As the IHF moves toward a high-stakes presidential election in December, another troubling issue has come into focus: a staggering majority of the federation’s own member nations are missing from its official world rankings. Even more concerning, over half lack functioning websites or active social media channels, raising questions about transparency, oversight, and the true state of global handball development.
With 211 member nations, the International Handball Federation presents itself as one of the largest international federations in sport. But a closer look at the IHF’s official world ranking system reveals a striking reality: 154 nations – nearly three-quarters of the membership – have no world ranking at all. At least according to the IHF:s own website.
At the same time, 126 nations lack either a functioning website, an updated homepage, or any active presence on social media, making it difficult to verify activity levels, administrative structures, or even basic communication capacity. For a global federation entering a crucial election phase, the scale of missing information is extraordinary.
Philippe Bana, president of the French handball federation and a candidate for the IHF vicepresidency, comments:
“In some countries there are not that many people working with handball, we can call them emerging nations. It’s not easy and it takes time to build and develop a sport in a country.”
154 Nations without an IHF World ranking
According to the IHF’s own website, the following member nations currently have no ranking listed:
South & Central America
Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Oceania
American Samoa, Australia, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia (incorrectly displayed as ranked 27), New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
North America & the Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America.
Europe
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, England, Ireland, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Republic of Moldova, Scotland.
Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Jordan (incorrectly displayed as ranked 27), Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen.
Africa
Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Ligue de Mayotte de Handball, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Réunion, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
The absence of ranking data for such a large portion of the membership raises fundamental questions about monitoring, reporting, and the reliability of the federation’s global competitive structure.
126 nations with no website or social media presence
GoHandball has rolled up its sleeves and examined how many member nations have functioning websites and/or maintain active social media channels. The result? 126 national handball federations have no functioning website or verifiable activity on social media, severely limiting transparency. These include:
South & Central America
Belize, Bolivia, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Venezuela.
Oceania
American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
North America & the Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago.
Europe
Albania, Andorra, Monaco.
Asia
Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Yemen.
Africa
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Ligue de Mayotte de Handball, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
So many of these federations lack national league or national team
But it doesn’t end there. According to a study conducted by ONE8Y, many federations also lack a national league or an official national team. In the study reviewed by GoHandball, a staggering 51 percent (107 federations) lack a national league.
And to make matters worse, 47 percent (99 federations) do not have an official national team.
So in conclusion: The number of IHF member nations has grown over the years, but has there been any qualitative development?
The bigger question before the election
For a federation preparing to elect its next president, the lack of available information – whether rankings, digital presence, or basic communication – highlights deeper structural issues. If more than half of all member nations cannot be reached, verified, or digitally identified, how accurately does the IHF monitor its global footprint?
The scale of missing data reinforces a growing question surrounding the December election: How well does the federation actually know the status of its own members?
GoHandball have asked the IHF to comment.