The final weekend of the 2012 Women’s European Championship in Belgrade was the perfect setting: IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa and Velimir Marjanovic, President of the Serbian Handball Federation RSS, signed the contract for the organization of the 2013 Women’s World Championship in Serbia. In 2010, the RSS had been awarded by the IHF Council to host this event – the third major handball tournament for Serbia after the 2012 Men's and Women's European Championships in only 22 months.
The 2013 IHF Women’s World Championship will take place from 7 to 22 December 2013, mostly in the same venues where both European Championships had been successfully organized.
Dr Moustafa was accompanied by 1st IHF Vice-President Miguel Roca Mas and IHF Treasurer Sandi Sola during the signing of the contract.

The following seven (of in total 24) nations have already qualified for the 2013 Women’s World Championship:
Serbia (host), Norway (defending champion), Korea (Asian champion), China, Japan (Asian representatives), Montenegro (European champion), Hungary (European representative).
The remaining 17 places will be decided in the African Championship (January 2013), the Pan-American Championship (June 2013), the Oceania qualification (date to be scheduled) and the European play-off matches (June 2013).