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Korfball ( ) is a ball sport with similarities to netball, basketball, and ringball. The objective is to throw a ball into a netless basket that is mounted on a pole. Each team is composed of four female players and four male players. The sport was created in the Netherlands in 1902 by schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen, and has since spread globally.
The name korfball derives from korf, a Dutch word meaning 'basket'.
Korfball was featured as a demonstration sport in the Summer Olympics of 1920 and 1928. It has been included in the World Games since 1985.
The International Korfball Federation (IKF) was founded in 1933 in Antwerp, Belgium. IKF World Korfball Championships have been held every four years since 1978. The most successful countries at these competitions have been the Netherlands, Belgium, and Taiwan. The IKF announced in March 2022 that due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Korfball Federation would not be invited to any international competition until further notice, effectively banning Russian athletes from such events. Furthermore, the Russian Korfball Federation would not be eligible to bid to host any IKF event, nor were any IKF events planned to be held in Russia.
As of 2022, korfball is played in 69 countries and on every populated continent. In the Netherlands, there are approximately 500 clubs and more than 90,000 players.
The oldest korfball club that is still in existence, and has never merged with another, is HKC ALO in The Hague, having been founded on 1 February 1906.
The size of the indoor court is , as are most outdoor courts. The court is divided into halves called zones. In each zone is a tall post with a basket at the top. This is positioned two-thirds of the distance between the center line and the back of the zone.
The ball is very similar to the one used in association football, with a circumference of 68.0-70.5 cm (or diameter of 21.75-22.45 cm), a weight of 445-475 grams, and a bounce height of 1.10-1.30 meters when dropped from a height of 1.80 meters.
Four players of each team are in one zone and the other four are in the other zone. Within each zone, a player may only defend a member of the opposite team of the same gender.
At the beginning of the match, one team chooses a particular half of the court. That half will be that team's defending zone, with "their" basket in it. Players score by throwing the ball through the opposing team's basket. After two goals, the teams change zones: defenders become attackers and attackers become defenders. In between those zone-changes, attackers cannot set foot on their defending zone or vice versa. At half time the teams swap halves of the court.
The rules prevent physical strength dominating the game. Blocking, tackling, and holding are not allowed, nor is kicking the ball.
Once a player has the ball, that player cannot dribble or walk with it; however, the player can move one foot as long as the foot on which the player landed when catching the ball stays in the same spot. Therefore, tactical and efficient teamwork is required, because players need each other in order to keep the ball moving.
A player may not attempt to score when defended, which occurs when the defender is in between the opponent and the basket, is facing his/her opponent, or is within arm's length and attempting to block the ball. This rule encourages fast movement while also limiting the impact of players' height compared to their opponents.
| II Details | 1985 | United Kingdom | |||
| III Details | 1989 | West Germany | |||
| IV Details | 1993 | Netherlands | |||
| V Details | 1997 | Finland | |||
| VI Details | 2001 | Japan | |||
| VII Details | 2005 | Germany | |||
| VIII Details | 2009 | Taiwan | |||
| VIII Details | 2013 | Colombia | |||
| IX Details | 2017 | Poland | |||
| X Details | 2022 | United States | |||
| XI Details | 2025 | China |
| I Details | 1978 | Netherlands | |||
| II Details | 1984 | Belgium | |||
| III Details | 1987 | Netherlands | |||
| IV Details | 1991 | Belgium | |||
| V Details | 1995 | India | |||
| VI Details | 1999 | Australia | |||
| VII Details | 2003 | Netherlands | |||
| VIII Details | 2007 | Czech Republic | |||
| IX Details | 2011 | China | |||
| X Details | 2015 | Belgium | |||
| XI Details | 2019 | South Africa | |||
| XII Details | 2023 | Chinese Taipei |
PKC from Papendrecht, the Netherlands, have won the championship the most times, a record 12 wins in total.
Until now, the winning team was either from the Netherlands or Belgium, with respectively 45 and 6 Europa Cups. The only club from the United Kingdom to reach the final was Mitcham Korfball Club from London. Mitcham lost the final against Catbavrienden from Belgium in 1998.
On 25 January 2022 IKF announced the introduction of the IKF Europe Korfball Champions League meant as a replacement for the IKF Europa Cup and IKF Europa Shield competitions. The first edition of the competition was the 2022/2023 edition.
Each team has 4 players in the field, two men and two women. Players can be substituted at any time. Furthermore, if a goal is scored from a 2-point zone, a two-point goal is awarded. Free shots can both be executed at the standard Free Shot line, or at the spot where the fault was made by the opponent.
The current Beach Korfball World Champion is Poland, who won the World Beach Korfball Championship in Nador, Morocco in 2022. 13 teams were represented with Portugal taking silver and Belgium bronze.
| I Details | 2022 | Nador, Morocco | |||
IKF Beach Korfball World Cup (Regional)
| + ! !Year !Region !Host !Champion !Second Place !Third Place | ||||||
| I | 2017 | Europe | The Hague, Netherlands | Netherlands | Portugal | Belgium |
| II | 2018 | Europe | Blankenberge, Belgium | Belgium | Portugal | Poland |
| III | 2019 | Asia | Hong Kong | Chinese Taipei | China | Hong Kong |
| IV | 2019 | Europe | Bonson, France | Portugal | Netherlands | Belgium |
| V | 2023 | Asia | Pattaya, Thailand | Chinese Taipei | Thailand | United States |
| VI | 2023 | Europe | Wrocław, Poland | Belgium | Netherlands | Poland |
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