Coach Nicolej Krickau slams cancelled Pro Handball USA project

Füchse Berlin coach Nicolej Krickau said the cancellation of the Pro Handball USA project was not a surprise, noting he had long doubted the ambitious plan to raise handball’s profile in the United States ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The project, launched during the 2025 World Championship, aimed to host a preseason tournament in Las Vegas from 1‑9 August 2026 featuring top European clubs – Aalborg Håndbold, Füchse Berlin, HBC Nantes and Pick Szeged on the men’s side, with Odense Håndbold, Brest Bretagne, Győr and Japan’s Honey Bee Ishikawa on the women’s side – and to establish a professional handball league in the U.S.

In March the tournament was moved from the U.S. to Europe because of political tensions, and later the European plans were also abandoned, leaving clubs to rebuild their preseason schedules. Krickau told TV 2 Sport, “Grundlæggende, ja, så er det da pisseirriterende …” expressing frustration over broken contracts and unmet expectations. Füchse Berlin announced a new program, now meeting Aalborg Håndbold in Horsens instead of Las Vegas, with the match scheduled for the evening.