
Unstoppable dynasty: Denmark march to fourth consecutive world title
February 3, 2025
Gidsel named MVP, as 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship All-Star team announced
February 3, 2025For the first time in history, two of the co-hosts of the IHF Men’s World Championship go head-to-head for the trophy in the big final. None will play on their home court, but both Croatia and Denmark have their whole countries behind them, aiming to lift the trophy at the end of their showdown in the Unity Arena in Baerum.
The first match of the final day of the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship will see Portugal and France fight for the bronze, as the most decorated team in history, France, aims to secure their 13th medal, while Portugal are still looking for their first podium placement.
- 18:00 CET Croatia vs Denmark
If Denmark were the team to beat at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, few would have thought that the team ready to challenge them will be Croatia. But here we are, after three weeks and over 100 matches, with the two European sides colliding for the trophy.
Will it be Denmark which will secure their fourth star on the shirt – for their fourth consecutive World Championship title – or Croatia adding their second trophy in their cabinet, 16 years removed from their last final of the world handball flagship competition?
Judging by the stats, Denmark are overwhelming favourites, as they have scored more goals, conceded less goals and have a better saving efficiency for their goalkeepers throughout the competition, as well as riding an unprecedented unbeaten streak of 36 matches.
If Denmark do not concede a loss here, they will likely end up without being defeated at the IHF Men’s World Championship for 10 years, as the last loss came in January 2017, when they were beaten by Hungary in the Round of 16.
Also, they will be the first team in history to win back-to-back-to-back-to-back trophies at the IHF Men’s World Championsip, having already secured a three-peat two years ago, becoming the first team to clinch the trophy three times in a row at Poland/Sweden 2023.
“We are not taking it for granted. Every time before we go into this tournament, we are sitting down as a group and trying to figure out how can we be better every time. Even though we’re coming as Olympic champions and World champions three time in a row we are sitting down and sometimes the coach will say that we are playing at 80%,” says Denmark’s star, Mathias Gidsel.
The right back has been absolutely unstoppable, heading to the second consecutive top goal scorer title, having dominated the competition so far, with 64 goals, 14 more than any other player.
Five Denmark players – Magnus Landin Jacobsen, Simon Hald Jensen, Johan A Plogv Hansen, Mads Mensah Larsen and Henrik Molgaard – can win their fourth consecutive title and enter the pantheon of players with four world titles, where only six other players have signed their name.
On the other hand, Nikolaj Jacobsen also can become the second coach in history to secure four world titles, after Romanian Nicolae Nedeff has ticked the performance in the 1960s, cementing his status as one of the best coaches in history.
But can Croatia stop him? Dagur Sigurdsson’s side has lost a match, against Egypt in the preliminary round, but since then has been unchained, riding a five-match winning streak into the final, a feature that nobody expected.
The only difference? They are now ino Oslo, leaving the cozy home of Zagreb, where 15,600 spectators cheered for them in every match, including the buzzer-beater win against Hungary in the quarter-finals and the clear win against France in the semi-finals.
“They are playing incredible handball. They run for the entire 60 minutes. I hope we will repeat the defense against France, that we will slow them down. We must not make any technical mistakes, we must come back quickly and we will be ready,” said Domagoj Duvnjak, Croatia’s captain, before the match.
This will be Duvnjak’s last match in the Croatian shirt, as he will retire from international handball after this match. And now, Duvnjak has the chance to finish off on a high, with his maiden world title, and Croatia’s second in history.
Croatia’s last win against Denmark came at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, 27:24, but one of Denmark’s two draws at the IHF Men’s World Championship in their 36-match unbeaten streak came against their opponents in the final, 32:32, in the main round at Poland/Sweden 2023, two years ago.
- 15:00 CET France vs Portugal
A seven-match winning streak has been snapped for France in the semi-final against Croatia, in a match to be forgotten by Guillaume Gille’s side. Down nine goals in the first half, France attempted to mount a comeback, but fell short, as their chances for a seventh title went up in flames.
They will have to settle for bronze, provided they win against Portugal, as France look to secure their 13th medal in history, breaking the tie with Sweden, with both teams currently with 12 medals. Currently, France have won the title six times, clinched two silver medals and four bronze medals.
In six bronze medal matches, France have won four of them, losing the ones in 2007 and in 2021, against Denmark and Spain. But this time around, they will be looking to add to their tally, ahead of an unexperienced Portugal side.
Nevertheless, coach Guillaume Gille is cautious before the penultimate match of the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, despite winning against Portugal, 44:37, in a friendly match just before the start of the competition, in January.
“Portugal are a team that has a good generational mix, players who caused us a lot of problems a few years ago when they arrived in the fold of the teams that matter. They have a good mix today, with players who have won medals and titles in the youth system. This team plays with a lot of heart, the energy that comes from it is particularly remarkable. It seems driven by the desire to enter the elite of teams that can claim medals,” said France’s coach, Guillaume Gille, for the official website of the French Handball Federation.
On the other hand, Portugal have been the big surprise of the competition, riding a seven-match unbeaten streak, their largest in history at the IHF Men’s World Championship, until the semi-final against Denmark, where they had little to no chance, conceding a 27:40 loss.
Right back Francisco Costa (46 goals) and left back Martim Costa (39 goals) have been their best players at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, and they will try to shock France and secure their maiden medal in the world handball flagship competition, but they will have their work cut out against a strong side.
“It’s still hard to explain what we feel, because we’re still experiencing it and we want more, fighting for the medal and confident that we can achieve it. But it’s been extraordinary and the people who contact me say that we’ve had a big impact in Portugal. We know that we have, but I don’t think we know even half of what’s happening in Portugal and what people are saying about us. And so I think it’s extraordinary for Portuguese handball and I think that if people join in, if they continue to follow handball, we can evolve a lot,” said Portugal’s left back Fábio Magalhães for the official website of the Portuguese Handball Federation.
So far, Portugal and France have met eight times, with Portugal taking three wins, including a 28:25 win at the EHF EURO 2020 and a 29:28 win at the Olympic Qualification Tournament for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.