Which League Turns Its Home into a Fortress? Analysis of Home Advantage in the Top European Men’s Handball Leagues

This study aimed to (1) analyse home advantage (HA) and home winning percentage (HW), and (2) examine the impact of team level on HA and HW across major European men’s handball leagues from 2021–2022 to 2024–2025. Match data from 6028 games across seven elite leagues—ASOBAL (Spain), Starligue (France), Bundesliga (Germany), Herre Handbold (Denmark), NB I (Hungary), Superliga (Poland), and Andebol I (Portugal)—were analysed, involving 423 team-seasons. Teams were grouped into three competitive levels using hierarchical clustering: high (HLT), medium (MLT), and low (LLT). Differences between leagues were significant for HA, with the Portuguese league showing the lowest values and falling below those of Denmark and Hungary, while the remaining competitions presented comparable results. Team level displayed a clear gradient, with LLT showing the greatest HA and HLT the smallest. Interaction effects were particularly evident for LLT, which recorded reduced HA in Portugal and France compared with Spain, Denmark, and Hungary. For HW, Portugal again recorded the lowest value, and the pattern across team levels was consistent (high > medium > low). Overall, the findings show that the local performance advantage in men’s elite handball is shaped by both competitive level and league-specific contexts, reflecting structural, organisational, and cultural characteristics of each competition.