| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Netherlands |
| City | Assen, Nuenen and Amsterdam |
| Dates | 6 to 11 November 1978 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 3 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Netherlands (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Belgium |
| Third place |  West Germany |
| Fourth place |  Great Britain |
The 1st Korfball World Championships was held in The Netherlands on November 6–11, in the cities of Assen, Nuenen, and Amsterdam
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands (H)
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 10 | +53 | 9 | Pools for 1st–4th places |
| 2 | West Germany
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 27 | −10 | 6 | |
| 3 |  United States
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 3 | Pools for 5th–8th places |
| 4 |  Spain
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 47 | −33 | 0 |
| November 6, 1978 | |||
| United States
|
6–7 | West Germany
|
Assen |
| November 6, 1978 | |||
| Netherlands
|
26–2 | Spain
|
Assen |
| November 7, 1978 | |||
| Netherlands
|
20–6 | United States
|
Assen |
| November 7, 1978 | |||
| West Germany
|
8–4 | Spain
|
Assen |
| November 8, 1978 | |||
| West Germany
|
2–17 | Netherlands
|
Assen |
| November 8, 1978 | |||
| Spain
|
8–13 | United States
|
Assen |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 10 | +60 | 9 | Pools for 1st–4th places |
| 2 | Great Britain
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 25 | +22 | 6 | |
| 3 |  Papua New Guinea
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 42 | −10 | 3 | Pools for 5th–8th places |
| 4 |  Luxembourg
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 78 | −72 | 0 |
| November 6, 1978 | |||
| Belgium
|
26–2 | Luxembourg
|
Nuenen |
| November 6, 1978 | |||
| Papua New Guinea
|
3–16 | Great Britain
|
Nuenen |
| November 7, 1978 | |||
| Luxembourg
|
1–28 | Great Britain
|
Nuenen |
| November 7, 1978 | |||
| Papua New Guinea
|
5–23 | Belgium
|
Nuenen |
| November 8, 1978 | |||
| Luxembourg
|
3–24 | Papua New Guinea
|
Nuenen |
| November 8, 1978 | |||
| Belgium
|
21–3 | Great Britain
|
Nuenen |
| November 10, 1978 | |||
| Spain
|
12–7 | Papua New Guinea
|
Amsterdam |
| November 10, 1978 | |||
| United States
|
18–1 | Luxembourg
|
Amsterdam |
| November 11, 1978 | |||
| Papua New Guinea
|
12–3 | Luxembourg
|
Amsterdam |
| November 11, 1978 | |||
| Spain
|
7–11 | United States
|
Amsterdam |
| November 10, 1978 | |||
| Netherlands
|
23–6 | Great Britain
|
Amsterdam |
| November 10, 1978 | |||
| West Germany
|
3–24 | Belgium
|
Amsterdam |
| November 11, 1978 | |||
| Great Britain
|
14–14 (ET)15–20 | West Germany
|
Amsterdam |
| November 11, 1978 | |||
| Netherlands
|
10–10 (ET)14–13 | Belgium
|
Amsterdam |
| Team | |
|---|---|
| 1 Netherlands
|
|
| 2 Belgium
|
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| 3 West Germany
|
|
| 4 Great Britain
|
|
| 5 United States
|
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| 6 Spain
|
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| 7 Papua New Guinea
|
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| 8 Luxembourg
|
|