[3] Hansen started his handball career with the Faroese club Kyndil in Thórshavn at the age of 4, coached by his aunt Marjun á Plógv.

[5] In 2010 he was selected to join SHEA – Skanderborg Håndbold Elite Academy and moved to Denmark shortly after turning 16 years old.

[8] Jóhan á Plógv Hansen won silver with the Danish national U21 handball team in 2015 in Brazil.

[9][10] On 29 May 2015 he was called up to the Danish national team as a part of the squad in the 2016 European Men's Handball Championship qualification.

After switching allegiance, Jóhan á Plógv Hansen became a regular with Denmark and he was part of the teams winning a record-breaking three consecutive World Championship: on home soil (shared host with Germany) in 2019, in Egypt in 2021, and in Poland and Sweden in 2023.