2011 World Men's Handball Championship
The 2011 World Men's Handball Championship, the 22nd event hosted by the International Handball Federation, was held in Sweden from 13 to 30 January 2011. All matches were played in Malmö, Lund, Kristianstad, Gothenburg, Skövde, Jönköping, Linköping and Norrköping.
| Världsmästerskapet i handboll för herrar 2011 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Sweden |
| Venue(s) | 8 (in 8 host cities) |
| Dates | 13–30 January |
| Teams | 24 (from 5 confederations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | France (4th title) |
| Runner-up | Denmark |
| Third place | Spain |
| Fourth place | Sweden |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 98 |
| Goals scored | 5,390 (55 per match) |
| Attendance | 399,019 (4,072 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Mikkel Hansen (DEN) (68 goals) |
| Best player | Nikola Karabatić (FRA) |
In the preliminary round, 24 teams from all the world's continents were split into 4 groups, with the first-placed 3 teams advancing through the main round in two groups, carrying the previously won points against the remaining teams. France won the tournament after defeating Denmark in the final, while Spain won the bronze medal after defeating Sweden in the third-place match. Thus, France has qualified for the tournament at the London Olympics. The teams that finished in 2nd–7th place will play Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.
The host broadcaster was the Swedish commercial network TV4 Sport and the television rights were sold to other countries.
One of the objectives of the championship was to create a multicultural party that extends far outside the handball arenas.