World Handball Championship betting

The 2015 World Handball Championship starts on January 15th. To prepare readers for World Handball Championship betting this article looks at the odds, key numbers, and explains how to bet on the World Handball Championships.

Qatar host the 2015 World Handball Championships

Qatar will become the second Middle Eastern nation to host the World Handball Championship, as the 24th edition is only the fourth to be held outside of Europe.

In a sport dominated in the past by European nations, how will players perform in the heat of Qatar?

The heat should not impact the players during the game as three purpose built indoor stadiums are equipped with the latest temperature control measures, but how zapping will the heat be off the court, and can this have an effect? Could Qatar, Iran and Egypt cause a few shocks along the way, as they are more prepared for a tournament in the Middle East?

Handball World Championship format

The 2015 World Handball Championship sees the 24 nations compete in four groups of six, whereby four teams from each group progress to the knockout stages. 

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Spain

Croatia

France

Denmark

Slovenia

Bosnia

Sweden

Poland

Qatar

Macedonia

Algeria

Russia

Belarus

Austria

Czech

Argentina

Brazil

Tunisia

Egypt

Saudi Arabia

Chile

Iran

Iceland

Germany

The teams will then enter a knockout stage at the Round of 16 where Group A and B are matched, as are C and D. Therefore the winner of Group A will play the 4th placed in Group B, and so on. In the Quarterfinal the teams intermingle until the Final on February 1st. 

There will be plenty of games for bettors to bet on as the tournament plays until all 24 teams have been placed from 1st to 24th, something for bettors to consider.

France Favourites to lift the World Handball Championship

Pinnacle Sports are offering odds of 3.010* for France to reclaim their World Handball Championship title. The French have been in perilous form winning the Worlds in 2011, Olympics in 2012 and the Euros in 2014.

The only blot on their copybook in recent times was the 2013 World Handball Championship where they were beaten by Croatia in the Quarterfinals. Given their imperious form it is no wonder the odds give them a 33.22% chance of winning.

Denmark are second in the betting market with odds of 3.940* giving them an implied probability of 25.38%.  The Danes are the most decorated team in the Euros, but have so far failed to lift the World Handball Championship despite finishing runner-up on three occasions – including the last twice. 

Defending champions Spain are further back at 4.900* which gives them a 20.41% chance of retaining the title, something which has been done only four times in the history of the competition, the latest being France in 2009 and 2011. 

Finally in the World Handball Championship betting market Pinnacle Sports give Croatia odds of 6.620. The 15.11% shows they have an outside chance of lifting the title for the second time in their history.

The odds clearly suggest a European nation should win again, despite the tournament being played in the Middle East. 

Interesting World Handball Championship numbers

There are a number of interesting stats from the previous 23 Handball World Championships, we have listed a few for you to consider before betting. 

0: Since the World Handball Championship began in 1938 a European nation has won every title. It gets worse as only two non-European nations has ever reached the Semi final – Egypt (2001) and Tunisia (2005). 

2: Both Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina will make their debuts at the 2015 World Handball Championship.

4: Russia, Sweden, Croatia and Denmark have all been defeated a record three times at a final.

5: The Host nation has won the World Handball Championship on five occasions; Germany in 1938 and 2007, Sweden in 1954 and France in 2001. However, if Qatar were to win, it would be the biggest upset in handball history.

5 (again): The number of times the World Champion has been decided in extra time. Romania and France twice proved more effective in overtime.

8: The best placed finish by an Asian nation. The Koreans reached the Quarterfinals in 1997.

25: Number of teams that have finished a World Championships losing all of their games. Among them are big hitters France (twice), Denmark and Poland.

55: Number of goals scored by Iceland against Australia in a 2003 group game, more than any other team in a single game.  

92: Number of goals scored by Macedonia’s Kiril Lazarov in 2009, the most by any player in a single tournament. 

100: Total wins by Sweden at the World Championships

3654: The number of goals scored by Spain in the World Championships.

How to bet on the World Handball Championship

Though handball may not be considered a major sport worldwide, handball betting is immensely popular at Pinnacle Sports.

There are a number of ways to bet on handball with Pinnacle Sports. Bettors have the opportunity to mix up their bets with a variety of different betting formats such as:

World Handball Championship Moneyline Betting:

Moneyline markets are the most popular market and the simplest way for a bettor to understand the cost of a bet. Moneyline handball bettors are ultimately betting on who will win the match.

World Handball Championship Handicap Betting:

When the perceived bias in ability between two teams is different, bookmakers offer a goal handicap to level the playing field. These goals are then added to the game’s final score, and the winner is the team that wins with these additions.

World Handball Championship Totals Betting:

Handball total goals betting allows the punter to bet whether the total number of goals by both teams will be over or under the value set by Pinnacle Sports.

World Handball Championship 1st Half Betting:

With 1st half betting - available for all games at the World Handball Championship - bettors decide the score after the first half of the match only.

World Handball Championship Betting limits

For the 2015 World Handball Championships we are offering big limits to maintain our reputation for offering unrivalled liquidity, so you win more. 

If these limits still aren’t enough, don’t worry, you can rebet as many times as you like to obtain unlimited liquidity. The table below highlights the pregame minimum limits for the 2015 World Handball Championships.

Round

Spread

Moneyline

Totals

Group games

$2000

$1000

$2000

Knockout stage

$3000

$2000

$3000

Final

$10000

$5000

$5000

Click here to see the latest 2015 World Handball Championship betting odds