[4] The modern set of rules was published in 1917 by Karl Schelenz, Max Heiser, and Erich Konigh,[5] on 29 October in Berlin, which is seen as the date of birth of the sport.

[9] The sport is most popular in Europe, and European countries have won all medals but one in the men's world championships since 1938.

In the women's world championships, only two non-European countries have won the title: South Korea and Brazil.

The game also enjoys popularity in East Asia, North Africa and parts of South America.

Games similar to handball were played in Ancient Greece and are represented on amphorae and stone carvings.

[10] There is evidence of ancient Roman women playing a version of handball called expulsim ludere.

By the 19th century, there existed similar games of håndbold from Denmark, házená in the Czech Republic, handbol in Ukraine, and torball in Germany.

[12] The team handball game of today was codified at the end of the 19th century in northern Europe: primarily in Denmark, Germany, Norway, and Sweden.

The first written set of team handball rules was published in 1906 by the Danish gym teacher, lieutenant and Olympic medalist Holger Nielsen from Ordrup grammar school, north of Copenhagen.

The modern set of rules was published by Max Heiser, Karl Schelenz, and Erich Konigh in 1917[5] on 29 October in Berlin, Germany; this day is therefore seen as the "date of birth" of the sport.

The sport re-emerged onto the world stage as men's team handball for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

[8][13] Due to its popularity in the region, the Eastern European countries that refined the event became the dominant force in the sport when it was reintroduced.

By July 2009, the IHF listed 166 member federations – approximately 795,000 teams and 19 million players.

The goal posts and the crossbar must be made out of the same material (e.g., wood or aluminium) and feature a quadratic cross section with sides of 8 cm (3 in).

Should a player cross the zone in an attempt to gain an advantage (e.g., better position) their team cedes the ball.

[14] If a decision must be reached in a particular match (e.g., in a tournament) and it ends in a draw after regular time, there are at maximum two overtimes, each consisting of two straight 5-minute periods with a one-minute break in between.

The referees may call timeout according to their sole discretion; typical reasons are injuries, suspensions, or court cleaning.

Team representatives must show a green card marked with a black T on the timekeeper's desk.

Some national bodies allow games with only a single referee in special cases like illness on short notice.

Should the referees disagree on any occasion, a decision is made on mutual agreement during a short timeout; or, in case of punishments, the more severe of the two comes into effect.

The referees are supported by a scorekeeper and a timekeeper who attend to formal things such as keeping track of goals and suspensions, or starting and stopping the clock, respectively.

Within the zone, they are allowed to touch the ball with all parts of their bodies, including their feet, with a defensive aim (for other actions, they are subject to the same restrictions as the court players).

Hitting a non-moving goalkeeper's head out of regular play will lead to a two-minute suspension as long as the player threw without obstruction.

As the ball is intended to be operated by a single hand, its official sizes vary depending on age and gender of the participating teams.

For instance, any contact from behind during a fast break is now being treated with a red card; as does any deliberate intent to injure opponents.

Also, gesticulating or verbally questioning the referee's order, as well as arguing with the officials' decisions, will normally risk a yellow card.

Illegal substitution (outside of the dedicated area, or if the replacement player enters too early) is prohibited; if they do, they risk a yellow card.

This rule prevents an attacking team from stalling the game indefinitely, as it is difficult to intercept a pass without at the same time conceding dangerous openings towards the goal.

[19] The IHF organizes world championships, held in odd-numbered years, with separate competitions for men and women.

The two games (France versus North Macedonia and Germany against Switzerland) were played in front of 53,586 spectators.