Switzerland — Handball

Handball in Switzerland is a popular participatory sport with a well-organised domestic league. The SPL Women features 143 clubs across 4 competitions.

While Switzerland has not been a major force in international handball, the domestic league maintains good standards, and Swiss handball has produced notable individual talents like Andy Schmid.

Handball was introduced to Switzerland in the 1920s, and the Swiss Handball Federation was founded in 1928. The sport transitioned from field to indoor handball during the 1960s.

Switzerland has maintained a steady domestic competition structure. Andy Schmid, who became one of the top players in the German Bundesliga with Rhein-Neckar Lowen, is the most prominent product of Swiss handball development.

The Swiss Handball Federation (Schweizerischer Handball-Verband, SHV) governs handball in Switzerland. Founded in 1928, it is a member of the EHF and IHF, operating across the country's multilingual regions.

The NLA is the top division of men's handball in Switzerland. The Swiss Handball Cup provides knockout competition. The league features clubs from across the German, French, and Italian-speaking regions of the country.

Switzerland's national handball team has competed primarily in qualification campaigns for European and World Championships. At individual level, Andy Schmid stands out as a world-class talent who starred in the German Bundesliga, demonstrating the potential of Swiss handball development.