# Ranking Handball Teams from Statistical Strength Estimation

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.06754 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.06754/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 13 Jul 2023.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [AI for Handball: predicting and explaining the 2024 Olympic Games tournament with Deep Learning and Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.15987/) (2024)
- [Prediction of Handball Matches with Statistically Enhanced Learning via Estimated Team Strengths](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.11777/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

In this work, we present a methodology to estimate the strength of handball teams using a statistical method. We propose the use of the Conway-Maxwell-Poisson distribution to model the number of goals scored by a team as a flexible discrete distribution which can handle situations of non equi-dispersion. From its parameters, we derive a mathematical formula to determine the strength of a team. We propose a ranking based on the estimated strengths to compare teams across different championships. Applied to female handball club data from European competitions over the season 2022/2023, we show that our new ranking can have an echo in real sports events and the results.