How many players does each team have on the court in a game of handball?

In modern (indoor) handball, each team has 7 players on the court: 6 outfield players and 1 goalkeeper. A team may have up to 16 players in its squad, and substitutions can be made at any time ("flying substitutions") through the team's substitution zone.

Basic rules of handball:

• The court is 40 m long and 20 m wide.
• The goal is 3 m wide and 2 m high.
• A 6 m goal area (called the "D" or crease) surrounds each goal; only the goalkeeper may stand in it.
• A 9 m dotted line marks the free-throw line.
• A 7 m throw is awarded for serious fouls that stop a clear scoring chance, similar to a penalty kick in football.
• A match lasts 60 minutes, with two halves of 30 minutes each and a 10-15 minute break.
• Players can take up to three steps while holding the ball, and can hold it for up to three seconds without dribbling, passing or shooting.
• Penalties include a yellow card (warning), a two-minute suspension and a red card (disqualification).
• The ball is size 3 for men (circumference 58-60 cm, weight 425-475 g) and size 2 for women.

History:

• Modern handball developed in Scandinavia and Germany in the late 19th century.
• Field handball (11 players a side) was played at the 1936 Olympics.
• Indoor handball became an Olympic sport for men in 1972 and for women in 1976.
• The International Handball Federation (IHF) was founded in 1946.

Team sizes in other sports:

Volleyball: 6. Basketball: 5. Water polo: 7 (including the goalkeeper). Kabaddi: 7. Kho Kho: 9 on the field. Netball: 7. Football and hockey: 11.

Why not the other options?

• ✗6 is the number of outfield players, not counting the goalkeeper; it is also the team size in volleyball.
• ✗9 is the number of players on the field in Kho Kho and baseball.
• ✗11 is the size of a football, hockey or cricket team, and of the old field handball teams.