# 1978 World Men's Handball Championship

The 1978 World Men's Handball Championship was the ninth team handball World Championship. It was held in Denmark between 26 January-5 February 1978. West Germany won the championship.

## Teams

| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Canada | East Germany | Denmark | Bulgaria |
| Czechoslovakia | France | Iceland | Japan |
| West Germany | Hungary | Soviet Union | Poland |
| Yugoslavia | Romania | Spain | Sweden |

## Preliminary round
### Group A

| Date | Venue | Game | Res. | Half |
| 26.Jan | Odense | Yugoslavia - Canada | 24-11 | (13-4)0 |
| 26.Jan | Odense | West Germany - Czechoslovakia | 16-13 | (8-5) |
| 28.Jan | Vejle | Yugoslavia - Czechoslovakia | 17-16 | (9-7) |
| 28.Jan | Ringe | West Germany - Canada | 20-10 | (7-3) |
| 29.Jan | Odense | West Germany - Yugoslavia | 18-13 | (9-5) |
| 29.Jan | Fredericia | Czechoslovakia - Canada | 29-10 | (15-5) |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| West Germany | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 36 | +18 | 6 |
| Yugoslavia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 45 | +9 | 4 |
| Czechoslovakia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 58 | 43 | +15 | 2 |
| Canada | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 73 | −42 | 0 |

### Group B

| Date | Venue | Game | Res. | Half |
| 26.Jan | Herning | Hungary - France | 33-22 | (17-9)0 |
| 26.Jan | Herning | East Germany - Romania | 18-16 | (8-7) |
| 28.Jan | Esbjerg | Hungary - East Germany | 12-10 | (7-6) |
| 28.Jan | Aabenraa | Romania - France | 36-17 | (18-9) |
| 29.Jan | Herning | Romania - Hungary | 22-21 | (9-10) |
| 29.Jan | Ribe | East Germany - France | 28-15 | (14-6) |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Romania | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 74 | 56 | +18 | 4 |
| East Germany | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 4 |
| Hungary | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66 | 54 | +12 | 4 |
| France | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 54 | 97 | −43 | 0 |

### Group C

| Date | Venue | Game | Res. | Half |
| 26.Jan | Århus | Denmark - Spain | 19-15 | (11-9)0 |
| 26.Jan | Århus | Soviet Union - Iceland | 22-18 | (14-9) |
| 28.Jan | Aalborg | Soviet Union - Spain | 24-12 | (10-5) |
| 28.Jan | Randers | Denmark - Iceland | 21-14 | (10-8) |
| 29.Jan | Århus | Soviet Union - Denmark | 16-16 | (9-8) |
| 29.Jan | Thisted | Spain - Iceland | 25-22 | (15-10) |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Soviet Union | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 46 | +16 | 5 |
| Denmark | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 56 | 45 | +11 | 5 |
| Spain | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 52 | 65 | −13 | 2 |
| Iceland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 54 | 68 | −14 | 0 |

### Group D

| Date | Venue | Game | Res. | Half |
| 26.Jan | Brøndby | Poland - Japan | 26-21 | (13-13) |
| 26.Jan | Brøndby | Sweden - Bulgaria | 31-16 | (14-10) |
| 28.Jan | Køge | Sweden - Japan | 24-20 | (10-10) |
| 28.Jan | Kalundborg | Poland - Bulgaria | 28-22 | (20-7) |
| 29.Jan | Helsingør | Poland - Sweden | 22-17 | (14-9) |
| 29.Jan | Næstved | Japan - Bulgaria | 23-20 | (11-11) |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Poland | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 60 | +16 | 6 |
| Sweden | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 72 | 58 | +14 | 4 |
| Japan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 70 | −6 | 2 |
| Bulgaria | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 58 | 82 | −24 | 0 |

## Second round
### Group 1

| Date | Venue | Game | Res. | Half |
| 31.Jan | Odense | Yugoslavia - Romania | 17-16 | (9-10) |
| 31.Jan | Brøndby | East Germany - West Germany | 14-14 | (9-7) |
| 2.Feb | Kalundborg | Yugoslavia - East Germany | 16-16 | (11-9) |
| 2.Feb | Helsingør | Romania - West Germany | 17-17 | (6-8) |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| West Germany | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 44 | +5 | 4 |
| East Germany | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 46 | +2 | 4 |
| Yugoslavia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 46 | 50 | −4 | 3 |
| Romania | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 49 | 52 | −3 | 1 |

### Group 2

| Date | Venue | Game | Res. | Half |
| 31.Jan | Vejle | Soviet Union - Sweden | 24-18 | (10-5) |
| 31.Jan | Randers | Denmark - Poland | 25-23 | (14-12) |
| 2.Feb | Århus | Soviet Union - Poland | 18-16 | (7-9) |
| 2.Feb | Herning | Denmark - Sweden | 18-14 | (10-9) |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Soviet Union | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 50 | +8 | 5 |
| Denmark | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 59 | 53 | +6 | 5 |
| Poland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 60 | +1 | 2 |
| Sweden | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 49 | 64 | −15 | 0 |

### Placement matches -- 9th to 12th

| Date | Venue | Game | Res. | Half |
| 31.Jan | Rønnede | Spain - Japan | 26-15 | (14-10) |
| 31.Jan | Frederikssund | Czechoslovakia - Hungary | 18-18 | (11-12) |
| 2 Feb | Roskilde | Spain - Czechoslovakia | 24-21 | (12-12) |
| 2 Feb | Nykøbing Falster | Hungary - Japan | 30-26 | (15-16) |
| 4 Feb | Taastrup | Hungary - Spain | 23-19 | (11-8) |
| 4 Feb | Aakirkeby | Japan - Czechoslovakia | 25-25 | (14-12) |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Hungary | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 71 | 63 | +8 | 5 |
| Spain | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 69 | 59 | +10 | 4 |
| Czechoslovakia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 64 | 67 | −3 | 2 |
| Japan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 66 | 81 | −15 | 1 |

## 7th / 8th place

| Date | Match$^1$ | Match$^1$ | Match$^1$ | Score | Half |
| 05.02.1978 | Romania | - | Sweden | 25-17 | (13-7) |
* ($^1$) - In Copenhagen

## 5th / 6th place

| Date | Match$^1$ | Match$^1$ | Match$^1$ | Score | Half |
| 05.02.1978 | Yugoslavia | - | Poland | 21-19 | (8-10) |
* ($^1$) - In Copenhagen

## 3rd / 4th place

| Date | Match$^1$ | Match$^1$ | Match$^1$ | Score | Half |
| 05.02.1978 | East Germany | - | Denmark | 19-15 | (9-7) |
* ($^1$) - In Copenhagen

## Final

| Date | Match$^1$ | Match$^1$ | Match$^1$ | Score | Half |
| 05.02.1978 | West Germany | - | Soviet Union | 20-19 | (11-11) |
* ($^1$) - In Copenhagen

## Final standings

| Rank | Team |
| | West Germany |
| | Soviet Union |
| | East Germany |
| 4 | Denmark |
| 5 | Yugoslavia |
| 6 | Poland |
| 7 | Romania |
| 8 | Sweden |
| 9 | Hungary |
| 10 | Spain |
| 11 | Czechoslovakia |
| 12 | Japan |
| 13 | Iceland |
| 14 | Bulgaria |
| 15 | Canada |
| 16 | France |
Source: IHF