
Denmark cruise past Italy to maintain perfect record
January 18, 2025
World Championship 2025: A Call to Fans – Arrive Early, Avoid Crowds
January 19, 2025The last day of group A in Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, Denmark is set to deliver high drama, with two main round tickets still up for grabs. The only all-European group in the competition promises excitement as Poland and face off in a winner-takes-all battle, while Germany are fighting for the top spot against motivated Czechia.
In Group D, the situation will be decided on the last day, especially after the match between Hungary and the Netherlands, with the latter being in the driver’s seat, with four points. Moving over to Group E, co-hosts Norway hope to score some points against Portugal, as their margin of error is slim, with the match between Brazil and the USA seeing another main round berth being awarded.
With two losses from their two matches each so far, Bahrain and Argentina go into their final preliminary group clash against each other knowing whoever wins will go through to the main round, while the losers will find themselves in the President’s Cup.
In the late match, Croatia – without their injured inspirational leader Domagoj Duvnjak – will take on Egypt for top spot and more points to take through to the main round. The game is likely to be an early tournament classic with both teams in fine form and full of big stars.
GROUP A
- 15:30 CET Poland vs Switzerland
The stakes could not be higher in Group A as Poland and Switzerland clash in a do-or-die encounter. A win would secure a main round spot for either side, but a draw would throw the group into uncertainty, leaving their fate dependent on the outcome of the game between Germany and Czechia later in the evening.
Poland, which conceded a 28:35 defeat against Germany in their opening game, bounced back with a 19:19 draw against Czechia. The hero of the match was their young goalkeeper Marcel Jastrzębski, whose saves kept Poland in the game and prevented his side from losing. Now, they will have to up their game, especially on the attack, if they want to prevent Germany from winning.
Switzerland, on the other hand, pushed Germany all the way in an exciting game, losing 29:31. However, Andy Schmid’s team showed their strengths just as in their first game against Czechia when the two sides shared spoils (17:17). Left back Lenny Rubin has been a standout player for Switzerland, scoring 15 goals so far and goalkeeper Nikola Portner has been excellent between the posts, with 27 saves in two games placing him among the top five goalkeepers of the competition.
With both teams tied on one point and their main round hopes on the line, this match will be a thrilling one to watch. Their last clash at the Men’s EHF EURO 2020 ended with a Swiss win, 31:24, with current head coach Andy Schmid netting eight times. However, when it comes to overall encounters, 42 of them, Poland won 21 times, Czechia 15 times while six matches ended in a draw.
- 18:00 CET Germany vs Czechia
Germany enter the last game of the group as the only team in group A with a perfect record, having secured two wins against Poland and Switzerland and already booked their main round ticket. Now, they are fighting for the first place, as a win or a draw against Czechia would see them finish as group winners, but the latter option would also leave them with three points carried to the main round. One thing is sure, Alfred Gislason’s team will aim to avoid that and take the four points into the next phase.
For Czechia, which are back at the World Championship after a 10-year wait, progressing further would mean a lot. especially knowing they are parting ways with their head coach after the competition and that they have never been placed worse than 18th place. After two consecutive draws, 17:17 against Switzerland and 19:19 against Poland, they must win to guarantee their progression to the main round even though they will already know the exact calculation after the first match of the day.
Czechia’s defence has been solid, conceding one of the lowest numbers of goals in the competition, but they will need to step up in the attack, especially their back players in their outside shootings, considering Germany’s often disciplined attack.
“We will try to surprise Germany. They are one of the World Championship favourites, but in sport, anything is possible,” said head coach Xavi Sabate for handball.net.
Adding to the excitement, this will be a matchup of THW Kiel’s goalkeepers, Czechia’s Tomáš Mrkva and Germany’s Andreas Wolff. The two were instrumental for their sides in two games, saving 18 times at 34.6% and 30 times at 39.4%, respectively. Both are familiar with high-pressure situations, and they could shape the outcome of the game.
The two teams last met at the Men’s EHF EURO 2020, where Germany secured a 26:22 victory. Overall, history may favour the Germans, including winning 39:34 in extra time in their placement match 9/10 clash in 2005 at the World Championship, but Czechia will give their best to surprise and have the better start in the main round.
GROUP D
- 18:00 CET North Macedonia vs Guinea
So far, North Macedonia have left quite a decent impression at Croatia/Denmark/Hungary 2025. After a surprising draw against Hungary (27:27) in their opening encounter, Kiril Lazarov’s team fought hard against Netherlands, but ultimately came up short in an exciting game, losing 32:37.
Left wing Filip Kuzmanovski led by example, combining for 19 goals in these two matches, and with one point, the Balkan side are third-placed in the group, ahead of the debutants Guinea, which have lost both their matches, with an aggregate score of 41:75. Even a draw on Sunday will be enough for the North Macedonian side to secure a main round berth, while Guinea face a must-win situation.
North Macedonia’s match against Netherlands was an emotional roller-coaster, but now Lazarov and his players are focused on their last group encounter, where they will be favoured to win. “We must calm down and prepare well for the game against Guinea. We should not underestimate them,” the coach said.
If North Macedonia progress to the main round, they will secure a better placement than two years ago at Poland/Sweden 2023, when they finished only 27th. And for Guinea, playing at their maiden IHF Men’s World Championship is a great learning experience, but obviously they would like to get some positive results, so North Macedonia should take nothing for granted on Sunday.
- 20:30 CET Hungary vs Netherlands
Hungary, who are playing at their 23rd edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship, have a much bigger experience at this level than Netherlands, who feature at the world’s flagship handball competition for only the third time. But while both sides have already secured their berths at the main round, it is the Dutch team who have the upper hand before their mutual encounter, boasting the maximum of four points compared to Hungary’s three.
The two European sides have never faced each other at the World Championship, and their only meeting at a major international tournament took place at the EHF EURO 2022, when Netherlands won 25:22 in Budapest. Now Staffan Olsson’s team hope to take another victory, and while even a draw will help them to win the group, the Dutch will be looking for two points, which will boost their chances to eventually reach the quarter-final.
Hungary opened the competition with a draw against North Macedonia, and while they took a comfortable win against Guinea on Friday (35:18), now they will be tested by a much stronger opposition. Yet in any case, the Hungarians are determined to finish the group stage with a win.
“Fortunately, everyone is fine, we have no injuries, and we are ready for the match against the Dutch. Netherlands have a lot of good players, but we will try to win and take three points into the main round,” Hungary’s coach Chema Rodriguez said.
GROUP E
- 18:00 CET Brazil vs United States of America
A win or a draw will see Brazil progress to the main round. However, a win might not be enough for the USA, provided Portugal win against Norway, in a complicated three-way tie in the scenario, which would see the American side needing to win by at least 10 goals.
However, that is highly implausible, as in the last four matches, the USA lost against Brazil by a combined margin of 72 goals, all the four losses coming in double digits, including a 27:40 loss in the semi-finals of the PanAmerican Games in 2023.
The USA also has the second lowest average of goals scored per match, with 38 goals scored in two matches, only Czechia scoring at a lower rate of 18 goals per match. And with Brazil’s goalkeeper, Rangel Da Rosa, having already 24 saves for a 34.7% saving efficiency, it will get even harder for the American side.
On the other hand, Brazil have displayed a fantastic performance against Norway, taking a 29:26 win, only to fall in the second half against Portugal, after leading at a break, conceding a 26:30 loss. Nevertheless, a win here would see Brazil start their main round with two points, which would be an incredible achievement for a side which proves very tough to beat.
- 20:30 CET Norway vs Portugal
This was always going to be the final of the group, but Norway found themselves backed in a tough corner. On one hand, they secured their main round ticket, but a loss here will likely see them start the next phase with zero points.
“There is no room for error. We have lost that luxury against Brazil,” said Norway’s star, Sander Sagosen, after the 26:29 loss against the South American champions in the first round of the group.
Indeed, Norway look hardly impressive, ranking 15th in the attacking standings, with only 29.5 scored goals on average, while their shooting has been hit-and-miss, with a 62.1% efficiency, currently ranked 13th.
They had a topsy-turvy outing against Brazil and did not establish themselves against the USA, irrespective of their 16-goal win, 33:17, on Friday, and will face an opponent which knows how to punish mistakes.
The two European sides in the group have met six times, with Norway taking four wins and Portugal two wins, with four of those meeting taking place in the last four years, including two in 2024.
Portugal took one win this year, 37:32, in January, at the EHF EURO 2024, but Norway avenged that loss with a 32:29 win at the Olympic Qualification Tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in a match which took place in March, in Tatabanya, Hungary, as Jonas Wille’s side secured the coveted Olympic berth.
The only mutual match at the IHF Men’s World Championship took place at Egypt 2021, in the main round, when Portugal returned after nearly two decades to the world handball flagship competition, as Norway edged their counterparts by a single goal, 29:28.
Portugal also have a fantastic scorer in Martim Costa, currently the sixth best scorer of the competition, with 16 goals, while Norway’s top scorer, Magnus Abelvik Rod, has only nine goals.
As both teams are qualified to the main round, the winner will take the crucial two points, with a highly-likely scenario of Norway, Portugal and Brazil all coming to Group III of the main round in the Unity Arena in Baerum with two points each.
GROUP H
- 18:00 CET Argentina vs Bahrain
A win or loss will make the progression of the teams in this clash clear, but, Bahrain, with the better goal difference, goals scored and goals conceded, can even enjoy the luxury of a draw to see them through.
Argentina, without their golden Simonet brothers and with a youthful element in the squad as they transition to the future (nine players are in their first world championship), have had marginally worst results against Croatia (18:33) and Egypt (25:39), than Bahrain (24:35, 22:36), but both sides have seen key players injured.
The South Americans have lost Lucas Moscariello with a fracture to his right hand, while left back Abdulla Alzaimoor missed Bahrain’s clash against Egypt after picking up a nasty shoulder injury against Croatia in their opener.
“It’s a crucial, crucial game against Bahrain,” said Argentina coach Rodolfo Jung. “For these young players, it will be like a great success if we can reach the main round.”
The two sides have met twice at this stage of an IHF Men’s World Championship, with the South Americans winning both, in 2017 (26:17) and 2021 (24:21).
- 20:30 CET Egypt vs Croatia
Early on Saturday (18 January) the news came through that all Croatia handball supporters had dreaded: the injury that captain Domagoj Duvnjak had suffered on Friday night against Argentina in the eighth minute was serious.
The centre back went straight to hospital from the Arena Zagreb with a late MRI scan revealing a similar injury to the one he picked up seven years ago at their home European Championship. That one then ruled him out for the rest of the tournament and it appears history has repeated once again.
With that news, Croatia coach Dagur Sigurdsson was quick to call up the experienced Igor Karacic, who flew in from Poland early on Saturday (18 January) morning to join the team. But Karacic replaced centre back Luka Cindric, as Veszprem’s star also nursed an injury into this edition of the World Championship.
“Immediately after the match with Argentina, the coach sent me a message saying he would call me, to talk, but just had to do a press conference,” said Karacic to Jutarnji.hr. “When the conference ended, we heard from each other. We didn’t talk much, nor did we need to for that first hand. He told me to come, to pack and that was it. At 7am I was already up and out.”
Croatia, like Egypt, have dominated their opponents so far in Bahrain and Argentina and this clash should be one to savour in front of a sell-out 15,000+ arena.
But while Croatia are missing their leader, Egypt have revealed a secret weapon: ‘Fox’. Not ‘Foxy’, the mascot of the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, but the nickname given to Seif Hany by his teammates.
On Friday night he took just three seconds to score his first goal for the senior national team after making his competitive, senior debut against Bahrain in the 46th minute.
“Maybe four or five seconds?”, said Hany, when asked by ihf.info about how quickly he thought it took him to score, before revealing his surprise at the actual time. “Three seconds?” he exclaimed. “It was great to score – it’s my first tournament in the senior team; the first world championship and I hope we continue with this performance and can do something great.”
Hany has already done something great, winning Egypt’s first-ever indoor handball world championship at the 2019 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship in North Macedonia and will be hoping he can add another gold in 2025.
Egypt and Croatia have met a number of times in world championships, with Croatia taking three wins (29:23 – 2003, 24:20 – 2013, 21:19 – 2017) out of their four clashes, Egypt winning the most recent at the same stage last time out at Poland/Sweden 2023 (31:22).