Pro Handball USA project: Hansen, Oftedal, Polman and Karabatic to support, league until 2028
Mikkel Hansen, Stine Oftedal, Estavana Polman, and Nikola Karabatic are leading figures in an ambitious initiative to bring professional handball to the United States through the Pro Handball USA project. This venture aims to establish a professional handball league in the U.S. by 2028, with plans to host an annual summer tournament featuring top European clubs starting in 2026. The first tournament is set to take place in Las Vegas.
The project is spearheaded by Danish CEO Mads Winther, who spoke about the large-scale initiative during a presentation at Jyske Bank Boxen.
Mikkel Hansen expressed enthusiasm about the potential for handball to finally gain a foothold in the U.S., a country known for its love of entertainment and sports. “I think this is an extremely exciting project and something that can elevate handball to an entirely new level,” Hansen said to the Danish press. “I’m realistic enough to know it won’t happen overnight, but the U.S. has a strong passion for sports, which makes this a promising opportunity.”
As a retired handball star, Hansen was initially brought on as the sole ambassador for the project but is now joined by other global handball icons to help realize this vision.
