About us - Partille Cup

The World

of Handball

Partille World Cup is the world's largest and most International youth handball tournament. Each year, around 1400 teams from 50 nations take part and they play 5000 matches on 70 pitches.

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SINCE 1970

Partille World Cup

It’s the teams, and participants from around the world that make the tournament unique. A meeting place for the world’s youth, irrespective of religion, skin color or nationality, with handball as the common denominator. 

Since 1970
Partille World Cup started as early as 1970 by the handball club IK Sävehof. Many calls the tournament "the original" and since then thousands of teams and participants from all over the world has visited the tournament.
The organization
Our organization consists of many full-time employed staff and during the tournament more than 1500 people work. All with the goal to give you the very best experience of the tournament and the city. 
Over half a million players
Through the years, over half a million participants have enter the tournament. They represent 96 different nations and a total of 30300 teams. Many of them keep coming back year after year. 
Building a better world
We believe in the power of handball. Therefor we have implemented different projects. All to promote the place where sport, culture and values have a place to get together. Where a force can grow to really make a difference, not only on the field but also in the world.

Since 1970 we have believed in the power of handball. Back then, an idea was born about gathering young handball players from all over the world at one place to play handball for a week. Not may people believed in that idea. Today we call this week, where more than 20 thousand participants, from all over the world, gather, socialize, play tough games and build bridges, A World of Handball.

We create the world´s largest meeting place for youth handball players. A place where differences of colours, culture or gender doesn´t matter. Where respect and understanding is the foundation and playing handball together with thousands of people from all over the world is the tool to fulfill our dreams.

We are proud to be part of a world where handball makes a difference, creates community and contribute to integration and a common future. Together we build a better world. A World of Handball.

Fredrik
Fredrik Andersson
General secretary

Our history

The 52nd edition of the tournament offered 4 093 matches between nearly 1 200 teams from 34 nations. During these matches, over 101 000 goals have been produced.

The playing fields were located at Heden, Kviberg, Valhalla and Härlanda, which together made up 71 pitches. Players, managers and officials (referees included of course) have behaved with gusto and spread a joy that we will live on for months to come.

Cape Verde participated for the first time ever. Brazil, with over 30 teams in the tournament, became the 5th largest participating nation after Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany.

In addition, Brazil had a team in the European Open Championship M17. A total of 20 countries participated in the national team tournament, and Spain was the final winner with 29-21 against France in front of 5 000 spectators in the Scandinavium Arena. In addition to the final arena, these matches were played in Valhalla and Lundenhallen. Scandinavium Arena also hosted the Opening Ceremony and our Leaders Party.

The Partille Cup finals were played at the Heden Arena in glorious sunshine and in the A finals we saw winning teams from Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Croatia. Perhaps the happiest were Thursday's matches in the Handball for All class, at Heden Arena, where the joy was enormously palpable and everyone got to feel like a winner.

The 51st edition of the Partille Cup – World of Handball was finally able to take place after two years of canceled events due to the pandemic. A wonderful comeback, despite the fact that the world has not quite recovered and the impact of the pandemic hit differently. The weather started tentatively but the last few days the sun shone and the finals with packed stands at Heden couldn't be much better. A total of 1060 teams from 30 nations participated and it took 3711 matches to crown the 18 winning teams of the tournament.

Heden, Kviberg, Valhalla were once again the venue and Valhalla sports hall and Scandinavium were visited by the national teams that settled in the European Open Championship W16. 17 nations participated in the "EOC" where Spain defeated Romania 29-19 in the final. 

Handball for All for players with intellectual disabilities played on the finest courts at Heden during one day. 

A wonderful week with the Opening Ceremony at Scandinavium, Leaders Party and lots of handball ended with packed stands throughout the final day where the last match was won by Herkules from Brazil who took the nation's first victory since the country's first participation in 1976.

For a second consecutive year Partille Cup is forced to cancel due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the first time since 1975 the tournament had to be cancelled due to the Corona pandemic.

The anniversary year 2019 was the year when we broke all previous records. And despite a challenging weather with rain and wind, the tournament was once again successful. Participants from 52 countries, 24,000 players, leaders and referees, in more than 1,400 teams during the week not only played handball outside the equally familiar Gothenburg, had fun in the event area at the Heden Center, fascinated by the city’s various attractions and meeting places, shopping in Nordstan and around the Avenue. In addition, the Opening Ceremony at Liseberg was a step on the road to make Partille Cup even more visible and an important part of the event city Gothenburg – because it is true that Partille Cup generates about SEK 250 million in tourist revenue and is one of the most important events during the year for Gothenburg. This year Mini Handball was introduced for the first time. Heden were the place for some 60 teams who, during one day, got feelings about playing and real outdoor tournament. In total, almost 5,000 matches have been played on 76 playing fields at Heden, Valhalla, Kviberg, Härlanda Park and Priority Serneke Arena and Ruddalen (new for 2019) during the week. In addition, the European Open Championship, a national team tournament, this year for boys born in 2002 or later, has been decided in Valhalla’s indoor halls and Scandinavium.

The Partille Cup and Gothenburg City also hosted the IHF’s congress, which was held at the Swedish Exhibition Center with 350 delegates from 200 nations.

This year’s Partille Cup became a lovely, sunny, bustling, eventful and just wonderful handball party in Gothenburg. In total, 3,993 matches was played on 70 playing fields in Heden, Valhalla, Kviberg, Härlanda Park and Priority Serneke Arena. In addition, the European Open Championship, this year for girls born in 2002 or later, has been decided in Lisebergshallen, Valhalla’s indoor halls and Scandinavium. At the Friday night’s final of the EOC, Hungary won against France in a raffling final. This year we reached our participant number 500,000 with Hanna Oriander from OV Helsingborg. The award was presented on the newly built stage at the Heden Center. The stage was also the central location for the Cultural Festival that we arranged throughout the week. About fifty cultural groups from Gothenburg showed everything from poetry to samba dance and capoeira on stage. This year’s other big news was that the Para Handball with two classes, walks and wheelchairs, entered the tournament. All matches were played at Priority Serneke Arena. 

This year’s Partille Cup beat all previous records and the 2017 tournament (the 48th in order) became the most visited of all time. Between July 3-8, 1,169 teams from 42 nations participated, which means around 22,500 participants. The large participation combined with the rebuilding of Scandinavium meant that everyone did not get a seat in the arena at the same time. So we decided to present the Opening Ceremony at two different times during the evening. The stage was moved to the long side and in this way it became a lovely setting and pressure in front of the stage on both shows. The playing fields were expanded and we played for the first time at Härlanda Park with 12 fields. Överåsvallen, which we played on earlier, instead had to become backup fields. Live streaming of the matches was extended and we filmed from 8 fields. In total, over 500 matches were broadcasted live, streaming a total of 53,000 times. The number of viewers was far above expectation and strengthens our efforts to expand this opportunity further in the future.

The Opening Festival Ceremony makes its first appearance. The Opening Ceremony at the Scandinavium Arena with a standing crowd in front of the stage offered a fresh and new show. The 3000 standing and 10000 seated people in the audience experienced a giant big screen integrated in a show of song, dance and the highlight of all nations. Our new service with Live Streaming of selected matches was also a success. We filmed over 200 matches from four playing fields including all the finals. Through a subscription at our website viewers from around the world could follow the tournament. The venue where the finals was played had a make over making a better atmosphere and allowing more spectators. This year was the last of the European Open where Sweden won the womens 18 over Denmark. 

Partille Cup goes digital! Everything becomes more digital and this year we launched the app called Team World of Handball. An app where participants collect player cards digitally by scanning the code of the participant bracelet. Our online playing schedule has also been developed and for the first time the program was not printed on paper at all. Taste The World made their first appearance. A food concept where food from selected exotic countries was offered at Heden Center. It was much appreciated to taste food from Mali, Nigeria or the Seychelles. Georgia and Peru participates for the first time. 

The 45-year anniversary includes several major news. The Opening Ceremony, which attracted 13,900 spectators to Scandinavium (the second biggest event of all time in the stadium’s history, beaten only by Whitney Houston) are no longer sufficient. The show therefore moved outdoors to Gamla Ullevi. The finals moved to Heden where Partille Cup built a temporary arena for 11,000 spectators. Girl and boy-classes are played simultaneously in a glorious sunny and warm Gothenburg while Partille Cup has become a pure outdoor tournament. 

Wheelchair Handball is growing in the world. Yet, it is very small and is played only in six countries but the EHF has made some efforts to make it grow. In Sweden there are three-four clubs and those was invited to this year’s tournament to face each other. Wheelchair Handball makes its ​​debut in Partille Cup. 

The tournament continues to grow. Therefore Partille Cup extends to Kviberg, a former military area with great training ground which now used as sports fields. Two artificial turf fields are used with a total of 12 handball courts. Heden is still the base with 30 courts, Valhalla IP 6 fields, Överåsvallen 6 fields that gives a total of over 60 fields, including indoors. 

The Olympic Development Program is started. A project in which countries with development potential in handball are invited for a week of training camp. Seminars and trainings with games and technique are held. The week concludes with participation in Partille Cup. The idea is that these countries will be so inspired that they continue to develop handball in their home countries. The project is implemented in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Handball Federation (IHF).

Partille Cup celebrates 40 years, and a new record of over 900 teams. It consolidates our position as the world’s largest youth handball tournament. At the same time Partille Cup gets the attention of IHF’s President Dr. Hassan Mustafa who visits the event. Afterward, the decision is made that Sweden is allowed to stand as organizer for the Mens World Championship in 2011 and Sweden will play their matches in Gothenburg. The city is expanding at Heden with four full-size football fields of artificial grass and two 7-aside fields.  

Partille Cup starts together with the European Handball Federation a tournament called European Open Championship (EOC), a national team tournament for 24 teams. Every second year it´s being held for men (19 years) and every second year for women (18 years). The first year began with the men´s teams and Germany defeated Russia, 30-28, in a crowded Lisebergshallen that was the arena for the finals. Sweden finished in a admirable 3rd place.  

The tournament is growing further and Partille Cup moves entirely into Gothenburg. Scandinavium becomes the new arena for the Opening Ceremony and Heden becomes our base. The organization is also investing in  three artificial turf fields that are rolled out on the gravel surface at Heden just before the tournament starts. In total there will be nearly 40 fields at Heden.

Partille Cup grows exponentially and the municipality Partille starts to become too small. There are not enough schools and fields. Then the idea to use two football fields at Heden in central Gothenburg is born. There are long bus transportation for the participants, but to play in Gothenburg is appreciated and necessary to make room for all the matches.  

Together with the European Handball Federation, a new tournament, Champions Youth Tournament, with the best club teams in Europe, is arranged. At the same time the Young Referee Project starts with the aim to train referees in an international environment. Through the years, more than 300 referees have completed the course. 

The Opening Ceremony moves outdoors from Partillebohallen to Vallhamra IP. Still the street parade is one of the most important elements. The song “We Are the World” is played by at a dance band at the end and helicopters are used in the show, dropping of handball profiles.

Girls Team Ching-Hising from Taiwan and Korea’s National Team becomes the first non-European teams to win Partille Cup. The teams participated in the 15-year class. Taiwan has since then 34 victories until 2014, making them the fourth best country ever. 

The first official Leaders Party was held in 1982. The main attractions were a quiz walk and canoeing. It was a way to get the international leaders to get to know each other. The Swedish teams also began to return to the tournament because of the large international participation. 

After a few years it felt like the tournament had come to a standstill and fewer Swedish teams participated. Happily, it was then when Partille got completely invaded by men in Kandura suits when Kuwait and their delegation of nearly 100 persons participated for the first time. It was the beginning of a long and faithful tradition where Kuwait participated every year until 2010. More and more teams from Yugoslavia, Poland and the Czech Republic had also found their way to Partille Cup. 

The first non-European team participates. The club is called ESAB and comes from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The women’s team was a success thanks to both its exotic look and handball skills. Brazil’s participation was the start of the successful international marketing that the tournament came to do.  

Partille Cup starts
The tournament is played for the first time. The venue is Vallhamra in Partille. Already in 1963 IK Savehof started a tournament under the name Junior Cup -63. Unfortunately all the fields were devastated during the event due to the weather consisting of rain, thunder and hail. In 1970 it started up again when many schoolyards, consisting of asphalt, had been equipped with handball lines. The name ”Partille Cup” was introduced and many consider the tournament as the precursor for all similar tournaments in the world. 

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