On Monday, October 20, 2025, a 54-square-meter mural was unveiled in downtown Stuttgart. The artist Gizem Erdem from Cologne created it for the 2025 Women's Handball World Cup. The World Cup will take place from November 26 to December 1 in Stuttgart, among other locations. All preliminary round matches of the German national team will be played in the Porsche Arena.

The painting on the wall of a building in the pedestrian zone (Königstraße/corner of Schulstraße) is intended to draw people's attention to the sporting highlight of the year. With her artwork, the artist herself wants to "show the strength and passion of the players. It means a lot to me because women suffer from low visibility in many areas and receive little media attention," says Erdem. 

“We stand for equality and respect,” agrees Dr. Clemens Maier, Mayor for Sport. “We see ourselves as a city of sport and a city of women's sport. The enthusiasm for handball and the German national team is there.” Andreas Kroll, managing director of in.Stuttgart Veranstaltungsgesellschaft, also sees great potential in the tournament: “A handball world championship is a wonderful task for any city, but also a great challenge. We will have a lot of attention in the city. The Porsche Arena offers very good conditions for such a wonderful international highlight.”

The World Cup kicks off on November 26 with a match between Germany and Iceland. Tickets for the games at the Porsche Arena are available at www.worldhandball25.com.

In the photo (from left to right): Mayor for Sport Dr. Clemens Maier, in.Stuttgart Managing Director Andreas Kroll, artist Gizem Erdem, German women's handball coach Markus Gaugisch, national team captain Antje Döll

Photo: DHB / Lars Neumann