| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Denmark |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  West Germany |
| Runner-up |  Soviet Union |
| Third place |  East Germany |
| Fourth place | Denmark |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches | 32 |
| Goals scored | 1305 (40.78 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Jerzy Klempel (POL) Péter Kovács (HUN) (47 goals) |
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The 1978 World Men's Handball Championship was the ninth team handball World Championship. It was held in Denmark between 26 January-5 February 1978. West Germany won the championship.
Teams
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
.svg.png){kind=small} Canada | East Germany | Denmark |  Bulgaria |
 Czechoslovakia |  France |  Iceland |  Japan |
| West Germany | Hungary | Soviet Union | Poland |
.svg.png){kind=small} Yugoslavia |  Romania |  Spain |  Sweden |
Preliminary round
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Germany | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 36 | +18 | 6 |
| Yugoslavia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 45 | +9 | 4 |
| Czechoslovakia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 58 | 43 | +15 | 2 |
| Canada | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 73 | −42 | 0 |
Source:
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 74 | 56 | +18 | 4 |
| East Germany | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 4 |
| Hungary | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66 | 54 | +12 | 4 |
| France | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 54 | 97 | −43 | 0 |
Source:
Group C
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 46 | +16 | 5 |
| Denmark | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 56 | 45 | +11 | 5 |
| Spain | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 52 | 65 | −13 | 2 |
| Iceland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 54 | 68 | −14 | 0 |
Source:
Group D
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 60 | +16 | 6 |
| Sweden | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 72 | 58 | +14 | 4 |
| Japan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 70 | −6 | 2 |
| Bulgaria | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 58 | 82 | −24 | 0 |
Source:
Second round
Group 1
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Germany | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 44 | +5 | 4 |
| East Germany | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 46 | +2 | 4 |
| Yugoslavia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 46 | 50 | −4 | 3 |
| Romania | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 49 | 52 | −3 | 1 |
Source:
Group 2
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 50 | +8 | 5 |
| Denmark | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 59 | 53 | +6 | 5 |
| Poland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 60 | +1 | 2 |
| Sweden | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 49 | 64 | −15 | 0 |
Source:
3rd / 4th place
| Date | Match¹ | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05.02.1978 | East Germany | Denmark | 19-15 | |
- (¹) - In Copenhagen
Final
| Date | Match¹ | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05.02.1978 | West Germany | Soviet Union | 20-19 | |
- (¹) - In Copenhagen
Final standings
){kind=icon} | West Germany |
){kind=icon} | Soviet Union |
){kind=icon} | East Germany |
| 4 | Denmark |
| 5 | Yugoslavia |
| 6 | Poland |
| 7 | Romania |
| 8 | Sweden |
| 9 | Hungary |
| 10 | Spain |
| 11 | Czechoslovakia |
| 12 | Japan |
| 13 | Iceland |
| 14 | Bulgaria |
| 15 | Canada |
| 16 | France |