Qualification
Host Nation
- China
- Defending Champions
- Russia
- Qualified from the 2008 Asian Championship
- South Korea
- Japan
- Thailand
- Kazakhstan
- Qualified from the 2008 European Championship
- Norway
- Spain
- Qualified from European play-offs
European play-offs were played on 6 and 7 June 2009 (first leg) and between 12 and 14 June 2009 (second leg). Qualified teams are marked in bold.
| Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slovakia | 43 – 55 | Hungary | 21 – 22 | 22 – 33 |
| Sweden | 52 – 45 | Montenegro | 24 – 17 | 28 – 28 |
| Serbia | 43 – 51 | Germany | 24 – 29 | 19 – 22 |
| Croatia | 51 – 55 | France | 27 – 23 | 24 – 32 |
| Belarus | 63 – 70 | Romania | 31 – 32 | 32 – 38 |
| Macedonia | 57 – 62 | Austria | 32 – 28 | 25 – 34 |
| Portugal | 43 – 79 | Denmark | 21 – 38 | 22 – 41 |
| Ukraine | 57 – 48 | Netherlands | 27 – 21 | 30 – 27 |
- Qualified from the 2008 African Championship
- Angola
- Congo
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Tunisia
- Qualified from the 2009 Pan-American Championship
The 2009 Pan-American Championship took place between 23 and 27 June in Santiago, Chile. The three highest ranked teams qualified directly.
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Chile
- Qualified from the 2009 Oceania Handball Nations Cup
The 2009 Oceania Championship took place in Brisbane, Australia, between 25 and 30 May. The host team won the competition and thus qualified directly.
- Australia
Read more about this topic: 2009 World Women's Handball Championship