European Handball Federation

What European Handball Federation does

The European Handball Federation (EHF), founded in 1991 and headquartered in Vienna, Austria, is the non-profit umbrella organisation for handball in Europe, governing 50 member federations and 2 associated federations. Its core product is the portfolio of elite competitions it organises and operates: the EHF Champions League (men's and women's), the EHF European League, the EHF European Cup for clubs, and the EHF EURO national team championships, alongside beach handball, wheelchair handball, and an extensive younger-age-category programme. The federation also runs ancillary services including the EHF Anti-Doping Unit, the European Handball Court of Arbitration, the EHF Whistleblowing Platform, and development initiatives such as the Respect Your Talent programme, the Women's Handball Roadmap 2029, and the Sustainability Roadmap 2023–2030.

The EHF's underlying technology stack consists of EHFTV (the official streaming platform for live and on-demand competitions), the Home of Handball App, the eurohandball.com website, the EHF Family stakeholder portal, and the EHF Media Portal, which hosts the recently introduced AI-powered "Player Index" co-developed with the University of Castilla-La Mancha. An EHF Club Ranking system, aggregating points from the prior three cup seasons, supports seeding in competition draws. Revenue is generated primarily through broadcasting and media rights, corporate sponsorship (e.g., Machineseeker as title sponsor of the Champions League Men, Winamax for the European League Men, Hummel for equipment), and ticket sales (notably the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 in Cologne). Commercial operations are conducted through the wholly-owned subsidiary EHF Marketing GmbH. Leadership comprises President Michael Wiederer and Secretary General Martin Hausleitner; the entity is registered as a non-profit (ZVR 263489108) and is not publicly traded.

Name

European Handball Federation

Legal name

European Handball Federation

Website

https://eurohandball.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The European Handball Federation is the Vienna-based non-profit governing body for European handball, organising elite club competitions (Champions League, European League, European Cup), EHF EURO national team tournaments, and beach and wheelchair handball events across 50 member federations and a broad European fan base.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Federation and Competition Management

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

International Sport Federations (IFs) (MPAKAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Handball Leagues (MPAKAAAM), Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

Keywords

• Handball federation
• Sports governance
• Handball competitions
• Sport broadcasting rights
• Athletic competition management

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Competition Broadcasting and Media Rights: The EHF generates revenue through broadcasting and media rights for its competitions including the EHF Champions League, European League, European Cup, and EHF EURO tournaments.
2. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorship arrangements such as the naming rights partnership with Machineseeker for the EHF Champions League.
3. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales for matches across all EHF competitions including the EHF FINAL4 final tournament.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The European Handball Federation (EHF) is the non-profit umbrella governing body for handball in Europe, organizing and operating the continent's premier club and national team competitions across men's, women's, beach, wheelchair, and youth disciplines. Its core offerings include the EHF Champions League, EHF European League, EHF European Cup, and EHF EURO tournaments, complemented by digital platforms such as the EHFTV streaming service, the Home of Handball mobile app, and the EHF Family stakeholder portal. Commercial activities are handled through its wholly-owned subsidiary EHF Marketing GmbH.

Product overview

The European Handball Federation operates a comprehensive platform of handball competitions and services across multiple tiers and formats. The core offering consists of club competitions (EHF Champions League, EHF European League, EHF European Cup) for both men's and women's divisions, plus national team competitions (EHF EURO tournaments). Supporting products include EHFTV streaming platform, the Home of Handball App for mobile access, EHF Club Ranking analytics, EHF Excellence Awards recognition program, and EHF Hall of Fame. The federation also organizes beach handball, wheelchair handball, and youth/younger age category competitions, complemented by anti-doping services, a whistleblowing platform, and the European Handball Court of Arbitration for dispute resolution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EHF Champions League: Top-tier European club handball competition for men and women
• EHF European League
• EHF European Cup
• EHF EURO
• EHF Beach Handball
• EHF Wheelchair Handball
• EHFTV
• EHF Excellence Awards
• EHF Hall of Fame
• The Home of Handball App

Products and services

• EHF Champions League (Men's) Europe's premier men's club handball competition featuring top clubs from across the continent, with group phase, play-offs, quarter-finals, and culminating in the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 tournament in Cologne.
• EHF Champions League (Women's) Europe's premier women's club handball competition featuring elite women's clubs competing in group phases followed by finals.
• EHF European League (Men's and Women's) Second-tier European club handball competition offering 32 teams in the men's division and multiple women's teams a pathway to continental recognition below the Champions League level.
• EHF European Cup (Men's and Women's) Third-tier European club handball competition providing competition structure for clubs below the European League level.
• EHF EURO (Men's National Team) European Championship tournament for men's national handball teams, including the EHF EURO 2028 and EHF EURO Cup 2028.
• EHF EURO (Women's National Team) European Championship tournament for women's national handball teams, including Women's EHF EURO 2026.
• Younger Age Category Competitions Youth handball competitions including M20 EHF EURO, M18 EHF EURO, W19 EHF EURO, W17 EHF EURO, M19 European Open, M17 European Youth Olympic Festival, W16 European Open, and EHF Youth Club Trophy.
• EHF Beach Handball Championships European Beach Handball competitions including Men's and Women's EHF Beach Handball Championships, European Beach Tour Finals, and age-category beach handball tournaments.
• EHF Wheelchair Handball Championship European Championship for wheelchair handball, including the EHF Wheelchair EURO 2025.
• EHFTV Official streaming platform for European handball competitions, providing live broadcasts, match replays, and exclusive documentaries.
• Home of Handball App Mobile application providing live scores, competition information, news, and comprehensive handball content to users.
• EHF Club Ranking Ranking system for clubs based on achievements and collected points from the previous three European cup seasons, used for admission criteria and seeding in competition draws.
• EHF Anti-Doping Unit Anti-doping monitoring and enforcement services ensuring fair competition across European handball.
• EHF Whistleblowing Platform Confidential reporting platform for reporting misconduct, integrity issues, or violations within European handball.
• European Handball Court of Arbitration Judicial body providing arbitration services for disputes within European handball.
• Handball Originals Documentary series including 'This is Me' (player profiles), 'My Game', 'Women at the heart of the game', 'The Final Whistle', and 'The Spin: We Talk Handball' podcasts.
• Master Plan / Development Programs Development initiatives including Sustainability Roadmap 2023-2030, Women's Handball Roadmap 2029, Respect Your Talent program, and Education & Activities.
• EHF Media Portal (AI-Powered Player Index) Media portal featuring AI-powered 'Player Index' performance analytics for handball players, jointly developed with the University of Castilla-La Mancha.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Forum Club Handball (Men's clubs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Ten-year Memorandum of Understanding signed at TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026 in Cologne. Covers calendar coordination, release dates for national team players, compensation for release and representation, and participation in EHF and EHF Marketing bodies.
• Women's Forum Club HandballcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Ten-year Memorandum of Understanding covering women's club handball stakeholders. Addresses similar topics as men's agreement including calendar coordination and representation.
• European Handball Leagues BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Ten-year agreement covering league operations, player release, compensation, and governance participation.
• European Handball Players UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Partnership agreement with the players' union ensuring representation and player welfare considerations in EHF decisions.
• MachineseekerflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle sponsor of the EHF Champions League Men competition, with naming rights for major events including TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026 in Cologne.
• HummelcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial equipment and apparel partner, providing official match balls and merchandise.
• WinamaxcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle sponsor of the EHF European League (Winamax EHF Finals).
• University of Castilla-La ManchaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of AI-powered 'Player Index' technology for player performance analytics.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF): Global governing body for ice hockey and a continental-member structure comparable in scale to handball. Similar federation model with World Championships, age-group events, and event-driven commercial revenue streams.
• UEFA: European football's continental governing body and the largest comparable continental federation by revenue and audience. EHF mirrors UEFA's continental-federation business model (governance, club competitions, national-team tournaments, media-rights monetisation), though at a different scale and sport.
• International Handball Federation (IHF): The global governing body for handball and the parent body to which EHF is affiliated via its 50 member federations. Operates the IHF World Championships and sets international rules, directly comparable in role and scope at the global level.
• World Rugby: Global governing body for rugby union with a strong event-driven business (World Cup, HSBC Sevens) and tiered member federation structure. Comparable in governance and competition-organising economics, though on a larger commercial base.

Direct peers

• Rugby Europe: European rugby's continental federation, organising Champions Cup, Challenge Cup, and European Championships. Comparable as a continental sports federation with a tiered club-competition model and similar European footprint.
• Confédération Européenne de Volleyball (CEV): European volleyball's continental governing body, organising the CEV Champions League and European Championships. Closest sport-by-sport analogue in terms of competition portfolio breadth, indoor/beach split, and sponsorship scale for a niche European indoor sport.
• FIBA Europe: The European zone of the International Basketball Federation, organising European club competitions and national-team events. Most direct comparable continental federation with similar tiered club competition structure (EuroLeague, EuroCup, etc.) and grassroots-development mandate.
• European Aquatics (LEN): Continental governing body for aquatic sports in Europe. Comparable as a multi-discipline federation (swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming) running continental championships under a member-federation model similar to EHF's multi-format setup.
• European Athletics: Continental governing body for athletics in Europe, organising European Championships and club/age-group competitions. Comparable in governance structure, member-federation base, and continental competition responsibilities.
• European Table Tennis Union (ETTU): Continental federation for table tennis in Europe, organising the European Championships and Champions League. Comparable as a smaller-scope European federation with similar revenue mix (sponsorship, events, media rights) and member-federation governance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HomeofHandball
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/thehomeofhandball
• Facebookfacebook.com/homeofhandball
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-handball-federation
• Instagraminstagram.com/thehomeofhandball
• TikToktiktok.com/@homeofhandball

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about European Handball Federation