Bundesliga (Germany) 2026/27

The Handball-Bundesliga (HBL) sits at the top of the German handball pyramid. Founded in 1966 by the Deutscher Handballbund (DHB), it began its inaugural season in 1966–67. Today it operates as a single nationwide division featuring 18 clubs. The league runs a double round-robin format across 34 matchdays with no playoffs; the team finishing first is crowned champion. This structure has been in place since 1977, when the league unified its North and South divisions. Before that split, the competition was divided regionally.

Promotion and relegation involve a direct swap of the bottom two HBL teams with the top two teams from the 2. Handball-Bundesliga. This system was solidified in the 2017–18 season, replacing an earlier model that involved playoffs until 2011. The league is currently organized by the Handball-Bundesliga GmbH, headquartered in Cologne.

THW Kiel is the most successful club with 23 titles, followed by VfL Gummersbach with 12. SC Magdeburg holds the current title for the 2025–26 season after winning four consecutive championships from 2021 to 2024. Historically, only THW Kiel and VfL Gummersbach played every season of the single-division era until Gummersbach’s 2019 relegation. The league has seen sponsorship names change over time, including Toyota (2007–2012) and the current sponsor Opel.

In European competitions, Germany receives two spots for the EHF Champions League awarded to the HBL champion and runner-up, along with multiple spots for the EHF European League given to third–sixth place finishers and the DHB-Pokal winner. The HBL differs from the DHB-Pokal, Germany’s national cup competition founded in 1975, which is a knockout tournament rather than a league. THW Kiel also holds the record for most DHB-Pokal wins with 13.