Women’s Handball WC “Spoiler Free” Preview (Wednesday, 11 Dec)

Germany will meet Norway in what might be a winner take all showdown for a semifinal berth.

Main Round Play conclude for both Groups today with 6 matches. Who will make the semifinals? Who will get a slot in an Olympic Qualification Tourney. Two of the matches are available in the U.S. on the NBC Olympic Channel. The rest are available on the IHF Website.

NBC TV Schedule: Link
How to watch the matches not on NBC: Link
IHF Daily Preview: Link

Wednesday, 11 December
All Times Local (CET is -8 hrs / US ET is -14 hrs)
Odds courtesy of Unibet

Main Group I

Note: Main Group I is pretty complicated in terms of projecting semifinal and Olympic Tournament qualification. So complicated, it got it’s own separate article: Link

15:00 S Korea vs Netherlands (-5)
– IHF Website Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

Any chance the Netherlands has of qualifying for the semifinals starts with beating S Korea first. They will need some help to slip into second place, but it’s possible. South Korea is simply playing for pride. A bit of a disappointing end for a team that did so well in the preliminary round.

18:00 Denmark (-2.5) vs Serbia  
– IHF Web Stream Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

Serbia has an outsider’s chance of getting to the semifinals while Denmark can finish no better than 3rd. But, what’s on the line for sure: A chance at Olympic Qualification. The winner will at least finish 4th where they would play in the 7th place match for entry in an Olympic Qualification Tournament; the loser will do no better than 5th and their Olympic dreams are over.

20:30 Norway (-3.5) vs Germany 
– IHF Web Stream Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

There are multiple scenarios at play, but by the time this match starts only three scenarios will be left. The most entertaining scenarios: Winner qualifies; Loser takes 3rd. I won’t get in to all the possibilities. It would take too long. For all the possibilities check out this Link

Main Round Group II

15:00 Spain vs Russia (-2.5) (With Commentary from Paul Bray)
– Match airs live in the U.S on the NBC Olympic Channel at 1:00 AM (US ET)
– Olympic Channel Video Link (No VPN Required)
– IHF Website Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

Russia is undefeated and has already qualified for the semifinals. With a win or a draw they will finish 1st. Spain can take 1st with a win and will take 2nd with a draw. They can also still qualify for the semifinals even if they lose, but it will depend on what Sweden does. If Sweden wins they would be level on points with Spain. And, since Spain and Sweden tied the next tie breaker will be GD in all matches. Spain is currently at +18 and and Sweden is at +12, so the combination of Spain’s loss and a Sweden win will need to be greater than 6 goals. And, then if it’s 6 goals exactly the next tie breaker is total goals scored. And, if that is tied… well then they will draw lots.

18:00 Japan (-2) vs Romania 
– IHF Website Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

Not a whole lot to say about this match. Both teams are winless in Main Round play and this match is just for pride.

20:30 Sweden (-1) vs Montenegro (With commentary from Paul Bray)
– Match airs live in the U.S on the NBC Olympic Channel at 6:30 AM (US ET)
– Olympic Channel Video Link (No VPN Required)
– IHF Website  Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

As previously discussed, Sweden may have a chance to pass Spain on goal differential and qualify for the semifinals. But, they likely will have their hands full just beating Montenegro. Regardless, the outcome of this match will determine 3rd and 4th place which actually means something. The 3rd place team will have a guaranteed entry into one of the Olympic Qualification tournaments, whereas 4th place in the group will face off against the other 4th place team in Group 1 for 7th place overall and the last slot for the Olympic Qualification tournaments.

Women’s Handball WC “Spoiler Free” Preview (Tuesday, 10 Dec)

Montenegro takes on Russia in Main Round Group II action.

Main Round Play continues with Group II now playing 3 matches while Group I has a rest day. Two of these matches are available in the U.S. on the NBC Olympic Channel.

NBC TV Schedule: Link
How to watch the matches not on NBC: Link
IHF Daily Preview: Link

Tuesday, 10 December
All Times Local (CET is -8 hrs / US ET is -14 hrs)
odds courtesy of 10bet

Main Round Group II

Main Round Group II after 3 matches

15:00 Montenegro vs Russia (-3)
– IHF Website Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

Russia has been the most impressive team of the tournament so far, with no team coming closer than 8 goals. Montenegro has also played well with their only loss being to the other undefeated team in the group, Spain.

18:00 Japan vs Spain (-5.5) (With Commentary from Paul Bray)
– Match airs live in the U.S on the NBC Olympic Channel at 4:00 AM (US ET)
– Olympic Channel Video Link (No VPN Required)
– IHF Website Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

On Monday Spain appeared to be on track for an easy victory against Sweden, leading by 8 goals in the 2nd half. Somehow they let that lead slip away ending the match with a 28-28 draw. They will look to rebound from that disappointing draw with a win today against Japan. The hosts have played competitively, but have yet to get a signature win against a European side at this tournament

20:30 Sweden (-5) vs Romania (With commentary from Paul Bray)
– Match airs live in the U.S on the NBC Olympic Channel at 6:30 AM (US ET)
– Olympic Channel Video Link (No VPN Required)
– IHF Website Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

Sweden salvaged a draw yesterday to keep their semifinal hopes alive. They take on Romania which has struggled and at this point is playing for a 4th place finish and entry into an Olympic Qualification Tournament.

Olympic Channel Live Stream: Link

Women’s Handball WC “Spoiler Free” Preview (Monday, 9 Dec)

S Korea looks for a much needed win vs Norway.

Main Round Play continues with Group I playing 3 matches while Group II takes the day off. Two of these matches are available in the U.S. on the NBC Olympic Channel.

NBC TV Schedule: Link
How to watch the matches not on NBC: Link
IHF Daily Preview: Link

Monday, 9 December
All Times Local (CET is -8 hrs / US ET is -14 hrs)
odds courtesy of Bwin

Main Round Group I

Main Round Group I after 3 matches

15:00 Serbia vs Germany (-2)
– IHF Website Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

Germany looks to solidify their chances for the semifinals while Serbia hopes to make it two wins in a row after after their victory over S. Korea yesterday. Making the semifinals for Serbia, will require quite a bit of help though so Serbia may more realistically be shooting for 4th in the group to qualify for an Olympic Qualification Tournament.

18:00 Denmark vs Netherlands (-1) (With Commentary from Paul Bray)
– Match airs live in the U.S on the NBC Olympic Channel at 4:00 AM (US ET)
– Olympic Channel Web Stream Video Link (No VPN Required in U.S.)
– IHF Web Stream Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

Both teams lost yesterday and will be looking to rebound with a win. The Netherlands will still make the semifinals if they win their next two matches. Denmark, like Serbia is probably playing for 4th place now.

20:30 Norway (-3.5) vs South Korea (With commentary from Paul Bray)
– Match airs live in the U.S on the NBC Olympic Channel at 6:30 AM (US ET)
– Olympic Channel Web Stream Video Link (No VPN Required in U.S.)
– IHF Web Stream Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

Norway got off to a slow start yesterday, but came back for a key win over Denmark. A win today sets up a possible showdown match vs Germany on Wednesday for a semifinal slot. S Korea suffered their first lost of the tournament yesterday vs Serbia. Any hopes of making the semifinals will probably mean beating Norway today and then knocking off the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Olympic Channel Live Stream: Link

President’s Cup

The President’s Cup finishes today with 12 teams playing for 13th through 23rd place.

13th Place
18:00 Hungary vs France (-3.5) Video Link

15th Place
15:00 Angola (-4) vs Argentina Video Link

17th Place
18:00 Sengal vs Brazil (-5.5) Video Link

19th Place
15:00 Slovenia (-10) vs DR Congo Video Link

21st Place
12:30 Cuba (-2) vs Kazakhstan Video Link

23rd Place
12:30 Australia vs China (-12.5) Video Link

Women’s Handball WC “Spoiler Free” Preview (Sunday, 8 Dec)

Norway takes on Denmark in their first Main Round match. Watch it live on the NBC Olympic Channel at 6:30 AM (US ET)

Preliminary Group Play is over and the top 3 teams from Groups A and B have combined to form Main Round Group I and Groups C and D have combined to form Main Round Group II. The top 2 teams from each group will make the semifinals.

All of the teams that didn’t advance to the Main Round have been vanquished to consolation play in the President’s Cup.

There are also more viewing options in the United States as the NBC Olympic Channel will now be airing two matches on TV each day. And, this is really good news: The schedule has changed with more live matches and without truncation to one hour.
NBC TV Schedule: Link

How to watch the matches not on NBC: Link

IHF Daily Preview: Link

Sunday, 8 December
All Times Local (CET is -8 hrs / US ET is -14 hrs)
odds courtesy of Bwin

Main Round Group I

Main Round Group I Standings (Preliminary Group Games Carried Through)

15:00 Serbia vs S Korea (-1.5) Video Link

18:00 Germany vs Netherlands (-2.5) (With Commentary from Paul Bray)
<Will air in the U.S on the NBC Olympic Channel at 4:30 PM (US ET)>
– Olympic Channel Video Link (No VPN Required)
– IHF Website Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

20:30 Norway (-2.5) vs Denmark Video Link (With commentary from Paul Bray)
<LIVE in the U.S on the NBC Olympic Channel at 6:30 AM (US ET)>
– Olympic Channel Video Link (No VPN Required)
– IHF Website Video Link (VPN Required for some countries)

Olympic Channel Live Stream: Link

This group starts with a bang as the Netherlands takes on Germany in a battle of Group leaders. Norway takes on Denmark in the other NBC match. Should be interesting to see if Norway can bounce back from their loss to the Netherlands.

Main Round Group II Standings (Preliminary Group Games Carried Through)

15:00 Romania vs Russia (-6) Video Link
18:00 Montenegro (-3.5) vs Japan Video Link
20:30 Spain (-1.5) vs Sweden Video Link

Russia should have no problem with a Romanian side that just squeaked into the Main Round. Hosts Japan take on Montenegro and Sweden will try to draw level on points with Spain.

Not a whole lot to say regarding the President’s Cup other than it will be interesting to see how some of the continents outside of Europe fare against each other. And, that it’s really something to see the defending champions, France playing for 13th.

President’s Cup (13th – 16th)

12:30 Angola vs France (-6) Video Link
12:30 Hungary (-7) vs Argentina Video Link

President’s Cup (17th – 20th)

15:00 Slovenia (-1.5) vs Brazil Video Link
18:00 Senegal (-5.5) vs DR Congo Video Link

President’s Cup (21st – 24th)

10:00 Cuba (-10) vs Australia Video Link
12:30 Kazakhstan vs China (-2.5) Video Link

Women’s Handball WC “Spoiler Free” Preview (Friday, 6 Dec)

Hungary vs Romania: 1 of 3 “elimination” matches today in the last round of Preliminary Group play.

It’s the last match day for all four Preliminary Round groups at the 2019 IHF Women’s World Handball Championships in Japan. There are 3 types of matches today: Matches to determine who advances to the main round; Matches where the result will carry through to the main round; and matches simply for pride.

Note: 3 teams advance from each group and the matches between those teams carry through to the Main Round. Groups A and B will form Main Round Group 1 and Groups C and D will form Main Round Group 2.

Below are the times, odds and video links for all the matches.

Remember, if you find yourself geoblocked out of the IHF web stream this article has some tips that should help you find a way to watch: Link

Here’s the IHF preview for the day’s competition: Link

Friday, 6 December
All Times Local (CET is -8 hrs / US ET is -14 hrs)
Odds courtesy of William Hill

Note: Saturday is a rest day, so if you’re busy on Friday, you might want to consider saving some of these matches for viewing on Saturday.

Group A

Group A after 4 rounds

15:00 Serbia (-1) vs Slovenia Video Link
18:00 Angola (-12.5) vs Cuba Video Link
20:30 Netherlands vs Norway (-2.5) Video Link 

Serbia and Slovenia will battle to see which side will advance to the Main Round. Angola and Cuba will play for pride. While the Norway – Netherlands result will carry through to the main round.

Side note: The Netherlands will be hoping for a Serbia win since they lost to Slovenia earlier in the week and would prefer to have the 2 points from their victory over Serbia

Group B

Group B after 4 rounds

15:00 Australia vs Brazil (-21.5) Video Link
19:00 Germany vs S Korea (-1) Video Link
20:30 Denmark vs France (-2.5)  Video Link 

Australia and Brazil will play for pride. Germany and S. Korea will look to get 2 points for the Main Round. While Denmark and France will play an elimination game to see who advances

Side Note: S Korea would prefer to see France win since they would pick up 2 points, vice 1 point since they tied Denmark. Germany would prefer a Denmark victory since they beat Denmark, but lost to France.

Group C

Group C after 4 rounds

15:00 Senegal (-5.5) vs Kazakhstan Video Link 
15:00 Spain (-2) vs Montenegro Video Link
19:00 Romania vs Hungary (-2.5) Video Link 

Senegal and Kazakhstan play for pride. Spain and Montenegro play for 2 points in the Main Round. Hungary and Romania play an elimination game.

Group D

Group D after 4 rounds.

15:00 Japan (-6.5) vs China Video Link (With Commentary from Paul Bray)
18:00 DR Congo vs Argentina (-4) Video Link 
20:30 Russia vs Sweden (-3.5) Video Link (With Commentary from Paul Bray)

Only one match matters in Group D. Russia and Sweden will play for 2 points in the Main Round.

How to Watch Every Match of the IHF Women’s World Championships (Live and On Demand)

Want to watch the IHF Women’s World Championships? You’ve got options. NBC starting on Sunday. But, what if you want to watch other matches? Like today’s Serbia-Netherlands clash? Or, tomorrow’s elimination game between Denmark and France?

Starting this Sunday the NBC will be airing two matches on its NBC Olympic Channel every day for the remainder of the competition.  This is unquestionably a good thing.  Any time handball is broadcast on TV in the U.S. it exposes new fans to the sport. 

But, for the already dedicated handball fans it’s actually kind of a bummer.  Why?  Because since the U.S. now has a TV contract we’re now geo-blocked out of the free IHF Web Stream.

Yes, instead of watching every single match like we’re used to we’re now limited to what NBC decides to show.

Fortunately, there’s a way around that and because I keep getting questions about how I am watching all of those matches here is an in-depth tutorial on:

How to Watch Every Match of the IHF Women’s World Championships (Live and On Demand)

Step 1) Determine if you are Geo-Blocked   

What’s a Geo-Block?  Well, this is a Geo-Block:

Essentially, what happens is that the IHF has blocked your computer’s IP address from accessing their online web stream.  Most likely it is because your country has a TV contract for the handball event in question.  For the World Championships the IHF has a contract in the U.S. with NBC.  Hence, the Geo-Block for everyone in the U.S.

Step 2) If you are Geo-blocked, Get a VPN service

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and essentially it’s a way to access websites from an IP Address associated with another country.  There are multiple companies that provide this service.  I use Nord VPN and it costs $3.49/month.  And, I can tell you without a doubt it’s the best money I’ve ever spent as a handball fan.  I don’t use it to just watch the World Championships.  I use it to watch the Champions League, German Bundesliga and Spanish Asobal league matches as well.  Honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t get a VPN service years ago… except I do know why. 

I was hesitant due to some misconceptions regarding risk.  As in, I don’t want to download some crazy software that’s going to mess up my computer.  My mistake was to think VPN was just like the crazy fly-by-night websites that pop up when you google things like “France-Germany Handball web-stream”.   If you’re a handball fan you probably know what I’m talking about and maybe you’ve made the mistake of downloading a “free” video player.

DON’T DO THAT… There’s a good chance you are going to regret it.  I know have… Typically the so called video player sucks and the video if it does show up is barely watchable.

But, do go to a website like NORD VPN (there’s a banner ad in the top right hand corner of the Team Handball News website) and follow the instructions there.

What you end up downloading is an extension for your web browsers.  For Nord VPN there’s an app that you click on where you can select a country to login from.  I’ve been using Canada since it’s close by and they are not geo-blocked.

Now connected to Canada… And good to go.

If you don’t want to use Nord VPN there are other options including Hola VPN.  This is actually a “free” service, but not a VPN in the traditional sense.  It’s a peer to peer service and you essentially agree to let users in another country use your IP Address.  There are some risks with doing that, but I know that “free” is a big selling point.

Step 3) Resist the urge to wake up in the morning and go through your social media feeds.

I know we live in an instant gratification world and habits are habits.  But, while one can still enjoy watching a match if you already know how it ends, it’s just not the same as not knowing. 

Not sure about that?  Try this experiment:  Tape this year’s Super Bowl; wait 4 hours; then check your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds; then start watching the game from the opening kickoff.  Can you even imagine doing such a crazy thing?  Just imagine if that Super Bowl had been the Patriots-Falcons match featuring the “comeback”.  So, if you wouldn’t dream of doing this for the Super Bowl, why on earth would you do it for a compelling handball match?

Step 4) Go to the Team Handball News website for the daily “spoiler free” preview.

The location for the Women’s World Championships (Japan) is pretty much perfect for delayed match viewing.  This is because most of the matches are taking place while we are sleeping.  However, the IHF Competition website (which is actually a pretty good website overall) is not designed for spoiler free viewing.  Oh, it can be done, and I’ve mastered how to do it.

And, you’re welcome to try and duplicate what I’ve been doing every morning or you can simply go to the homepage of this website.  (I typically have the video links loaded by 7:00 AM (US ET) every morning.)

Step 5) Select Your Matches to View and Viewing Style

With as many as 12 matches to watch there’s no way you can watch everything, so you’ve got to be selective.  The daily preview has an overview of what the key matches are each day.  What’s on the line in terms of qualification, etc.  I also post the betting lines as they give insight as to what matches are supposed to be close and which matches are supposed to be blowouts.  Finally, I highlight which matches have commentary from Paul Bray.  It’s still enjoyable to watch matches without commentary, but having commentary makes it a bit better.

So, after I select which matches to watch I map out my viewing subject to how much time I have.  Some matches warrant a full start to finish viewing.  (France – Denmark tomorrow fits that category) while others are more of a watch a few minutes and then fast forward towards the end, just in case something crazy happens.

And, if you want to watch on the big screen all you need is an HDMI cable. The stream is of pretty good quality and should translate well to most TVs

Step 6) Repeat steps 3 through 5 until December 16th and Happy Handball Watching

Women’s Handball WC “Spoiler Free” Preview (Thursday, 5 Dec)

Serbia will take on the Netherlands in the match of the day, Thursday.

.

It’s Match Day 4 for Groups A and D. Unlike Groups B and C, the math for which nations are likely to advance is pretty straight forward.

IHF Preview of today’s matches: Link

Also, if you find yourself geoblocked out of the IHF web stream this article has some tips that should help you find a way to watch: Link

Thursday, 5 December
All Times Local (CET is -8 hrs / US ET is -14 hrs)
Odds courtesy of Bwin

Group A

Group A after 3 rounds of matches.

15:00 Cuba vs Slovenia (-15.5) Video Link
18:00 Serbia vs Netherlands (-2.5) Video Link
20:30 Norway (-9.5) vs Angola Video Link 

Barring some major upsets it appears that Norway, the Netherlands and Serbia are likely to advance to the Main Round. This means that the result of today’s match between Serbia and the Netherlands will likely carry forward to the Main Round. Slovenia, can also still possibly qualify with a win over Cuba today and win vs Serbia on Friday. But, they will need to dramatically improve upon their performance in the last two matches.

Group D

Group D after 3 rounds of matches.

15:00 DR Congo vs China (-1.5) Video Link 
18:00 Japan vs Russia (-7.5) Video Link (With Commentary from Paul Bray)
20:30 Sweden (-10.5) vs Argentina Video Link (With Commentary from Paul Bray)

Russia has already qualified for the Main Round and Sweden will also qualify with a win over Argentina. Japan will also likely qualify with a win over China on Friday. This means that the match between Japan and favored, Russia will likely carry through to the next round.

Women’s Handball WC “Spoiler Free” Preview (Wednesday, 4 Dec)

A 1-1-1 record is not where defending champions, France thought they would be at this point. Heck, with a loss to Germany today they will be in danger of not even qualifying for the Main Round.

It’s Match Day 4 for Groups B and C and it’s time to start separating the contenders from the pretenders.

IHF Preview of today’s matches: Link

Also, if you find yourself geoblocked out of the IHF web stream this article has some tips that should help you find a way to watch: Link

Wednesday, 4 December
All Times Local (CET is -8 hrs / US ET is -14 hrs)
Odds courtesy of Unibet

Group B

Group B (After 3 Rounds)

15:00 Australia vs S Korea (-27.5) Video Link
19:00 Germany vs France (-3.5) Video Link
20:30 Denmark (-2.5) vs Brazil Video Link (With Commentary from Paul Bray)

Germany has qualified for the the Main Round and South Korea will be in good shape as well, assuming they beat Australia. This means there’s a 3 team battle between France, Denmark and Brazil for the 3rd slot. Both the Germany-France and Denmark-Brazil matches have huge implications both for qualifying for the main round and likely in the main round standings.

Group C

Group C after 3 rounds

15:00 Romania vs Montenegro (-4.5) Video Link (With Commentary from Paul Bray)
15:00 Spain (-14.5) vs Kazakhstan Video Link 
19:00 Senegal vs Hungary (-8.5) Video Link

Romania-Montenegro is the key match in Group C. A Montenegro win will qualify them for the Main Round and set up a battle vs Spain on Friday to win the Group. Romania is clearly not up to par this tournament having suffered a blowout loss to Spain and just beating Kazakhstan yesterday by 2 goals.

Women’s Handball WC “Spoiler Free” Preview (Tuesday, 3 Dec)

Can the undefeated German women beat Denmark for the first time in 19 years. 19 years? Really? Yes, Really

It’s Match Day 3 for all four groups at the 2019 IHF Women’s World Handball Championships in Japan. Below are the times, odds and video links for all the matches.

Remember, if you find yourself geoblocked out of the IHF web stream this article has some tips that should help you find a way to watch: Link

Here’s the IHF preview for the day’s competition: Link

Tuesday, 3 December
All Times Local (CET is -8 hrs / US ET is -14 hrs)
Odds courtesy of Sporting Bet

Group A
15:00 Netherlands (-22) vs Cuba Video Link
18:00 Slovenia (-5) vs Angola Video Link
20:30 Serbia vs Norway (-6.5) Video Link 

The Netherlands should have no problem with Cuba. Slovenia had a disastrous 2nd half yesterday vs Norway and will hope to get back on the winning track vs Angola. Norway and Serbia is a battle of unbeatens, although Serbia has yet to play a challenging foe.

Group B
15:00 S Korea (-1) vs Brazil Video Link
19:00 France (-25.5) vs Australia Video Link
20:30 Denmark (-1.5) vs Germany  Video Link  (With Commentary from Paul Bray)

Group B is a pretty interesting group at this point with every team but Australia garnering at least 1 point in the first 2 matches. Both the S Korea – Brazil and the Denmark – Germany matches are worth checking out.

Group C
15:00 Hungary vs Montenegro (-1) Video Link (With Commentary from Paul Bray)
15:00 Spain (-8.5) vs Senegal Video Link
19:00 Romania (-9.5) vs Kazakhstan Video Link 

The match worth seeing here is definitely Hungary – Montenegro. Hungary lost to Spain on Monday while Montenegro is 2-0-0, although those wins were over Senegal and Kazakhstan.

Group D
14:30 DR Congo vs Russia (-17.5) Video Link 
17:00 China vs Argentina (-1) Video Link 
19:30 Japan vs Sweden (-2.5) Video Link 

Group D has 3 unbeaten teams (Russia, Japan, and Sweden) and 3 teams (DR Congo, China and Argentina) still looking for a win. This means that the Japan vs Sweden match will likely factor into the Main Round standings. If Japan is to have a shot at making the semifinals they need a win here. The China vs Argentina match will be interesting battle of relative continent strength between Asia and South America.

Women’s Handball WC “Spoiler Free” Preview (Monday, 2 Dec)

Tjaša Stanko poured in 12 goals for Slovenia in the their upset over the Netherlands on Day 1. Slovenia will likely need another performance like that on Monday vs Group A Favorites, Norway.

It’s Match Day 2 for Groups A and D at the 2019 IHF Women’s World Handball Championships in Japan. Below are the times, odds and video links for all the matches.

Remember, if you find yourself geoblocked out of the IHF web stream this article has some tips that should help you find a way to watch: Link

Monday, 2 December
All Times Local (CET is -8 hrs / US ET is -14 hrs)
Odds courtesy of Sporting Bet

Group A
12:30 Cuba vs Serbia (-15.5) Video Link
15:00 Angola vs Netherlands (-6.5) Video Link
20:30 Slovenia vs Norway (-6.5) Video Link 

Serbia will look to stay unbeaten vs a Cuban side that will seek to improve upon their 31 goal loss to Norway. The Netherlands takes on Angola in a battle of two teams that lost on the opening day. The final match will have surprising Slovenia (upset winners over the Netherlands on opening day) taking on group favorites Norway.

Group D
15:00 Argentina vs Russia (-13.5) Video Link (With Commentary from Paul Bray)
18:00 AM DR Congo vs Japan (-6.5) Video Link (With Commentary from Paul Bray)
20:30 AM China vs Sweden (-16) Video Link (With Commentary from Paul Bray)

This group’s matches feature two likely blowout. Russia will be heavily favored against Argentina. Likewise, China will be longshot vs Sweden. Argentina gave Japan a good match on Day 1, but will face a much stiffer battle vs Russia. Congo played Sweden close for a half and will seek to give the hosts a battle.

Women’s Handball WC “Spoiler Free” Preview (Sunday, 1 Dec)

France vs Brazil: 2 teams desperate to avoid going 0-0-2 to start the competition

With the 2019 IHF Women’s WC taking place in Japan handball fan in North and South America probably aren’t going to be able to watch very many matches live. Japan is 14 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast and most matches take place in the wee hours of the morning. Even fans in Europe might be a little challenged with the 8 hour time difference. Certainly, during the week when folks have to work.

Of course, if you want to know the result of any match, social media and the IHF will quickly tell you who won and how.

But, what if you don’t want to know? What, if you prefer to watch without knowing who’s going to win?

Well, it’s not always easy to remain oblivious, but I’m going to try and help you do so with “Spoiler Free” links to match video. Along, with a few notes as to what’s on the line for that upcoming matches.

Also, if you find yourself geoblocked out of the IHF web stream this article has some tips that should help you find a way to watch: Link

Sunday, 1 December

Group B
Brazil vs France Video Link
Australia vs Germany Video Link
S Korea vs Denmark Video Link (With Commentary from Paul Bray)

Both Brazil and France lost on the first day of competition. France to South Korea and Brazil to Germany, so both sides will want to avoid going 0-0-2. Australia will be huge underdogs to Germany while S Korea and Denmark will both try to move to 2-0-0 in the Group

Group C
Kazakhstan vs Montenegro Video Link
Spain vs Hungary Video Link (With Commentary from Paul Bray)
Senegal vs Romania Video Link

Kazakhstan will be a big underdog vs Montenegro. Spain and Hungary both won their matches, so that is a battle of unbeaten teams. Senegal gave Montenegro a close game while Romania was blown out by Spain. Could be interesting to see whether Romania can bounce back.

2019 IHF Women’s World Handball Championships (How to Watch, Odds and Predictions)

Norway is currently without a major title and is missing key players. Yet… they are still the favorite. Can Stine Oftedal lead a short handed (for Norway) side back to a title?

The 2019 IHF Women’s World Championships start tomorrow (Saturday, 30 November) in Japan. Here’s some info on how to watch, what the odds are, and a few predictions on who will in it all.

How to Watch

IMPORTANT NOTE: I’ve updated these instructions slightly. Click here for the latest instructions: Link

In the U.S., the NBC Olympic Channel will be your TV option. This channel is available on most cable and satellite lineups, but you may have to pay a little extra to add this channel. As previously reported, it looks like they will not be showing any matches until the Main Round which starts on Sunday, 8 December. And, due to the the time difference (Japan is 14 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast) all matches will be tape delayed until the afternoon.

Unfortunately, since the U.S. has a TV contract, the IHF web stream will not be available for U.S. residents. (The same is true for several other countries. This article lists which nations have a TV contract: Link If your nation is not listed, you should have access. Lucky for you Canada, Australia and UK)

IHF YouTube Page: Link
Note: It sometimes takes a day or two for completed matches to be visible on the YouTube page.

IHF 2019 WC Competition Page: Link (Be careful to avoid scores!; or go to the home page of this site for the daily “spoiler free” link)
Note to access match video follow these steps
1) Click Schedule
2) Click Date of Match
3) Click “View Details” for match you want to watch
4) Click “Live Steaming” in the menu at the top (Even though it says “live streaming” matches are also available on demand.)

Of course, there are other options available. As sure as the sun comes up tomorrow there will be dubious websites offering live streams of marginal quality. I wouldn’t recommend downloading anything from these sites or paying them anything.

One can also use a VPN service and login from a nation like Canada to access the IHF stream. I personally use VPN Nord, but there are multiple options. Hola VPN is even free, but you share bandwidth via peer to peer networks. I’ve used both and so far, so good. And, personally I don’t feel very guilty: Memo to Handball content owners: I will gladly pay for access to matches… should you decide to make that an option.

One final note on the time difference. Unless you are an insomniac or night owl it will be challenging to watch matches live. U.S. East Coast start times for the first week of preliminary matches will be 1:00 AM, 4:00 AM and 6:30 AM.

Odds for the Competition (And Links to Previews)

All odds are courtesy of SportingBet.

Tourney Format: The preliminary round consists of 4 groups of 6 nations. The top 3 of each preliminary group advances to the Main Round. Groups A and B form Main Round Group 1, while Groups C and D form Main Round Group 2. Matches from the Preliminary Round (among advancing nations) also count in the Main Round. The top 2 teams from each Main Round Group then advance to the semifinals.

Norway, the Netherlands and Serbia are the big favorites to advance. For a more in-depth preview check out Chris O’Reilly’s Group A preview at Stregspiller.com.

France and Denmark to advance and then a projected dogfight between Germany, South Korea and Brazil for the 3rd spot.
Group B Preview: Link

When Groups A and B combine, Norway and France are projected to advance with Denmark and Serbia seen as outside possibilities.

This is projected to be the most competitive of the preliminary groups with 4 nations (Montenegro, Hungary, Spain and Romania) fighting for 3 spots.
Group C Preview: Link

Russia, Sweden and Japan projected to advance in what surely is the weakest of the four groups.
Group D Preview: Link

On paper, this looks to be a really interesting and competitive Main Round Group. Russia is heavily favored to advance, but the odds for the rest of the nations indicate that everybody else will have a legitimate shot at the 2nd spot.

Finally, the odds to win it all. On the (Un)Informed Handball podcast, the 3 Irishman (O’Reilly, Campion, and Kulesh) all pooh poohed Norway’s chances of winning it all. Too many players missing and disappointing results the past two tournaments. I must say there is some logic to that analysis, but they still have a lot of quality on their roster. And, the oddsmakers can’t be that wrong, can they?

NBC Olympic Channel to Broadcast IHF Women’s World Championship Starting with Main Round on 8 December

The projected “Look Ahead” schedule for the NBC Olympic Channel has dates and times for matches that will be broadcast for the upcoming 2019 IHF Women’s World Championships.  Based on this projected schedule it looks like the schedule will be similar to what was provided this past January for the Men’s World Championships in that TV broadcasts won’t start until the Main Round.  But, in other ways it looks like it might be a step back from the viewing experience we had this past January.

No Live Matches

According to the schedule all matches will be aired on a delayed basis.  This is probably due to the competition taking place in Japan and therefore most matches starting in the early morning hours in the U.S. (Japan is 14 hours ahead of the U.S. ET). You might think that an early morning start time would make it ideal for a live broadcast in the U.S. since there would be no other sporting event airing at the same time.  While this is indeed true that thinking neglects the reality that many sports channels including the NBC Olympic Channel air paid infomercials during the early morning hours.  And, they would actually lose money if they broadcast live handball instead.  While, delayed broadcasts are a bummer to dedicated handball fans, the plus side is that potential new fans are far more likely to catch a handball match in the afternoon than they are during the middle of the night.

Matches Truncated to an Hour

More disappointing to the dedicated handball fan will be what appears to be time shortened one hour blocks for each handball match to be aired.  Based on past experience this means that about 15 minutes of match time will quietly disappear.  Typically midway through the first half there will be a commercial break and when the commercial is over the clock will have moved forward several minutes.  Halftime is then shorted to a simple commercial break and then at some point in the second half the clock will again quietly move forward again when it comes back to the match.  It’s done quietly, because the announcers are from the live feed broadcast and they have no idea when NBC is going to edit out the match.  So, when you look at the score and think to yourself, “Wait a second, wasn’t this game tied a minute ago? Did I miss something?”  The answer is “You didn’t fall asleep, NBC just quietly moved the game forward a few minutes.”

On Line Streaming?

As is almost always the case we likely won’t know about on line streaming options until the competition starts.  This past January I was actually in Europe during the first week of the Men’s World Championship, but I got multiple reports of frustrated viewers in the U.S. that were geo-blocked out of the IHF web stream.  Typically what happens is that any nation with a TV contract for the event is geo-blocked from the free stream.  Yes, for years since the U.S. didn’t have a TV contract we got to see every match online for free, but this is now no longer the case.  Some matches, however, were available live on the Olympic Channel web stream and this may be the case again this year.  Another possibility could be that NBC makes a live stream available.

(Note: The NBC Olympic Channel and the online Olympic Channel are not the same entity. The Olympic Channel is available world wide and is tailored to viewers in each country. The NBC Olympic Channel is available only in the U.S. Some of the content overlaps, but they have different schedules.)

Olympic Channel Web Stream:  Link
NBC Web Stream: Link

And, then there’s a third option which I have used successfully in the past:  Get a VPN service and then access the IHF web stream.  Trust me, this is a far preferable and safer method than the various, nefarious pirate sites that typically pop up during these competitions.  Not only do some of them take your money, the stream quality is typically poor with these sites.  Also, another benefit to VPN… The EHF Champions League… Just sayin.

The preliminary matches start in the early morning hours on Saturday, 30 November.  I will update streaming options as they become known.

NBC Olympic Channel Projected IHF WC Handball Schedule

All Times are US ET

Sunday, 8 December
4:00 PM                Main Round Match
5:00 PM                Main Round Match

Monday, 9 December
2:00 PM                Main Round Match
3:00 PM                Main Round Match        

Tuesday, 10 December
2:00 PM                Main Round Match
3:00 PM                Main Round Match

Wednesday, 11 December
2:00 PM                Main Round Match
3:00 PM                Main Round Match

Friday, 13 December
5:00 PM                Semifinal #1
10:00 PM             Semifinal #2

Sunday, 15 December
4:00 PM                Bronze Medal
5:00 PM                Gold Medal