Italy’s Handball World Championship Team: 2025 Results and 2027 Return

Italy’s men finished 16th at the 2025 IHF World Championship and have qualified for the 2027 tournament in Germany. Their next appearance will be their third overall—and their first back-to-back World Championships. The IHF’s account of Italy’s progress confirms both milestones.

Here, “World Cup” means handball’s IHF World Championship, not the FIFA football tournament. The results below concern Italy’s senior men’s indoor team, not women’s, youth or beach handball.

Italy’s 2025 World Championship results

Italy played six matches, winning three and losing three. They finished second in preliminary Group B, then fourth in main-round Group I, outside the two quarter-final places. Their final tournament position was 16th out of 32 teams, according to the official IHF ranking summary.

All scores in the table put Italy first; the margin is Italy’s goals minus their opponent’s.

Date, 2025	Round	Opponent	Italy’s score	Margin
14 January	Preliminary	Tunisia	32–25	+7
16 January	Preliminary	Algeria	32–23	+9
18 January	Preliminary	Denmark	20–39	−19
21 January	Main	Czechia	25–18	+7
23 January	Main	Germany	27–34	−7
25 January	Main	Switzerland	25–33	−8

Source: official IHF results and ranking summary, dated 2 February 2025.

Calculated from those six results, Italy scored 161 goals and conceded 172: averages of 26.8 scored and 28.7 conceded per match, with an overall goal difference of −11.

That negative difference needs context. Italy’s three wins produced a combined margin of +23; the Denmark defeat alone cost 19 goals. A balanced win–loss record therefore did not mean a balanced aggregate score. Equally, Italy’s 25–18 win against Czechia had only 43 combined goals but the same seven-goal winning margin as their 32–25 victory over Tunisia. Match total and winning margin answer different questions.

Why the main-round table shows only five games

Italy’s main-round row in the IHF summary lists five games, two wins, three losses, 129 goals for and 149 against. That is not their complete tournament record.

The format carried forward preliminary results against other advancing teams. Italy’s win over Tunisia and loss to Denmark counted in the main round; their 32–23 win over eliminated Algeria did not. Italy then played three new opponents: Czechia, Germany and Switzerland. The top two teams in each main-round group advanced to the quarter-finals. The tournament format explains the carry-over rule.

For Italy, adding the Algeria result back to the main-round totals gives the full campaign: 129 + 32 = 161 goals scored, and 149 + 23 = 172 conceded. Use six matches when calculating their tournament scoring averages.

From the 1997 debut to the 2027 return

Italy’s previous men’s World Championship appearance was in 1997, when they finished 18th, with one win in five matches. Their 2025 return ended a 28-year absence. They secured that return by beating Montenegro 66–57 on aggregate in the final qualifying tie. The IHF’s qualification report documents the history and results.

For 2027, Italy overturned a 29–32 first-leg loss to Switzerland with a 38–31 home win in Faenza, qualifying 67–63 on aggregate. The seven-goal second-leg victory erased the three-goal deficit and left Italy four goals ahead across the tie. The IHF confirmed qualification on 17 May 2026.

As of 24 October 2026, Italy are drawn in Group B with Egypt, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, playing their preliminary round in Stuttgart. The tournament is scheduled for 13–31 January 2027. Source: official IHF draw announcement.

Italy’s scheduled group matches are against Saudi Arabia on 13 January, Cape Verde on 15 January and Egypt on 17 January, all at Stuttgart’s Porsche-Arena. These are upcoming fixtures, not completed results. Source: Italian Handball Federation’s group and schedule announcement.

For the host nation’s record, see Germany at the Handball World Cup.