IHF Handball World Championship 2027 in Cologne

Some images are forever linked to the ‘Cathedral of Handball’: confetti beneath the roof, a nation gripped by handball fever. In 2007, Germany defeated Poland 29–24 in the World Championship final at what is now the LANXESS arena. Watched by 16 million people on television, the match went down in handball history as a ‘winter fairy tale’, following football’s ‘summer fairy tale’.

Two decades later, the decisive stage returns to Cologne: the 30th IHF Men’s Handball World Championship will be held in six German cities, with its decisive matches taking place in Cologne.

The road to the title leads through Cologne

In the middle of winter 2027, Deutz will become the centre of the handball world: two of the four main-round groups will play in Cologne in January. From the quarter-finals onwards, every match determining the World Championship title will be held here—including the semi-finals and medal matches.

Nearly 20,000 people will fill the arena, which has its own international nickname: the ‘Cathedral of Handball’. The German team will begin in Munich. Should it reach the main round, it will continue its campaign in Cologne. And the city will join in: in the Old Town and around the arena, jerseys and fan chants from around the world will mingle.

Why the LANXESS arena is known as the ‘Cathedral of Handball’

The arena owes its nickname not to a single tournament, but to its regular fixture list: since 2010, it has hosted the EHF FINAL4 of the Champions League every year, as well as the Lidl Final4 for the DHB Cup. In 2024, Cologne hosted the main round and final of the European Handball Championship. With almost 20,000 seats, the arena is the country’s largest stage for handball—even in years without a World Championship.