Handball Betting
Last Updated: Welcome to our comprehensive handball betting guide!
While not the most prolific sport, it has long been popular on the continent and in some parts of Asia. In the last few years nations like Brazil and Argentina have started to get themselves noticed at significant tournaments like the World Cup.
Welcome to our comprehensive handball betting guide!
While not the most prolific sport, it has long been popular in Europe and some parts of Asia. In the last few years, nations like Brazil and Argentina have started to make strides at significant tournaments, like the World Cup.
Handball offers a wide number of betting opportunities with plenty of competitions taking place starting from early autumn to late spring. The highlight of each year is a major tournament for both men and women.
- Our Top Pick1
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Handball FAQs
When was handball created?
- Modern rules of handball were first created in Denmark back in 1906.
Where is handball played and how long does each game last?
- Competitive handball is played indoors in games of two halves, each lasting 30 minutes.
How many players are on a handball team?
- Each team consists of six outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams are also allowed seven substitutes which can be used on a rolling basis.
What are the basic rules of handball?
- Outfield players can touch the ball with any part of their body above the knee. Players must try and score from outside a certain area around the goal, and only the goalkeeper is allowed inside that area.
How do time-outs work in handball?
- Each team is allocated three time-outs per game.
Betting on Handball
- European Handball Leagues - There are a number of strong leagues throughout Europe which most top bookmakers offer a range a betting for. The German Bundesliga is the strongest of the lot, while France and Spain also showcase high standards. So too does Poland, Sweden and Denmark - albeit with far less fulltime professional teams. Elsehwere, nations like Denmark, Germany, Norway, Hungary and Russia are well known for high quality handball.
- European Cup - Like football, there are also a number of European Cups on offer to bet on. There is the EHF Cup which takes place for both men and women, a competition equivalent to football’s Europa League for teams not quite strong enough to make into the Champions League. Then there is the EHF Challenge Cup for weaker teams who failed to make it into either of the elite competitions.
- Champions League - The top dog is of course the EHF Champions League - the equivalent to football's Champions League - which sees 32 clubs line out in four groups of eight before reaching a weekend of handball known as the Final Four. The women’s Champions League sees only four groups of four starting out at the beginning of the season, and they too will finish in a Final Four.
Top Handball Betting Markets
Most betting sites offer lines on handball these days. There are the traditional outright winner markets, with handicap and total goals markets available too.
Top bookmakers will offer a wide variety of offers during the various championships including the following:
- Half Time/Full Time
- Match Odds
- Over/Under goals
- Specific players totals
- Accumulators
Handball History
Traditionally, women's handball features a major international tournament each December. Since 1993 the Women's World Cup has been held every two years, with the latest edition seeing France emerge victorious back in 2017. The next Women's World Cup will be held this winter in Japan.
With the women playing out their championships before New Year, the men follow suit in January for the European Championships. Events will follow this order as years go by.
Since 1994, European Championships have been staged every two years, with Spain the most recent winner. The Men's World Cup will take place in the year proceeding the European Championships. The most recent winners are Denmark who took home gold as a joint host-nation with Germany in 2019.
The order of upcoming major handball tournaments looks like this:
- Women's World Cup (December 2019)
- Men's European Championship (January 2020)
- Women's European Championship (December 2020)
- Men's World Cup (January 2021)
Men's Handball
Just like football, the wealthiest team currently is Paris SG. Veszprém from Hungary and Targi Kielce from Poland also set the agenda on the international scene. Barcelona can’t compete on financial terms with these three, but they are still a very attractive option for players because of the city and weather.
However tight their grip on the French league has been, the Champions League has so far eluded PSG and the latest edition even had two French sides, Montpellier and Nantes, squaring up in the final. Along with German teams Flensburg, Kiel and RN Löwen, these 6 clubs are most likely to win the next rendition of the Champions League.
A lot of good players will naturally catch the attention at big tournaments, but punters should especially keep an eye out for Mikkel Hansen from Denmark and Norway's Sander Sagosen who both turn out for PSG. Luka Cindric from Croatia, who earns his living playing for Kielce, and Andy Schmid from RN Löwen are also considered star players.
Women’s Handball
The biggest team in women’s handball currently is without a doubt Gyori from Hungary who have been crowned Champions League winners the last three years. CSM Bucarest from Romania, Russian side Rostov-Don and Metz from France also have deep enough pockets to keep most other challengers at bay.
Gyori’s strength has rubbed off on the Hungarian league well enough for it to be considered probably the strongest around. The Danish league hasn’t got a single team that can challenge for the Champions League but the level is still high enough for the league as a whole to be considered among the best in Europe, along with the French league.
All-time top scorer at the Final Four Nycke Groot from the Netherlands and Norwegian stars Stine Oftedal and Veronica Kristansen line out for Gyori. Anna Vyakhireva from Rostov-Don and Cristina Neagu who turns out for Bucarest also deserve a mention.
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
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Previous Handball World Cup Winners
| Men's | Year | Women's | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 2019 | France | 2017 |
| France | 2017 | Norway | 2015 |
| France | 2015 | Brazil | 2013 |
| Spain | 2013 | Norway | 2011 |
| France | 2011 | Russia | 2009 |
| France | 2009 | Russia | 2007 |
| Germany | 2007 | Russia | 2005 |
| Spain | 2005 | France | 2003 |