IKF World Korfball Championship

IKF World Korfball Championship

Current season, competition or edition: 2023 IKF World Korfball Championship
Sport	Korfball
Founded	1978
No. of teams	24 (finals)
Continent	International (IKF)
Most recent champion(s)	Netherlands (11th title) (2023)
Most titles	Netherlands (11 titles)
Official website	International Korfball Federation

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.

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

•  Netherlands: 11
•  Belgium: 1

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

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		39

Note: The IKF considers Germany a successor to West Germany. Likewise, Catalonia is seen as a successor to Spain.

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[a]	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[b]	4th	4th	3rd	5th	8th	3rd	5th	7th	5th	4th	9th	8th
France	×	8th	12th	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	•	×
Germany[c]	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

• Korfball

• IKF official site
• History of the IKF and the IKF World Championship