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January 26, 2025
Co-host Croatia through in Zagreb thriller
January 27, 2025The final day of main round action at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship in Zagreb sees co-hosts Croatia in the strong position, currently sitting top of group IV on six points. On the same number of points lie Egypt and Iceland, while Slovenia sit in fourth, on four points.
All four teams have not yet confirmed their quarter-final spot and all four teams still have a chance to qualify. The only definite going into the last matches at the Arena Zagreb is that Argentina and Cape Verde cannot go through and will be hoping to not finish bottom.
The first match sees Iceland take on Argentina, followed by the continental clash between Egypt and Cape Verde, with the day rounded off with a derby match between Croatia and Slovenia.
Croatia will be sure of their quarter-finals berth provided they beat Slovenia, but will finish first in the group only if they are tied on points with both Egypt and Iceland or Iceland alone, as in case of a tie in points with Egypt only, they will finish second, as the African side won against the co-hosts in the preliminary round.
In Group III of the main round, in Baerum, Oslo, the qualifiers are decided, but the last day will decide which side wins the group, as Portugal as heavy favourites, while Brazil need a win against Spain and Portugal to lose against Chile.
The last games of President’s Cup Group II brings decisive duels for the Placement matches as all four teams have something to fight for.
MAIN ROUND – GROUP III
- 15:30 CET Portugal vs Chile
Previously, Portugal’s best result at the IHF Men’s World Championship was the 10th place at Egypt 2021, but the European side has already written history at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, as a 35:29 win over Spain on Friday secured their first-ever quarter-final spot.
On Sunday, the European team will finish the main round with the match against Chile, which are the last-placed in Group III. And while the Europeans may save some energy ahead of the crucial encounters next week, they are determined to beat the South Americans.
“Now we will think about Chile, as we have the possibility to finish first in the group. And then we will take one game at a time,” head coach Paulo Pereira said. With a draw, Portugal will be certain to stay top of Group I, while Chile’s only motivation is to bow out in style, as they will stay bottom of the group regardless of their result on Sunday.
Aitor Etxaburu’s side is on zero points and lost four of their five matches in the competition, but a win over Japan in the group stage helped them to reach the main round for the first time ever.
Chile’s Erwin Feuchtmann is his team’s top scorer, with 32 goals, for a total of 269 goals at the IHF Men’s World Championship, while Portugal’s top scorers are brothers Francisco and Martim Costa, both with 27 goals.
- 18:00 CET Spain vs Brazil
Similar to Portugal, Brazil secured an early quarter-final ticket with one round to go, as they shocked Sweden on Friday, 27:24. Now the South American team secured their best-ever placement at the IHF Men’s World Championship, surpassing the ninth place at Denmark/Germany 2019, by clinching their maiden quarter-finals berth.
Goalkeeper Rangel Da Rosa has been doing a great job for Brazil, as he boasts a 40% saving efficiency in the five games he played at the tournament, with 64 saves made in the first five matches. “It is crazy to be in the quarter-finals. It’s like a dream,” the 28-year-old told ihf.info.
In the next stage, Brazil will face Germany or Denmark, depending on their final position in Group III. Now they are ranked second with six points, and to climb up to the top position, they not only need to beet Spain on Tuesday, but also rely om fellow South American side Chile to defeat Portugal, which seems unlikely.
In any case, the Brazilians have already written history at this edition of theWorld Championship, while Spain had definitely hoped for a better result before the competition started. But in the main round, the team which had finished third at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was defeated by both Norway and Portugal and lost a chance to progress, as they are currently only fifth-placed in the group with three points.
“We are disappointed, we came with the illusion to reach the quarter-final and as far as possible. We knew it would be difficult, especially in this group, and we are out on merit. As a team, we lacked the consistency we had at the Olympics,” Spanish coach Jordi Ribera concluded.
A win over Brazil on Sunday may slightly sweeten the bitter pill and help the Spanish team to climb to the fourth position in the group, and therefore improve their final placement, but their chances to finish in the top-10 are zero.
- 20:30 CET Norway vs Sweden
Both Scandinavian sides entered the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship with medal hopes, but their dreams have been shattered, as neither Norway nor Sweden have a chance for progression before their mutual encounter, which be the last game at the competition for both rivals.
Norway lost two of their three matches in the preliminary round, against Brazil and Portugal, and although Jonas Wille’s team improved in the main round, beating Spain and Chile, it was not enough for securing a place among top eight teams, as they had a mountain to climb and needed certain results to go their way.
Now Norway’s goal is to beat Sweden and extend their winning streak to three matches, which will help them to stay third-placed in Group III and secure a top-10 finish in the competition. Sweden have the same number of points, four, but are ranked fourth on goal difference, and they want to end a three-match winless streak at the competition.
Michael Appelgren’s team drew with Spain (29:29) at the end of the preliminary round, and then shared spoils with Portugal (37:37) and lost to Brazil (24:27) in the main round. The defeat on Friday, their first at the competition, left Sweden broken-hearted, but they hope to end the tournament on a high, beating their geographical neighbours.
The two teams have met multiple times in history, and their last meeting at the World Championship dates back to Denmark/Germany 2019 when Norway won 30:27 in the main round. Last year, the Norwegians also had the upper hand at the EHF EURO 2024, comfortably winning 33:23.
MAIN ROUND – GROUP IV
- 15:30 CET Iceland vs Argentina
After winning four straight games, Iceland could be out of contention for the quarter-finals thanks to a six-goal loss against Croatia last time out – even if they defeat Argentina.
Having looked like one of the strongest teams in Zagreb, they were blown away by Croatia and were evidently still in shock on their rest day between the two matchdays on Saturday (25 January).
But they will certainly give it their all against Argentina, a team they have beaten all four times they have played them historically which includes a 36:27 loss in a Beijing 2008 pre-Olympic Games friendly, twice in two Reykjavik friendlies in 2012 (27:23, 29:22) and once at the London 2012 Olympic Games (31:25).
“We should expect to be favourites for the game, as we have a better team, but we need to be well-prepared and focused,” said Viggo Kristjansson to ihf.info. “We need to take two points and hope for the quarter-finals.”
“They are much better than us at the moment,” added Argentina’s Martin Nicolas Jung about Iceland to ihf.info. “We will give it our all, but we know that there will be a difference. Also, we are very tired physically and they are a very good team. Still, we will prepare ourselves in the best way and go out to compete.”
That tiredness is echoed by teammate Nicolas Bono. “The truth is, we are very tired and in a lot of pain, but we will try to do our best,” he said. “Iceland are a very tough team that is fighting to get into the quarter-finals and will be very motivated.”
- 18:00 CET Cape Verde vs Egypt
Back in 2022, these two teams met in the final of the CAHB Men’s African Championship with Egypt taking a comfortable 37:25 victory.
It is widely-expected that Egypt will win again as a tired Cape Verde go into the match off of a disappointing loss to Argentina in a match where they looked like they had run out of batteries.
“We played so badly, especially in the second half, but we have one more game. This is the World Championship; you don’t have time to think about the future or about the losses,” said Cape Verde’s Leandro Semedo to ihf.info. “Egypt are one of the top teams in the world now and we will do our best and try to finish this championship as best possible.”
With clear motivation for Juan Carlos Pastor’s Egypt side to secure two points and a clash against either France or Hungary, depending on results, there is little he needs to do for his team to help them get ready for this continental clash. However, for some players in this team, there is an extra motivation.
“My biggest motivation is my brother, Yehia,” said Seif Elderaa, whose sibling tore his ACL back in October and was ruled out of Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025. “I play for him, and I wish he was here with me, but we all play with our hearts and fight for each other.
“Cape Verde now has a really good team,” he added. “Most of them are playing now in Europe, so it is not going to be an easy game. We have to be 100% because we need these two points if we want to be in the quarter-finals.”
- 20:30 CET Croatia vs Slovenia
It is apt that the final match of the main round will decide which two teams make it through to the next stage.
In preparation for this world championship, these two teams both met at the Arena Zagreb earlier this month with Croatia taking a 33:25 win and the co-hosts come into this competitive clash full of positivity, having dismantled Iceland in their previous game in their most impressive performance of the event so far.
But there was a telling sentence on the Croatian Handball Federation homepage ahead of the match: ‘…history teaches us that after every euphoric mood, it is very important to stay firmly on the ground and play the next game wisely. And for us, it is the final at this moment…’ said the line on hrs.hr.
Croatia coach Dagur Sigurdsson has also called it a final and with recent and historic results – Croatia have taken 27 wins out of 39 clashes – in their favour they go into the match as favourites.
While Slovenia may not be at the level of their Paris 2024 Olympic Games performance which saw them finish fourth, including a 31:29 victory over Croatia on their way to the bronze medal match, they will be motivated to get something from the game which could see them qualify depending on the earlier results and some mathematics.
“We don’t see the game against Croatia as an easy one, we need to approach it with maximum effort,” said Slovenia’s Jure Dolenec to ihf.info. “Every game against them is important, especially in a home championship, and we’ll try to finish the tournament with a win against a serious team,”
“It’s a new day, a new match,” explained Slovenia coach Uros Zorman to rokometna-zveza.si. “Sport is interesting because it always gives you the opportunity to prove yourself again and correct things you did wrong before. The derby will be a match of prestige for us, I believe in front of a full stadium. We are in for a real spectacle that should be a motivation for every true athlete.”
Slovenia will be missing Rok Ovnicek, who injured his knee in their loss last time out, against Egypt, with Nejc Cehte ruled out earlier in the championship after breaking three ribs against Argentina.
PRESIDENT’S CUP – GROUP II
- 15:30 CET Japan vs Cuba
With one win and one loss so far in the President’s Cup, Japan will be looking to finish their group on a high, after their 31:27 victory over Bahrain in round 2. Their fast-paced attacking style has given Japan a chance to stay competitive in this group and hope for better placement. Currently in the third place, Toni Gerona’s team will be aiming for another win to have a chance to play in the Placement match 27/28, but they also rely on the game between the United States of America and Bahrain.
Cuba, on the other hand, are still waiting on their first win and will face a tough challenge. Sitting at the bottom of Group II with no points, they are on the verge of playing for the Placement Match 31/32, where Guinea are waiting. Despite showing some progress in their recent matches, especially in their narrow 26:27 defeat against the USA, Cuba’s defence maintains their biggest problems, conceding 66 goals in two President’s Cup matches — six more per game on average compared to Japan.
This will be the first time since 1990 that these two teams clash at the World Championship while both previous encounters ended with Cuba winning (23:20; 25:20).
- 18:00 CET Bahrain vs United States of America
The United States of America are currently the leader of Group II with four points following their two straight wins against Japan and Cuba, and they will enter this match full of confidence. Their solid defence and using the most out of their opponent’s mistakes saw them coming on top in narrow battles, earning them new victories at the flagship competition after making history in 2023.
Now, the USA will fight for another win, the one that would seal the first spot in the group and bring them into the President’s Cup final against Poland even though a draw would also work in their favour.
Bahrain are coming off a tough loss to Japan after a confident 39:26 win against Cuba and will need to bounce back to stay in contention for a higher placement or even the final of the President’s Cup. Their strength could lie in their efficient attack, but they will need to provide a better defensive display and try to force the USA into mistakes and use them for easy goals.
Bahrain need to win the match to hope to top the group, but a three-way scenario with Japan and the USA is also possible, with all teams on four points. The only time Bahrain and the USA clashed was at the World Championship 2023 when Bahrain won in the Main Round by 32:27.