# IKF World Korfball Championship

The IKF World Korfball Championship is an international korfball competition contested by the national teams of the members of International Korfball Federation (IKF), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded roughly every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1978. The current champions are the Netherlands, who won the 2023 IKF World Korfball Championship.
The 12 World Championships have been won by two different national teams. The Netherlands have won all but one time, losing only to Belgium in the 1991 Korfball World Championship.

## Results

World Korfball Championship results :
| Year | Host | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Third Place | Score | Fourth Place | Teams |
| 1978 Details | Netherlands | Netherlands | 14–13 (a.e.t.) | Belgium | West Germany | 20–15 (a.e.t.) | Great Britain | 8 |
| 1984 Details | Belgium | Netherlands | 11–9 | Belgium | West Germany | 7–5 | Great Britain | 8 |
| 1987 Details | Netherlands | Netherlands | 9–7 | Belgium | Great Britain | 9–5 (a.e.t.) | Chinese Taipei | 12 |
| 1991 Details | Belgium | Belgium | 11–10 | Netherlands | Chinese Taipei | 10–8 | Germany | 12 |
| 1995 Details | India | Netherlands | 21–13 | Belgium | Portugal | 13–11 | Australia | 12 |
| 1999 Details | Australia | Netherlands | 23–11 | Belgium | Great Britain | 24–22 | Germany | 12 |
| 2003 Details | Netherlands | Netherlands | 22–9 | Belgium | Czech Republic | 21–15 | Chinese Taipei | 16 |
| 2007 Details | Czech Republic | Netherlands | 23–10 | Belgium | Czech Republic | 19–14 | Portugal | 16 |
| 2011 Details | China | Netherlands | 32–26 | Belgium | Chinese Taipei | 33–16 | Catalonia | 16 |
| 2015 Details | Belgium | Netherlands | 27–18 | Belgium | Chinese Taipei | 21–12 | England | 16 |
| 2019 Details | South Africa | Netherlands | 31–18 | Belgium | Chinese Taipei | 25–16 | China | 20 |
| 2023 Details | Taiwan | Netherlands | 27–9 | Chinese Taipei | Belgium | 26–11 | Czech Republic | 24 |
| 2027 Details | Netherlands | | | | | | | TBA |
* a.e.t.: after extra time

### Titles by team

* Netherlands: 11
* Belgium: 1

### Teams reaching the top four

Teams to reach the top four :
| Team | Titles | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | Total top 4 |
| Netherlands | 11 (1978*, 1984, 1987*, 1995, 1999, 2003*, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023) | 1 (1991) | — | — | 12 |
| Belgium | 1 (1991*) | 10 (1978, 1984*, 1987, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015*, 2019) | 1 (2023) | — | 12 |
| Chinese Taipei | — | 1 (2023*) | 4 (1991, 2011, 2015, 2019) | 2 (1987, 2003) | 7 |
| England# | — | — | 2 (1987, 1999) | 3 (1978, 1984, 2015) | 5 |
| Germany^ | — | — | 2 (1978, 1984) | 2 (1991, 1999) | 4 |
| Czech Republic | — | — | 2 (2003, 2007*) | 1 (2023) | 3 |
| Portugal | — | — | 1 (1995) | 1 (2007) | 2 |
| Australia | — | — | — | 1 (1995) | 1 |
| Catalonia | — | — | — | 1 (2011) | 1 |
| China | — | — | — | 1 (2019) | 1 |
    * = hosts
    ^ = includes results representing West Germany between 1978 and 1987
    # = includes results representing Great Britain between 1978 and 2003

## Appearances
### Debut of teams

Each successive World Championship has had at least one team appearing for the first time.
| Year | Debutants | Total |
| 1978 | Belgium Great Britain Luxembourg Netherlands Papua New Guinea Spain United States West Germany | 8 |
| 1984 | Australia France | 2 |
| 1987 | Aruba Chinese Taipei Indonesia Portugal | 4 |
| 1991 | Armenia Germany India | 3 |
| 1995 | Czech Republic Slovakia South Africa | 3 |
| 1999 | Catalonia Japan Poland | 3 |
| 2003 | Hungary | 1 |
| 2007 | China England Russia | 3 |
| 2011 | Hong Kong Wales | 2 |
| 2015 | Brazil | 1 |
| 2019 | Ireland Macau New Zealand Suriname | 4 |
| 2023 | Malaysia Philippines Thailand Turkey | 4 |
| Total | Total | 39 |
Note: The IKF considers Germany a successor to West Germany. Likewise, Catalonia is seen as a successor to Spain.

### Comprehensive team results by tournament
#### Legend

* 1st — Champions
* 2nd — Runners-up
* 3rd — Third place
* 4th — Fourth place
* • — Did not qualify
* × — Did not enter / Withdrew
* — Hosts
For each tournament, the number of teams in each finals tournament (in brackets) are shown.
Team results by tournament :
| Team | 1978 (8) | 1984 (8) | 1987 (12) | 1991 (12) | 1995 (12) | 1999 (12) | 2003 (16) | 2007 (16) | 2011 (16) | 2015 (16) | 2019 (20) | 2023 (24) |
| Argentina | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | × |
| Armenia | × | × | × | 8th | 9th | × | 15th | × | × | × | × | × |
| Aruba | × | × | 8th | 10th | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × |
| Australia | × | 7th | 6th | 9th | 4th | 7th | 7th | 8th | 12th | 11th | 14th | 12th |
| Belgium | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd |
| Brazil | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | 16th | • | 22nd |
| Catalonia | 6th | 5th | 11th | × | × | 8th | 9th | 9th | 4th | 5th | 10th | 10th |
| China | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | 16th | 11th | 7th | 4th | × |
| Chinese Taipei | × | × | 4th | 3rd | 5th | 6th | 4th | 5th | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd |
| Colombia | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | x |
| Costa Rica | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | x |
| Czech Republic | × | × | × | × | 7th | × | 3rd | 3rd | 8th | 9th | 7th | 4th |
| Dominican Republic | × | × | x | x | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × |
| England | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 5th | 8th | 3rd | 5th | 7th | 5th | 4th | 9th | 8th |
| France | × | 8th | 12th | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | × |
| Germany | 3rd | 3rd | 5th | 4th | 6th | 4th | 8th | 11th | 9th | 6th | 5th | 6th |
| Hong Kong | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | 14th | 12th | 17th | 14th |
| Hungary | × | × | × | × | × | × | 10th | 10th | • | 13th | 12th | 9th |
| India | × | × | × | 11th | 12th | 11th | 14th | 12th | 13th | × | × | 19th |
| Indonesia | × | × | 10th | 12th | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | x |
| Ireland | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | 16th | 17th |
| Japan | × | × | × | × | × | 12th | 16th | × | × | • | 15th | 20th |
| Luxembourg | 8th | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | x |
| Macau | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | × | • | 20th | x |
| Malaysia | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | × | 21st |
| Malawi | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | × | x |
| Mexico | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | × | x |
| Netherlands | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| New Zealand | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | • | 18th | 16th |
| Pakistan | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | × | × | x |
| Papua New Guinea | 7th | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × |
| Philippines | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | 24th |
| Poland | × | × | × | × | × | 9th | 12th | 14th | 10th | 14th | 11th | 11th |
| Portugal | × | × | 9th | 6th | 3rd | 5th | 6th | 4th | 7th | 10th | 8th | 7th |
| Russia | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | 6th | 6th | 8th | × | x |
| Scotland | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | • | x |
| Serbia | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | • | x |
| Slovakia | × | × | × | × | 10th | × | 13th | × | • | • | 13th | 15th |
| South Africa | × | × | × | × | 11th | 10th | 11th | 15th | 16th | 15th | 19th | 23rd |
| South Korea | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | • | x |
| Suriname | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | 6th | 5th |
| Thailand | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | 18th |
| Turkey | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | × | 13th |
| United States | 5th | 6th | 7th | 7th | × | × | × | 13th | × | × | × | x |
| Wales | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | 15th | • | • | x |
| Zambia | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | x |
| Zimbabwe | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | • | × | x |