Albertville - Halle Olympique

Albertville is nestled at the foot of the world’s largest skiing resorts. The city that hosted the 16th Winter Olympics in 1992 is beautiful all year round. Alpine lakes, panoramic landscapes, forests, mountains, valleys and passes make it a playground for hiking, walking or cycling enthusiasts. Albertville is a unique cycling destination; it hosts important stages of the Tour de France and in 2016 will again do so. Handball has also had a place in the heart of Albertville since it hosted the 2001 Championship in the Olympic venue.

Built for the 1992 Olympics, the sports hall venue had a record attendance for the quarter-final France- Germany (5,700 spectators). Completely renovated between 2013 and 2015, the Olympic sport venue, which celebrates its 25 birthday,

Brest - Brest Arena

What if Brest was the perfect place to drop anchor? With its well-toned character, including its cable car system that was opened for service in November, 2016 and its unique style, the city is also a true outpost in the West. Oceanic, cosmopolitan, connected, and charismatic, Brest is also sporty. Water-based activities reign throughout the year in a bay that spans 180km2. Thanks to the various facilities of the city, its 45,000 sports federations members also enjoy skating, swimming, horseback riding, rock climbing… and handball, obviously.

Officially opened in 2014, Brest Arena is an ultra-modern facility ideally adapted for handball. The girls from Brest Bretagne Handball, who have made the arena their own, can testify to the fact that there is a formidable atmosphere in Brest Arena. They have continued their string of victories in 2015/2016, including moving up to the French First Division at the end of the season and winning the French Cup.

Lille Métropole - Pierre Mauroy Stadium

Originally a football stadium, Stade Pierre-Mauroy was built with the option of being converted into an indoor arena in order to accommodate indoor sports. It was a daring idea, yet also a very successful one, as it has allowed the stadium to host the 2014 Davis Cup final as well as the 2015 European Basketball Championship. The Stade Pierre-Mauroy is without a doubt the ideal venue to push handball to the limits and the indoor attendance record for an IHF World Championship could fall into the hands of this northern city.

Beyond the arena, the strength of the City of Lille and its 85 municipalities lies in their diversity. Green, welcoming, and attractive, Lille is intense with a warm atmosphere that gives its visitors a rich cultural experience. The city is already known worldwide and appreciated. This phenomenon will escalate after the 2017 World Championship.

Metz - Arènes de Metz

Metz has over 80 million Europeans less than 200 km from its doors, with Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg all within 80 km. The location of the city is an important asset when hosting games for a major tournament such as the World Championship at the Arènes de Metz. The atmosphere is worth seeing in this Mecca for national women’s handball, at the heart of one of the French regions that is most passionate about the discipline.

The Arènes, which opened in 2002, has seen many Dragonnes de Metz Handball, the legendary local women’s team, enjoy glorious campaigns. It also hosted twelve matches of the 2007 Women’s World Championship. With many members of the public being handball connaisseurs, the Arènes de Metz is an essential venue for the handball competition. This fact will be con rmed during the 2017 World Championship.

Montpellier - L'Arena

Montpellier holds a special place in the handball world: that of a good student, leading the rest of the class. The city owes this to a meeting of minds and motivation over time, which created the now legendary first French club to win the Champions League. It also allowed the construction of an arena which French handball and sports have been able to rely on for several years.

Since it was opened in 2010, the Montpellier Arena has grown accustomed to top level handball competitions and will therefore be suited to hosting the later stages of the 2017 World Championship, including two last 16 and one quarter- final. The residents of Montpellier are accustomed to top level handball, and they will have more of it in January 2017.

Nantes - Parc des Expositions – Hall XXL

With over 100 parks and gardens, 10,000 trees and the banks of both the Loire and the Erdre managed in an environmentally friendly way, the importance of nature is present in Nantes. It even inspired the designers of the city’s Hall XXL, built with sustainability in mind, within the exhibition Centre. It is the first site of its kind to receive ISO 14001 environmental certification.

This unusual venue will host four of the French team’s first five round matches. The blue, white, and red fever, as well as the bond between the fans and the French national team each time it plays in Nantes will grow even stronger for the World Championship. Handball fans from the Loire region, already spoiled with great performances from the local men’s team, are excited to see all of the visiting champions. That’s what makes it the perfect city for international handball.

Paris - AccorHotels Arena

For athletes and leaders of international handball, a World Championship held in France must have a stopover in Paris perhaps because of the matches held in Paris in 2001, and notably the incredible final between France and Sweden, have left a lasting impression. Certainly, the capital is ready, with the totally renovated AccorHotels Arena (ex-Multisport Palace of Paris-Bercy) hosting the opening match, France- Brazil, the Group meetings for Olympic champions Denmark and the grand final on the 29th January 2017. It has become, over the years, the stage for the biggest international tournaments held in France. They venue, in the capital city’s 12th arrondissement has been completely renovated, offering visitors everything to meet their needs in terms of comfort and accessibility. For the Handball 2017 World Championship, spectators and viewers around the world have the opportunity to discover the new face of an historic site for international handball and international sport, and the many foreign tourists can also enjoy the cultural treasures of the city of Paris.

Rouen - Kindarena

No one can stay very long in Rouen without seeing its neighbourhoods come to life with a party or a cultural or artistic event. The city of a thousand steeples also attracts visitors through its rich history and heritage, but also by his drive and passion for sport.

With the inauguration of Kindarena in 2012, Rouen has finally built itself a place worthy of their passion. With its 5,000 seats and impressive acoustics, Kindarena can quickly turn into a very noisy venue, as was the case in March 2016 for the nals of the School Handball World Championship. After hosting the Championship for youngsters, Rouen and Kindarena now look forward to hosting the World Championship for adults, ready for the venue to vibrate again with the sound of the stars of global handball.