What is the IKF World Korfball Championship?
Korfball's world title, contested since 1978 under the International Korfball Federation, which was founded at Antwerp in 1933 and has held IOC recognition since 1993. Twenty-four national teams played the 2023 edition. Because korfball is fully mixed by design — every team fields four men and four women — there is a single world championship rather than separate men's and women's events.[1] [2]
| Season | Pool / Format | Host cities |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Netherlands 27–9 Chinese Taipei · Belgium 3rd | Taipei (TPE) |
| 2019 | Netherlands 31–18 Belgium · Chinese Taipei 3rd | South Africa |
| 2015 | Netherlands 27–18 Belgium · Chinese Taipei 3rd | Belgium |
| 2011 | Netherlands 32–26 Belgium · Chinese Taipei 3rd | China |
| 2027 | — scheduled: 24 teams, final at Rotterdam Ahoy | Netherlands, 15–24 October — 12 host cities |
Recent editions — champion, runner-up and third place.
How do teams qualify?
The host qualifies automatically and the rest of the field is allocated by continental quota, decided at the IKF continental championships in Europe, Asia-Oceania, the Americas and Africa. For the 2023 edition the split was twelve places to Europe, seven to Asia and Oceania, and two each to the Americas and Africa.[1] [3]
Who wins?
The Netherlands, almost without interruption — eleven of the twelve editions, the sole exception being Belgium's win on home soil in 1991. Belgium have finished runners-up ten times, and Chinese Taipei have become the consistent third power, reaching the 2023 final in Taipei. The Netherlands also took gold at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, with Belgium second.[2] [3]
References
- IKF — International Korfball Federation. Accessed August 2026.
- IKF — World Korfball Championship. Accessed August 2026.
- IKF — World Korfball Championship 2027. Accessed August 2026.