Even countries that do not qualify for the Handball World Cup can get the chance – thanks to the IHF.
In 2015, for example, Germany received a wildcard – at the expense of Australia, who lost their World Cup ticket, even though the country had qualified.
They did not live up to a number of criteria, the IHF said.
In 2021, Greenland did not get the chance, when their qualifying tournament was stopped due to corona. Greenland felt that they should have received a wildcard as they finished first of the North American teams in the Pan American Championships for 20 consecutive years, but the IHF chose to give the USA the place.
“There are no rules”
Hassan Moustafa, who has been IHF president for 23 years, explains that there is no system in the distribution.
– There are no rules for wild cards. This means that you have the choice of being able to use wildcards so that you strengthen the competition during the WC or other tournaments.
For the current WC, Iceland and Austria have received wild cards.
Jens Sejer Andersen at Play the Game, an organization that works for democracy in sports, believes that the IHF’s way of handing out wildcards is an “Americanization of the sport”.
– It is certainly good from a business perspective. But it is incredibly bad from a sporting perspective.
Axnér: “Many things need to change”
Sweden’s national team captain Tomas Axnér thinks the issue is twofold. He understands that the IHF wants to see the big nations in the WC – not least considering that it is often questioned when there are uneven championship matches against “blueberry nations”.
– A president is elected by the member nations, then he makes the decisions he thinks are best for handball. My opinion… I don’t even know if I think there should be any wildcards.
IHF chooses who gets wildcards, should the system be changed?
– There are many things that need to change in world handball. Luckily, I’m not the one who needs to fight those windmills, I’m focusing on the Swedish women’s national team.
SEE MORE: Axnér about the wildcard system: