IHF Women’s Handball World Championship 2023 Betting Preview

The Women’s Handball World Championship 2023 will take place this fall, and the betting odds are already available. They give me a good reason to analyze the favorites and share my predictions for the prestigious tournament.

The goal is to help you find good gambling opportunities with this Handball World Championship preview, so let’s move on to the odds first.

This year will be the 26th edition of the IHF Women’s World Championship. The competition will take place in six host cities: Herning, Frederikshavn, Stavanger, Trondheim, Helsingborg, and Gothenburg. The tournament begins on November 29 and will last until December 17.

Here’s a breakdown of the schedule:

• Preliminary Round: November 29 – December 5
• Main Round: December 6 – December 11
• Final Round: December 12 – December 17

32 countries will have a chance to contend for the world championship. Teams will compete in eight different groups to begin the competition. Every country plays against the other teams in their respective groups once. The top three teams in each group will qualify for the main round.

The 24 remaining teams are then divided into four groups of six teams. Each country within those groups will play each other at least once. The top two finishers in each group will then advance to the final round.

The final round consists of an elimination bracket. There are quarter-finals, semi-finals, the final match, and a third-place match. The title decider will take place at Jyske Bank Boxen, an indoor arena in Denmark.

Now I want to dive into my analysis of the main favorites to win the IHF women’s world title. The top teams in the competition include Norway, France, and Denmark. All three countries have a legitimate chance at capturing the championship.

• Head Coach: Thorir Hergeirsson
• Star Player: Nora Mork

Norway enters this year’s IHF Women’s World Championship as the reigning champions. The team is also just as good as the squad that won back in 2021. The lineup features several key holdovers, including Henny Reistad and Nora Mork.

Norway enters the tournament with an excellent mix of team chemistry, experience, and grit. The lineup features plenty of talented players who deliver in big moments. The country is very consistent at scoring, leaning on Mork and Reistad to get the job done.

Norway’s dominance in women’s international handball is also as impressive as it gets. The team has captured three IHF World Championships since 2011 and a gold medal in women’s handball at the London Olympics.

Norway is without question the deadliest team in this competition. No other country will have it easy against them. From a gambling perspective, it’s difficult to bet against Norway because the team is that good.

• Head Coach: Olivier Krumbholz
• Star Player: Pauletta Foppa

France will now try to redeem itself after a disappointing finish in the 2021 IHF Women’s World Championship. The team lost to Norway in the final match after an incredible run during the competition that was supposed to bring first IHF women’s world title since 2017.

The good news for France is that the team has a secret weapon, and her name is Pauletta Foppa. She became an Olympic champion at just 20 years old, and her career is off to an amazing start. Foppa also made the All-Star Team during the 2022 European Championship.

Foppa is a goal-scoring machine for France, and her rapid rise within the national team is something to behold. The star also became a European Champion at just 18 years old — the youngest Frenchwomen ever to claim the title.

I think France will have a lot of confidence entering the IHF Women’s World Championship. The team has several playmakers aside from Foppa who’re also exceptionally good.

• Head Coach: Jesper Jensen
• Star Player: Laerke Nolsoe

Denmark hasn’t won the IHF women’s world title since 1997, a 25-year drought. However, that could come to an end in 2023 with the way this team has been playing. Recent form certainly favors the country.

In the past year, Denmark has won matches over top opponents, including Sweden and Norway. The nation also recently finished runner-up in the 2022 European Championship. This team is ultra-competitive, and they can contend with any other juggernaut in women’s handball.

Head coach Jesper Jensen also deserves a lot of credit for turning this team around. He took Denmark to its first European final since 2004. Jensen is also the coach of Team Esbjerg and has won three Danish Championships during his tenure.

I want to emphasize that you can’t overlook Denmark if you decide to bet on the 2023 Women’s Handball World Championship. This team is pretty gutsy and wants to win more than anything. I expect Denmark to make the semi-finals at the very least.

I think the world championship in 2023 will be a rematch between France and Norway. These two teams are absolutely phenomenal, and both lineups are loaded with talent. It’ll be a battle until the very end for this year’s world title.

Ultimately, I’m choosing France with my IHF Handball World Championship 2023 betting pick. Norway has never won back-to-back world championships. In fact, no country has defended its title since Russia back in 2009.

France is also in great shape entering this year’s championship and the odds for the country are fantastic.