Debut Against Belgium: Germany National Handball Team Premieres New Strip with Opel Blitz in European Championship Qualifier

• Thursday, November 5: 2028 Men’s European Handball Championship qualifier in Berlin
• New national team strip with Opel Blitz emblem: Symbol of high-energy sport and visible sign of partnership with Opel
• Thursday, November 26: Women’s national team will also wear the new strip for the first time in their home match against France
• Handball hattrick: Opel sponsor of the German women's and men's national teams as well as of the 2027 IHF Men’s Handball World Championship in Germany and naming sponsor of the Handball Bundesliga

Combined values for Opel Corsa GSE according to WLTP¹: Energy consumption 16.0-17.0 kWh/100 km, CO₂ emissions 0 g/km; CO₂ label: A

Combined values for Opel Mokka GSE according to WLTP¹: energy consumption 18.5 kWh/100 km, CO₂ emissions 0 g/km; CO₂ label: A

The German men’s national handball team’s upcoming European Championship Qualifier against Belgium in Berlin is special for several reasons. First, it will see the debut of the team’s strip with the Opel Blitz emblem in its new design – for the first time since the two parties announced their sponsorship agreement earlier this year. Furthermore, the game which will take place this Thursday, November 5, at 20.30 CET is the last competitive meeting on German soil before the start of the upcoming 2027 IHF Men's Handball World Championship in Germany, of which Opel is also an official sponsor.

“The new styling of the strip with the Opel Blitz emblem is another visible sign of our commitment to handball in Germany. We hope the team around national coach Alfred Gislason gets off to a winning start into the European Champions qualifying campaign and can also take the momentum into the 2027 World Championship in Germany,” said Patrick Dinger, Head of Opel Germany.

Mark Schober, Chairman of the German Handball Federation, said: “Our clearly recognisable national colours show what we stand for and how proud we are to represent Germany. The new strips do an excellent job of combining this tradition with a modern look. What our players wear on the court is also worn by our fans in the arenas and in their everyday lives. This fosters a sense of identification and unity. We are looking forward to sending our national teams into their upcoming major competitions with this new look and hope, above all, to see as many fans as possible wearing the new strip alongside us at the 2027 World Championship on home soil.”

Opel has been a strategic partner of the German national handball teams – both women's and men's – since July 1, 2026. Simultaneously, the Rüsselsheim-based manufacturer is the title sponsor of the strongest handball league in the world, the ‘Opel Handball-Bundesliga’. Furthermore, Opel is an official sponsor of the 2027 IHF Men's Handball World Championship in Germany.

The carmakers’ strategic measures include the targeted promotion of handball and the sharpening of the brand profile. At the same time, the long-term sponsorship supports Opel's identification in the field of high-performance sports. Opel has always built sporty and modern vehicles and today, this claim is embodied in particular by the new high-performance GSE models. It is also emphasised by the new Astra and Astra Sports Tourer, designed, engineered and built at the Opel headquarters in Rüsselsheim, and the top-of-the-line SUV Grandland produced in Eisenach. These models stand for German engineering.

Speed, closeness and electrifying tension: Opel with a strong handball message

With the world's first all-electric rally one-make cup, Opel has been underlining its pioneering role and competence in exciting locally emissions-free motorsport that inspires customers and fans for more than five years now. The entry into Formula E reinforces this claim. At the same time, Opel is proving how electric sporty driving pleasure arouses pure emotions and works for the middle of society with its hot new ‘everyday sports cars’ such as the battery-electric Mokka GSE and the new Corsa GSE which recently celebrated its motor show debut at the Paris Motor Show.

Like Opel's new high-performance GSE models, fast-paced ball sports such as handball are characterised by dynamism, excitement and emotions. The strategic partnership with the German women's and men's national handball teams as well as the strongest handball league in the world is therefore a perfect fit. Handball has become the second most popular sport in Germany. In addition, handball is one of the team sports with the widest reach on German TV. In addition, thousands of fans flock to the arenas for every game. Both partners – handball and Opel – clearly embody the ‘Made in and made for Germany’ idea: both originated and grew in Germany with a clear focus on the enthusiasm of the ever-growing fan base.

Opel has a proud tradition of being a partner of sports in general and dynamic ball sports in particular. As early as the 1980s and 1990s, the manufacturer was the jersey sponsor of the national handball team and partner of the seven-time German champion TV Großwallstadt. With the comprehensive commitment to the national teams and the Handball Bundesliga, Opel will continue to increase the popularity of handball.

^[1] The values of a vehicle depend not only on the efficient use of fuel by the vehicle, but are also influenced by driving behaviour and other non-technical factors.