A three-time world champion, most recently in 2007, Germany have always been perennial contenders at the IHF Men’s World Championship, but they are still searching for the first medal since lifting the trophy 17 years ago.

So far, the European powerhouse has missed only two editions of the world handball flagship competition, in 1990 and 1997, scoring 4803 goals in 185 matches played. More recently, they ended up fourth, at Denmark/Germany 2019, dropped their level at Egypt 2021, when they finished 12th, and bounced back at Poland/Sweden 2023 by losing only two matches and securing the fifth place.

But 2024 has been a good year for Germany, with some fantastic performances, as Alfred Gislason, the current coach, who assumed the position in 2020, managed to create a well-disciplined side, who can excel in attack and be strong in defence whenever needed.

First, on their home court, Germany finished fourth at the EHF EURO 2024, alternating some good matches with some weaker performances, which saw the European side falter in the closing stages of the competition, also due to the lack of international experience for some players.

That was corrected in July and August at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, when Germany delivered some exquisite performances, losing only two matches on their way to the silver medal, their best performance in the competition since Athens 2004, as the team really gelled and came of age.

Their extra-time win against France, with a match pushed into extra-time in the dying seconds of the regular time proved that Germany are a truly gritty side, fighting until the last second to secure their objective. 

With the next edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship, scheduled for 2027, already on the horizon and hosted by Germany, the big ambition will be to deliver some good performances on the way, but right now, Germany definitely look like one of the teams to watch and one of the certain candidates to challenge for a medal at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025.

With players getting more and more experienced and all of the 35 players on the provisional list plying their trade in the Bundesliga, arguably the best domestic league in the world, Germany have plenty of players to choose from, mixing the experience of the All-Star goalkeeper at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, Andreas Wolff, with the youth of players like Renars Uscins or Juri Knorr.

Knorr and Uscins are bona-fide stars in their own respect, with the former becoming the fulcrum of Germany’s attack in the past years – as Knorr was the third top scorer of the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, with 53 goals, and the All-Star Best Young Player of the competition two years ago.

Uscins, on the other hand, has emerged as Germany’s most consistent scorer, after clinching the title at the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship. In just one year, the right back became the All-Star right back at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and was the fourth best scorer in the Olympic competition, with 52 goals.

With depth, experience and a versatile coach on the bench in Alfred Gislason, who will lead Germany for the third time at the IHF Men’s World Championship, the European powerhouse will start their adventure at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship in Group A, which will be hosted by the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning.

While in the past, Germany had the luck of the draw and progressed with relative ease to the main round, this time around they will face three other European sides – Poland, Czechia and Switzerland, in one of the most balanced, if not the most balanced group of the preliminary round.

While Germany have a positive head-to-head balance with all the sides, including clear wins in 2024 against Switzerland, 27:14 at the EHF EURO 2024 and 35:26 in the EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers in November, anything but three wins in this group will likely crush Germany’s hopes for a medal at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship.

Key players: Juri Knorr (left back), Andreas Wolff (goalkeeper), Johannes Golla (line player)

Qualification: EHF EURO 2024: 4th place

History in the competition: 1938: Winners, 1954: Silver medal, 1958: Bronze medal, 1961: 4th, 1964: 4th, 1967: 6th, 1970: 5th, 1974: 9th, 1978: Winners, 1982: 7th, 1986: 7th, 1993: 6th, 1995: 4th, 1995: 5th, 1999: 5th, 2001: 8th, 2003: Silver medal, 2005: 9th, 2007: Winners, 2009: 5th, 2011: 11th, 2013: 5th, 2015: 7th, 2017: 9th, 2019: 4th, 2021: 12th, 2023: 5th

Group at CRO/DEN/NOR 2025: Group A (Germany, Czechia, Poland, Switzerland)