Handball: thrilling athleticism right before your eyes

Fast-paced and intense, handball is a thrilling sport that will have you kept in suspense all the way through a short but fiery match. Extremely popular in continental Europe, yet played throughout the world and recognised as an olympic sport, it's a team game with considerable universal appeal. Whether at domestic or international level, handball tickets for a competition near you are available to buy or sell on StubHub.

A brief history of handball

The sport known today as handball was first played in Denmark in the late 19th century, though there is evidence to suggest that it has been around since Roman times and enjoyed considerable popularity in the Middle Ages. The modern handball rules were published in 1927 by three German players; along with Scandinavia, Germany has traditionally been one of the major proponents of the sport and took part in the first international games for men (against Belgium in 1925) and women (against Austria in 1930). Eastern European countries have also been incredibly dominant in the sport, but as of 2016 nearly 200 international federations took part in handball competitions at all levels, with an estimated 27 million people registered to play worldwide. Although field versions do still exist, the 20th century saw a sharp rise in indoor handball, which is how the sport is mainly played today. A game for all weathers, ages, genders and nationalities, you can join this exciting experience by purchasing handball tickets on StubHub.

Enjoy watching top level handball live

With seven members including a goalkeeper, handball teams must demonstrate incredible athleticism and stamina as they battle it out on an indoor court with no protective equipment. Typically played over two halves of 30 minutes each, games are fast-paced and often result in very high scores; quite simply, it's the team with the highest number of goals that wins. Some of the strongest international handball teams include France, Romania, Germany and the Sweden National Handball Team, who between them have dominated the Handball World Championships over the years. An international championship was first held in 1938 and has been staged every two to four years since the end of the Second World War, while handball hit the mainstream when Men's Handball was included in the 1972 Games in Munich and Women's Handball - along with women's rowing and basketball - in the 1976 Games in Montreal. Whatever level you choose and whichever team you support, you can be assured of a thrilling sporting experience with handball tickets - buy or sell yours on StubHub today!