In the opening match, the hosts will face Tunisia—20 years after Germany’s 2007 World Championship title. The ambitious German Handball Federation (DHB) team will also play its other two Group A matches at the SAP Garden in the Bavarian capital. Against Serbia, Germany suffered a defeat at the European Championship earlier this year.
The top three teams will qualify for the main round. Should the European Championship runners-up reach the second phase of the World Championship, Gislason’s squad would move to Cologne for all further matches, including all knockout games.
For the DHB team, which raised hopes for a “Winter Fairy Tale 2.0” at the home World Championship after winning silver at last year’s European Championship, clashes with handball powerhouses Denmark and France will only be possible in the knockout stage, as will meetings with Croatia and Sweden.
Besides Munich and Cologne, Stuttgart, Kiel, Magdeburg, and Hanover will also host World Championship matches. In Stuttgart, Italy, led by German national coach Bob Hanning, will face Egypt, Cape Verde, and World Championship debutant Saudi Arabia.
The eight preliminary groups at the 2027 Men’s Handball World Championship (13-31 January) at a glance:
Group A: Germany, Serbia, Tunisia, Uruguay
Group B: Egypt, Italy, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia
Group C: Croatia, Spain, Chile, Turkey
Group D: Argentina, France, Brazil, Kuwait
Group E: Sweden, Norway, Greece, Qatar
Group F: Portugal, Faroe Islands, Poland, Algeria
Group G: Denmark, Slovenia, USA, Angola
Group H: Iceland, North Macedonia, Bahrain, Japan