Tunisia drawn with Germany, Serbia and Uruguay in Group A of the 2027 Handball World Championship

Tunisia learned their opponents for the 30th IHF Men's Handball World Championship on Wednesday 10 June, when the preliminary round draw was held at the Hofbräuhaus in Munich. Tunisia was placed in Group A alongside hosts Germany, Serbia and Uruguay — and will face Germany in the tournament's opening match at the SAP Garden in Munich on 13 January 2027.

The International Handball Federation (IHF) confirmed the full group line-up after a draw conducted by IHF Commission of Organising and Competition chairperson Pascal Jenny alongside former Germany international Anja Althaus. Tunisia, seeded in Pot 3 on the basis of their results at previous editions, were drawn into the group already anchored by Germany as the host nation.

The Group A picture

Germany enter as one of the tournament's headline acts, having won the World Championship on home soil in 2007. Serbia, drawn from Pot 2, are a consistent European force, while Uruguay return to the World Championship after missing the previous edition. The top three sides from Group A will advance to the main round in Cologne, where they will face the three best teams from Group B — a section headed by African champions Egypt.

Germany's group stage schedule at the SAP Garden runs on 13, 15 and 17 January. Tunisia's matches will fall on those same dates as co-members of Group A.

Tunisia's road to Germany

Tunisia qualified by finishing among the top five at the 2026 CAHB African Men's Championship, held in Kigali, Rwanda, in January 2026. Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde and Egypt were the other African qualifiers. It will be Tunisia's 17th consecutive appearance at the World Championship, one of the longest unbroken streaks in the competition.

Tunisia's peak at the tournament remains a fourth-place finish in 2005, when they hosted the event — the best result recorded by an African side at that point. At the two most recent editions, in 2021 and 2023, the team finished 25th, failing to advance from the preliminary round on both occasions. The 2027 campaign offers a chance to reverse that recent slide, though the draw has handed them an immediate test against the host nation in front of a home crowd on opening night.

Tournament format and stakes

The championship runs from 13 to 31 January 2027 across six German venues: Munich, Stuttgart, Kiel, Hanover, Magdeburg and Cologne. The final will be held at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne on 31 January. Reigning world champions Denmark, who have not lost a World Championship match since 2017, were placed in Group G in Kiel.

The tournament carries additional weight as a qualifier for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games: teams finishing between second and eighth place overall will earn spots at the Olympic Qualification Tournaments.