Handball Bundesliga Frauen (Germany) 2026/27

The Handball-Bundesliga Frauen stands as the premier women's handball competition in Germany, operating at the top tier of the national pyramid. Founded by the Deutscher Handballbund (DHB) for the 1975/76 season, it succeeded earlier German championships that utilised a knockout format since 1957/58. The league distinguishes itself from the men's equivalent through its structure; while the men's Handball-Bundesliga determines the champion solely via a regular season round-robin, the women's competition employs a playoff system. This involves a double round-robin among 12 teams, after which the top eight enter a championship playoff phase, with the winner crowned German Champion. The bottom four teams compete in a playdown phase, where the last-placed side drops directly to the 2. Bundesliga, while the second-to-last faces a relegation playoff against the 2. Bundesliga runner-up. Financially, the league operates with significantly lower budgets and visibility than the men's counterpart, which is fully professional with major corporate sponsors. Despite this, the DHB administers the competition to ensure stability, having reduced the number of teams from 14 to 12 in the 2024/25 season. Bayer 04 Leverkusen holds the record for most titles, having won eight Bundesliga titles between 1979 and 1987. Other historically successful clubs include Thüringer HC and TV Lützellinden, each with seven titles. The most recent confirmed champion was SG BBM Bietigheim, which rebranded as HB Ludwigsburg for the 2024/25 season. This structure contrasts sharply with the greater financial resources and larger squad size of 18 teams seen in the men's league. The competition remains the highest level of women's handball in Germany, offering a path to national glory through its unique playoff mechanism.