What is the IHF?
The International Handball Federation is the world governing body of handball and beach handball — founded in Copenhagen in 1946, headquartered in Basel, with more than 200 member federations, and led since 2000 by Hassan Moustafa of Egypt.[1] [2]
What does it govern?
The rules, the biennial men's and women's World Championships, youth and junior worlds, beach handball, world rankings and Olympic handball — with the continental federations (the EHF foremost) running their championships and club competitions beneath it.[2] [3]
Why does it matter?
Every international handball credential — caps, world medals, rankings — runs through the IHF and its members: the official record of a sport whose Worlds reach audiences in the hundreds of millions.[2] [3]
References
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Team handball (governance). Accessed August 2026.
- IHF — official site. Accessed August 2026.
- Olympics.com — women's handball Worlds 2025: all results. Accessed August 2026.