Egypt dealt title contenders Spain their maiden loss at the 2025 IHF Men's Junior World Championship, after a high-octane match, 30:29, entering the next phase with two points.

Austria mounted a spirited comeback to start the main round with two points, after their 22:21 win against Hungary, while Portugal also had to come back from a deficit to beat Croatia, 30:25, and progress to the next phase with the maximum number of points available.

Group H
Spain vs Egypt 29:30 (16:16)

Spain’s golden dream at the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, which would have seen this “Hispanos” generation secure the title in all major international competitions they took part in, had its first test on Saturday, in the last match of the preliminary round at Poland 2025, when a plucky Egypt side were lined up on the other side on the court, with both teams winning their first two matches against Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

With Spain rotating their squad as much as possible in the first two matches, they welcomed star centre back Petar Cikusa in their roster for the showdown against Egypt, with the winning side taking the crucial two points into the main round, with everything to play.

And after two clear wins, Spain had a mouthful of a match on their hands, a tough Egypt side being ahead by one goal, 8:7, after 15 minutes, when Mohamed Khallaf scored his second goal of the day, from the five he managed in the first half.

While Egypt had more turnovers in the first half – nine opposed to Spain’s five – the African champions, fourth at the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, the lead changed hands three times until the end of the first half, when Spain had a lower shooting efficiency, 67%, with Egypt running the show in attack with 73%.

But the two teams were still deadlocked at the break, 16:16, as Spain really had to up their tempo to take the coveted two points, as Egypt really provided a huge challenge, especially in defence, despite Mohamed Elbattawi conceding a red card with six seconds to go in the first half.

A 4:0 run from Spain, spurred by Djordje Cikusa, saw the European champions open up a three-goal lead, 22:19, which looked to be enough for an experienced Spain side at this level to manage, but Egypt produced their own 3:0 unanswered run to tie the match, 25:25, with 12 minutes to go, and produce an exciting and close finish.

Egypt used the seven-on-six tactics successfully in the second half to take back the lead, 28:26, as they looked in control, especially as goalkeeper Youssef Salama produced some fantastic saves to deny clear goalscoring opportunities for Spain, with double the number of saves than Spain’s goalkeepers, which had a 15% saving efficiency with six minutes to go in the match.

Yet the final was full of twists and turns. Spain tied the score via a penalty converted by Ian Barrufet, only for Egypt to score with seven seconds left, when line player Moaz Azab scored his seventh goal. The fast throw-off was Spain’s, only for right wing Xavier Gonzalez Unciti to miss his shot, with Egypt going in raptures, thanks to their 30:29 win.

Egypt will now start the main round with two points, while Spain cannot afford any mistakes in the next two matches against Germany and Serbia or Switzerland, in order to progress into the quarter-finals and convert their title dreams.

Player of the Match: Mohamed Khallaf (Egypt)

Group B
Austria vs Hungary 22:21 (10:14)

Before their mutual encounter, both European sides boasted a perfect record and secured their berths in the main round. Each of them were eager to progress with two points, and it was Austria who reached this goal following a dramatic win, increasing their chances for a better overall position in the tournament. In turn, the Hungarians, who dropped their first points at Poland 2025, will enter the main round with no points.

The teams were tied at 2:2 early in the match before Hungary, powered by their good defence and solid team performance, started to pull in front. A 3:0 run saw them opening up a 7:3 lead midway through the first half, and as the Hungarian goalkeeper Mate Borsos made a few important saves, his team maintained a four-goal advantage at the break.

Austria's goalkeeping was also good: Leon Theodor Bergmann, who had become the Player of the Match in both his previous games at Poland 2025, recorded nine saves in the opening 30 minutes. His teammate Clemens Meleschnig scored five goals, a half of his team's tally before the interval, yet Austria lacked the much-needed balance and therefore looked vulnerable.

But similar to their opening game against Argentina, Michael Draca's team improved their game in the second half. They opened it with a 3:0 run before Levente Szabo scored Hungary's first goal after the restart only in the 38th minute, and afterwards drew level at 16:16.

The Hungarians still had a slight advantage for a while, but their rivals looked determined to turn the tide. Goalkeeper Bergmann kept delivering saves – he made a total of 19 for a 48% saving rate – while centre back Clemens Möstl rose to prominence in attack, scoring seven of his eight goals in the second half.

Hungary scored their last goalin the 52th minute, when Tamas Kovacs made the score 21:19. In the remaining time, Austria drew level before Möstl secured their first lead after 1:0 – and Bergmann said his decisive word seven seconds from full-time, saving Kovacs's 7m shot to seal his team's third consecutive win.

Player of the Match: Leon Theodor Bergmann (Austria)



Group D
Portugal vs Croatia 30:25 (11:13)

Portugal will carry two crucial points into the main round after a strong second-half display saw them overcome Croatia in a direct battle for the top spot in the group.

The clash between Croatia and Portugal lived up to its billing. Two strong generations went head-to-head in a high-intensity showdown from the opening whistle. Portugal had early chances to take control, especially with Diogo Rêma Marques stopping four of the first seven shots on goal. However, Croatia's defence held firm, denying easy breakthroughs and forcing Portugal into longer possessions. As a result, the teams traded goals in the early stages.

The scoreboard remained tight throughout the first 15 minutes. But then, a series of sharp defensive moves from Croatia opened the door for several fast breaks, and they didn't hesitate. Marko Bajan stepped up on both ends of the court, netting from the penalty line and standing strong in defence. His all-around contribution helped Croatia pull ahead by three goals, the first notable gap of the match, which was enough to force Portugal into an early time-out to try and shift momentum.

Portugal kept pouncing, sensing a drop in focus from Croatia. It looked like the gap might shrink to its smallest since the 18th minute, but Tin Herceg stepped up between the posts. With a string of key saves, he held Portugal at bay and helped preserve the lead. Still, João Magalhães struck back with a last-minute fast break, cutting the deficit to 13:11 at the break.

Portugal came out with renewed determination after the break. Boosted by Diogo Rêma Marques between the posts, they opened the second half with a 3-0 run, their first lead since the 4th minute, when the score was 2:1. It completely turned the flow and brought a different energy to the game.

But the battle was far from over. Both goalkeepers—Rêma Marques for Portugal and Herceg for Croatia—continued to shine, turning the second half into a tense duel not just between teams, but between two shot-stoppers at the top of their game. Their saves kept the match on the edge, with neither side able to significantly pull away.

Finally, Croatia's mistakes and too much open space in defence allowed Portugal to score more easy goals, stretching the score to 20:17 by the 43rd minute—their biggest lead since the early stages. It prompted a time-out from head coach Boris Dvoršek, who told his players to go back to what worked in the first half and calm the game down. Croatia needed to reset quickly, as Portugal started fuelling a goal run off every mistake.

More problems piled up for Croatia when Diano Neris Ćeško went down awkwardly and had to leave the court. His injury forced a sudden shift in Croatia's attack as they had to adapt without one of their key players, and Portugal propelled to a new goal run powered by the Player of the Match, Ricardo Brandao, setting the score at 27:22 just five minutes before the final buzzer—a lead Croatia could not recover from.

Player of the Match: Ricardo Brandao (Portugal)

Group F
Iceland vs North Macedonia 34:28 (15:14)

Following Faroe Islands’ win against Romania, it meant that both Iceland and North Macedonia were out of contention for a main round spot, but both teams aimed to win the match, in order to start the President’s Cup with two points.

Elmar Erlingsson was Iceland’s top player in the match against the Faroe Islands, with 17 goals, but this time he was contained better by the opponents’ defence, which meant that Iceland needed a better teamwork and they provided that, with seven different players getting on the scoresheet in the first half.

Nevertheless, Iceland only had a minor lead at the break, 15:14, as they turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, with Dimitar Uzunchev running the show for Radoslav Stojanovikj’s side, scoring six goals in the first 30 minutes.

Iceland led by as many as six goals in the first half, 11:5, after 19 minutes, but they conceded nine in the next 11 minutes, the gap was limited to a single goal. Yet the Nordic side still have something more in the tank, with Erlingsson, Haukur Ingi Hauksson and Andri Fannar Elisson combining for 14 of Iceland’s 24 goals until the 44th minute, when they had a 24:19 lead.

As Iceland goalkeeper Ísak Steinsson delivered a masterclass between the posts, with 15 saves and a 35% saving efficiency, the Nordic side increased their lead to nine goals, 33:24, with five minutes to go and eventually took a 34:28 win, making it in the President’s Cup with two points, while their opponents start the next phase on zero points, due to meet Mexico and Morocco.

Player of the Match: Ísak Steinsson (Iceland)