From January 14 to February 2, 2025, the best handball teams in the world competed in Norway, Denmark and Croatia. The highlight of the World Championship, the final, took place in the Unity Arena in Oslo, the former Telenor Arena. Here, NUSSLI created the perfect conditions to turn the grand final and the games leading up to it into a real handball spectacle.
Mood and atmosphere for everyone
A grandstand system up to 15 meters high with 10,500 seats – in an U-shape and very close to the pitch – created an intense atmosphere for teams and fans. The integrated platform for the sponsor Lidl and four platforms, each 120 m2 high, for the catering facilities ensured that nothing was left to be desired and that spectators could enjoy the matches to the full. Two studio towers were erected as a base, on each of which three TV studios – six in total – were provided to broadcast the sporting event to every corner of the world. In addition, over 40 seats were provided for wheelchair users and their companions, so that all fans had barrier-free access.
Sustainable and flexible solution
For the Norwegian Handball Federation, NUSSLI delivered an innovative, flexible and sustainable solution with the grandstands and infrastructure. What's more, by the end of the year, on December 29, 2024, the event structures in the Unity Arena were ready for another handball event. This was when the final matches of the Norwegian championship took place – with a total of four men's, women's and junior matches in one day. The NUSSLI project team therefore installed the event structures as early as December 1, 2024. The team set up the structures with conversion work between the Norwegian championship and the World Cup and began dismantling them immediately after the World Cup final on February 3, 2025.
A total of 26 matches took place in the temporary handball arena: the preliminary and main rounds of Groups E and F as well as two quarterfinals, a semi-final, the match for third place and the grand final on February 2. NUSSLI already had a great deal of experience from similar projects such as the 2023 Handball World Championships in Sweden and the 2024 European Championships in Düsseldorf, which enabled the project to be implemented quickly and efficiently.
Handball premiere for Norway
Hosting the Men's Handball World Championship is a first for the Norwegian Handball Federation. Kia Haftorn Otnes, project manager of the Norwegian Handball Federation, saw this as an opportunity to showcase Norwegian handball worldwide and emphasized: "We were delighted to welcome the best handball players in the world to Oslo." NUSSLI supported this vision with an arena design that met the high demands of an international competition and brought the world of handball to life in a unique atmosphere.
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