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| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Germany |
| Teams | 24 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Denmark (1st title) |
| Runner-up |  Norway |
| Third place | Germany |
| Fourth place |  Russia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 80 |
| Goals scored | 4,083 (51.04 per match) |
The 1997 IHF World Women's Handball Championship took place in Germany 30 November – 14 December 1997. It was the first tournament with 24 teams. Denmark won its first title. Denmark's only defeat in the championship was by Macedonia.
The tournament was also remembered for a tragic incident in the stands during one match of the semi-final matches, between Denmark and Russia (32-22), when a fight broke out between a Danish and a German spectator. The fight developed into the German taking out a knife and stabbing the Dane. Another Danish spectator tried to intervene, but was stabbed himself. Both Danes soon died, and the German was soon arrested by the police. He admitted to the stabbing during the police interrogation, and said that he committed it while under the influence of alcohol.