WSF2	Tele2 Arena, Stockholm

Final ranking

Places 1 to 8 and 25 to 32 will be decided by play-off or knock-out. 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 are 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 2024 Summer Olympics and the 2025 World Men's Handball Championship

References

^ "Bidding process for the 2021/2023 Men's and Women's World Championships". ihf.info. 18 February 2015.
^ "Applications for Men's World Championships 2021/2023". ihf.info. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
^ "Sverige söker värdskapet för VM 2023". Svensk Handball (in Swedish). 21 April 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
^ "2021 and 2023 IHF Men's World Championships Awarded". ihf.info. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
^ "Sverige inleder VM 2023 i Göteborg" (in Swedish). Svenska Handbollslandslaget. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
^ "The official logotype of the 28th IHF Men's World Championship". International Handball Federation. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
^ ""Stick Together" is the communication concept of the 28th IHF Men's World Championship". International Handball Federation. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
^ "Regulations%20for%20IHF%20Competitions_E_4.pdf" (PDF). International Handball Federation. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
^ "Regulations%20for%20IHF%20Competitions_E_4.pdf" (PDF). International Handball Federation. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Netherlands and Slovenia receive Wild Cards for Poland/Sweden 2023". International Handball Federation. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
^ "Śląsk i Katowice gospodarzami mistrzostw świata" (in Polish). Związek Piłki Ręcznej w Polsce. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
^ "Poland/Sweden 2023 draw concludes with high-profile clashes highlighting preliminary round". Związek Piłki Ręcznej w Polsce. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
^ "Regulations%20for%20IHF%20Competitions_E_4.pdf" (PDF). International Handball Federation. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
^ Ticket sales in Poland started
^ "IHF announce referees for the 28th IHF Men's World Championship". ihf.info. 16 November 2022.
^ "Playing schedule for Poland/Sweden 2023 released". ihf.info. 28 October 2022.
^ "Match Schedule" (PDF). handball23.com. 28 October 2022.

External links

[1] "Bidding process for the 2021/2023 Men's and Women's World Championships". ihf.info. 18 February 2015.

[2] "Applications for Men's World Championships 2021/2023". ihf.info. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.

[3] "Sverige söker värdskapet för VM 2023". Svensk Handball (in Swedish). 21 April 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.

[4] "2021 and 2023 IHF Men's World Championships Awarded". ihf.info. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.

[5] "Sverige inleder VM 2023 i Göteborg" (in Swedish). Svenska Handbollslandslaget. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.

[6] "The official logotype of the 28th IHF Men's World Championship". International Handball Federation. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.

[7] ""Stick Together" is the communication concept of the 28th IHF Men's World Championship". International Handball Federation. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.

[8] "Regulations%20for%20IHF%20Competitions_E_4.pdf" (PDF). International Handball Federation. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2022.

[9] "Regulations%20for%20IHF%20Competitions_E_4.pdf" (PDF). International Handball Federation. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2022.

[WC-10] "Netherlands and Slovenia receive Wild Cards for Poland/Sweden 2023". International Handball Federation. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.

[11] "Śląsk i Katowice gospodarzami mistrzostw świata" (in Polish). Związek Piłki Ręcznej w Polsce. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.

[12] "Poland/Sweden 2023 draw concludes with high-profile clashes highlighting preliminary round". Związek Piłki Ręcznej w Polsce. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.

[13] "Regulations%20for%20IHF%20Competitions_E_4.pdf" (PDF). International Handball Federation. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2022.

[14] Ticket sales in Poland started

[15] "IHF announce referees for the 28th IHF Men's World Championship". ihf.info. 16 November 2022.

[16] "Playing schedule for Poland/Sweden 2023 released". ihf.info. 28 October 2022.

[17] "Match Schedule" (PDF). handball23.com. 28 October 2022.

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