LAUSANNE, April 6, 2025 - The vote for the World Handball Player of the Year 2024 ended with the same result as the year 2023: two Paris 2024 Olympic champions defended their trophies in the poll organized by the International Handball Federation. In the IHF Male Player of the Year award, Mathias Gidsel from Denmark had an overwhelming advantage in all three categories, securing the award ahead of German goalkeeper Andreas Wolff and making history by becoming the first male player to secure the award in consecutive years.
A similar scenario unfolded in the IHF Female Player of the Year award, where Henny Reistad, the reigning Player of the Year, swept the coaches’ and the fans’ vote, finishing ahead of her Norway teammate Kari Brattset Dale. She is only the second player in history to receive the award twice in a row after Romanian Cristina Neagu.
Gidsel, 26-year-old right back of Denmark and German club Füchse Berlin, has been nothing short of superb in 2024, where he was the MVP and the top goal scorer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He had 62 goals for Denmark, which was unbeatable and secured the gold medal, the first in Gidsel’s cabinet. He was also the top assists provider, with 39 assists, underlining his importance in Denmark’s gameplan. At the EHF EURO 2024, Gidsel was also the All-Star right back and the joint top scorer, with 54 goals, with Denmark winning the silver medal.
Norwegian left back Reistad, who turned 26 years old in February, was absolutely fantastic at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She missed the first two matches, was ushered slowly into the team, but still finished 11th in the top goal scorer standings, with 28 goals in six matches, in a competition where she helped Norway clinch the gold medal. At the EHF EURO 2024, Reistad was also excellent, being named the All-Star centre back, scoring 50 goals in the competition, while also clinching the gold medal. The Norwegian star was also the top goal scorer in the EHF Champions League Women for Team Esbjerg and also scored 66 goals in the 2024/25 season in the last year, being the top scorer of the European premium competition.
Hungarian Petra Simon and German Renars Uscins clinched the IHF Young Player of the Year awards for 2024. Both were also part of the Olympic Games, with Uscins winning the silver medal and becoming third best scorer of the tournament.
After Denmark – again steered by MVP and top scorer Mathias Gidsel, won the fourth consecutive World Championship gold medal in January beating co-hosts Croatia in the final, the next major international handball tournament to come is the Women’s World Championship. Germany and The Netherlands will co-host the event, which will take place in five cities with the final weekend set for Rotterdam, Netherlands. The draw for the tournament is scheduled for 22 May in 's-Hertogenbosch. Prior to this, the International Handball Federation has announced that one wild card goes to The People's Republic of China, taking into account that the country has been part of the IHF New Markets’ Project for many years. The Women’s World Championship will be played from 26 November to 14 December.
Already in autumn, a new competition will be launched by the IHF with the first edition of the IHF Men’s U17 World Championship scheduled in 2025. Twelve teams from around the world will compete between 24 October and 1 November 2025 in Morocco.
The year 2025 will conclude with the postponed IHF Election Congress. It will be held from 19 to 22 December 2025 in Cairo, Egypt. In September, the European Handball Federation will have their Ordinary Election Congress.
