Germand and Egypt bounced back after losses in the quarter-finals of the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, making it to the Placement Match 5/6, winning against Norway and Slovenia respectively.

PLACEMENT MATCHES 5-8
Slovenia vs Egypt 30:33 (17:14)

Egypt will fight for the fifth place at the IHF Men's Junior World Championship—a placement they have come close to three times before, finishing sixth in 1995, 1997, and 2007. This time, they earned another shot after a comeback win against Slovenia, who will now play for seventh in their fourth-best competition finish since 1995.

The match started as a balanced battle, with both teams showing good attack and strong defence, while enjoying a fast pace. Slovenia held an early 4:2 lead, but Egypt quickly responded. Ziad Abdelrahim and Omar Mohamed led the charge and helped Egypt edge ahead at 8:7 and 9:8.

The tide turned after Slovenia made a key switch between the posts. Jan Češek came in for Mark Šalamon—who wasn't having his usual day—and instantly changed the game. With three saves on his first three shots and 55% save efficiency by halftime, Češek became the difference.

Slovenia capitalised with two separate 3:0 runs and took a four-goal lead into the break. Egypt’s attack faltered at 52% shot efficiency, and though their defence tightened in the closing minutes, Slovenia already had the upper hand.

Everything changed midway through the second half as Egypt found their footing again. Slovenia started to lose their rhythm, made a string of mistakes, and Egypt closed the gap to 20:19. Omar Abdelhady then struck to finally bring the score level at 21:21. Despite their constant pressure, Egypt did not immediately turn the game in their favour, as Slovenia kept a narrow lead. Egypt called for a timeout at 24:23, which proved pivotal.

After 39 minutes, Egypt were back in front with another great action by Abdelhady, but a tight battle remained. As the clock hit the 55th minute, Slovenia unravelled—three turnovers in a row handed Egypt the momentum, and their late gamble with a 7-on-6 only made it worse as they conceded into an empty net. Four straight goals made all the difference and pushed Egypt to the win, 33:30, securing a fantastic comeback.

Player of the Match: Ziad Abdelrahim (Egypt)

Norway vs Germany 29:33 (13:13)

While there was not much to play for other than a better placement and pride, Norway and Germany, which lost their quarter-finals one day prior to their meeting in Katowice, which meant that the title holders were out of contention to retain the trophy won at Germany/Greece 2023.

A win would also see Norway secure their best finish at the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship since 1995, when they ended up on the fourth place, therefore the Scandinavian team was properly motivated and that was clear from the start of the match, when they took a 3:0 lead.

Germany scored their maiden goal after 323 seconds, but quickly followed up with a 4:1 run inspired by centre back Linus Kutz, to tie the score, 4:4. Then, the two sides traded goals, with Norway being the more present side, which took another two-goal lead, 12:10, after a 3:0 unanswered run. But at the end of the first half, the score was still tied, 13:13, with everything up for grabs.

It was all back-and-forth for the two sides, with none getting a lead larger than two goals. Norway started the second half better and had a 20:18 goal lead, as right back David Walstad Haugstvedt had six goals by the 40th minute, but then Germany bounced back and looked to be the better side.

A pair of saves from Marc Julian Buchele and three goals from Elias Newel, Germany’s top scorer in the match, helped them to turn the match around and take the first two-goal lead, 27:25, with only nine minutes to go. And when Norway’s defence totally collapsed, leaking goals at an alarming pace, Germany opened a three-goal lead, 31:28, with five minutes to go.

It was the point of no return for Norway, which could not muster a comeback, as they conceded a 33:29 loss, their second in a row here, at Poland 2025. On the other hand, Germany will face Egypt in the Placement Match 5/6, while Norway meet again with Slovenia, after the two sides drew in the preliminary round.

Player of the Match: Henrik Hestbek Nielsen (Norway)

Placement Match 25/26
North Macedonia vs United States of America 47:28 (24:13)

The European side ended the tournament on a high, as a 47-goal outing helped them take a big win against the United States of America and finish 25th at Poland 2025. In turn, the USA ranked 26th, making a step up compared to Germany/Greece 2023 where they ranked 27th.

The USA were restricted to just one goal in the opening 10 minutes, as their European rivals took a 10:1 lead Afterwards, the North American side improved their shooting efficiency, but their opponents  were still highly superior and led by 11 goals at half-time, 24:13

The Balkan side heavily rotated their squad, but their dominance was never under threat. 15 European players eventually found their names on the scoresheet, including goalkeepers David Brestovac and Ivan Galevski, as each of them netted once in addition to combing for 17 saves.

Player of the Match: Rodrigo Campos (United States of America)