The Gruelling Journey for Men's Handball Teams to Earn their Spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics

The Epic Journey of Men's Handball Teams to Paris 2024 - From Regional Battles to Global Showdowns, Who Will Qualify for the Ultimate Sporting Challenge?


Handball is a fast-paced and exciting sport that has been a regular fixture at the Olympic Games since 1972. The sport did make a single appearance at the 1932 Berlin Olympics, and in 1952 as a demonstration sport, but it wasn't until Munich 1972 that the sport found a permanent spot on the Olympic program. Since Montreal 1976, the men's Olympic handball tournament has been a 12-team affair with teams split into two groups. The format for the men's tournament has remained unchanged since Sydney 2000 from which time the top four teams in each group has advanced to the quarterfinal stage. 

Paris 2024 hosts France will be one of the favourites to win the men's handball tournaments as they have been the most successful team in men's handball winning 3 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze. France have won gold at three of the four most recent Olympics, only going down to Denmark 28-26 in the final at Rio 2016. At Paris 2024, handball matches are scheduled to be hosted at South Paris Arena 6 (preliminary phase) and Pierre Mauroy Stadium (final phase).

Qualified teams

With hosts France receiving automatic qualification, the remaining 11 teams in the Paris 2024 men's handball tournament will qualify through one of three paths: the 2023 World Championships, regional championships, or the IHF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments.

The top ranked team in the final standings of the 2023 World Championship and each of the regional champions will qualify for Paris 2024 (total 5 teams). A total of 12 teams will contest one of three Olympic qualifying tournaments for the final six places for Paris 2024.

Hosts

France

World Championships

Denmark


Regional Championships

Africa

Americas

Asia

Europe


2024 IHF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments

Tournament 1

Tournament 2

Tournament 3


Qualifying tournaments

2024 African Championships 1

January 2024. The winner of the 2024 African Championships will qualify for Paris 2024. The next two highest ranked teams will participate in the 2024 IHF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments.

2023 Pan American Games 1

27 October-1 November 2023. The winner of the men's handball tournament at the 2023 Pan American Games will qualify for Paris 2024. The next highest ranked team will participate in the 2024 IHF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments.

Participants

Argentina

Brazil

Chile

United States

Uruguay

Team 6

Team 7

Team 8

2023 Asian Qualification Tournament 1

18-28 October 2023. The winner of the 2023 Asian Qualification Tournament will qualify for Paris 2024. The next highest ranked team will participate in the 2024 IHF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments.

2024 European Men's Handball Championships 1

10-28 January 2024. The highest placed team at the 2024 European Men's Handball Championships excluding France and Denmark (both already qualified for Paris 2024 as hosts and 2023 world champions respectively) will qualify for Paris 2024. The next two highest ranked teams not already qualified for Paris 2024 will participate in the 2024 IHF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments.

Participants

Austria

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatia

Czech Republic

Denmark

Faroe Islands

France

Gerogia

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Montenegro

Nethlands

North Macedonia

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Serbia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

2024 IHF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments 6

After the conclusion of the regional championships, 12 teams will be selected to participate in the 2024 IHF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments. The 12 teams will be split into three groups with the top two teams from each group qualifying for Paris 2024. The 12 teams will be selected from the following:

  • The two highest placed teams from the 2024 African Championships not already qualified for Paris 2024
  • The highest placed team from the 2023 Pan American Games not already qualified for Paris 2024
  • The highest placed team from the 2023 Asian Qualification Tournament not already qualified for Paris 2024
  • The two highest placed teams from the 2024 European Men's Handball Championships not already qualified for Paris 2024
  • The six highest placed teams from the 2023 World Championship not already qualified for Paris 2024 or the Olympic Qualification Tournaments through the regional championships, selected in the following order:
  • Spain

    Sweden

    Germany

    Norway

    Egypt

    Hungary

    Croatia

    Slovenia

    Serbia

Full details: Qualification System - Games of the XXXIII Olympiad - Handball

Related Topics

HandballParis 2024