Four teams – Hungary, Sweden, Germany and Denmark – have already secured their quarter-final spots after the first day of the main round at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship.

The last four tickets will be booked in the second day of the main round, when the full quarter-finals pairing are due to be decided. 

Main Round
Group I

• 12:45 Sweden vs Hungary
• 15:00 Austria vs Switzerland

Group II

• 17:15 Spain vs Iceland
• 19:30 Serbia vs Saudi Arabia

Group III

• 12:45 Germany vs Norway
• 15:00 Slovenia vs France

Group IV

• 17:15 Japan vs Czechia
• 19:30 Egypt vs Denmark

President’s Cup
Group I

• 12:45 Portugal vs Kosovo
• 15:00 Kuwait vs Morocco

Group II

• 12:45 Croatia vs Brazil
• 15:00 Algeria vs Guinea

Group III

• 17:15 Faroe Islands vs Argentina
• 19:30 Uruguay vs Mexico

Group IV

• 17:15 Bahrain vs Tunisia
• 19:30 Republic of Korea vs United States

*all hours are local time, EEST (CEST +1)

Main Round Group I
12:45 - Sweden vs Hungary

The clash for the Group I's top spot sees two unbeaten sides who have already booked their quarter-final tickets. Both Sweden and Hungary sit on four points from their campaigns so far and will now battle for first place and a potentially more favourable opponent in the first knock-out stage at Egypt 2025.  

Hungary arrive after a dramatic 33:32 buzzer-beater win over Austria, where Máté Fazekas struck in the dying second to seal the victory. Marko Eklemović was key throughout, while Hungary showed resilience. They also boast the third-best attack at Egypt 2025 with 154 goals (38.5 per game), with Sweden just behind on 150.  

Sweden, on the other hand, produced a pitch-perfect second half to overturn a half-time deficit and beat Switzerland 39:33, with Liam Hultberg stepping up in attack and Oskar Arnell delivering key saves. With a perfect record, they aim to keep it, and given their past record against Hungary, they have a slight edge.  

This generation of Swedes beat Hungary 39:27 in the Men’s 18 EHF EURO 2024 semi-finals, while historically at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, Sweden have won both games — in 2015 (30:26) and 2019 (29:28).  

Main Round Group II
17:15 - Spain vs Iceland 

Spain lead the group on four points and can book a quarter-final spot with a draw, while Iceland, on two points, must win to keep their hopes alive, with Serbia also still in contention.  

Spain continued their perfect run with a 37:25 win over Saudi Arabia, where 12 outfield players got on the scoresheet, and their goalkeeping duo, Marcos García Penacoba and Nicolás Giráldez Freiría, maintained their tournament-high standards, averaging 34.6% saves.  

“They’re an opponent we’ve played several times this summer. They have a very good front line, a top-level pivot, and good goalkeeping. We know we’ll have to do very, very well to beat them,” said Spain’s head coach, Nacho Moyano.  

Iceland are coming off a narrow 29:28 defeat to Serbia in a match that was exciting right until the end, where they came close to forcing a draw. Stefán Magni Hjartarson’s flawless shooting kept them close, but a late turnover ended their comeback hopes.  

This match pits Spain’s balanced scoring against Iceland’s championship-best defence, which has conceded only 92 goals (23 per game). It is also the fourth time these two countries meet at the Youth World Championship — in 2015, Iceland won both meetings, while Spain claimed victory in 2019.  

These players have also faced each other in recent years: first at the Men’s 18 EHF EURO 2024, when Spain beat Iceland 31:26, and twice at the Men’s 19 EHF European Open 2025 — Spain won both — 19:17 in the group phase and 31:30 in the final.  

Main Round Group III
12:45 - Germany vs Norway

Germany are already through to the quarter-finals thanks to Norway’s 37:37 draw with Slovenia, but Norway must avoid defeat here to join them.  

Norway’s clash with Slovenia was a real thriller, as they led for long stretches but fell behind late before fighting back in the closing stages. Vetle Mellemstrand Bore was once again unstoppable, reaching 42 goals in the tournament to stay top scorer.  

Meanwhile, Germany have combined a strong defensive display — making them the second-best defence with 95 goals conceded — with excellent goalkeeping, and secured qualification before even stepping on court here, thanks to their 26:21 win against France.  

“Due to too many technical errors, we brought France back into the game a bit. That should be a lesson for us for the next tasks. But we’re staying positive,” noted Germany’s head coach Erik Wudtke for [handball.net](http://handball.net/).  

Their last encounter ended in a 42:28 win for Germany. Historically, at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, the two nations have met five times — Germany winning three and Norway two.  

Main Round Group IV
17:15 - Japan vs Czechia 

Japan’s quarter-final chances are gone, but Czechia, who are on one point, must win to have any hope of progressing. The stakes could not be higher for Czechia.  

They come into this match after a dramatic 35:35 draw with Egypt, a result that surprised the hosts. Dominik Skopár delivered a masterclass with 10 goals, while their attacking efficiency in the first half hit a remarkable 85%. However, they also let slip a three-goal lead late on — something they cannot afford to repeat here.  

It will not be easy against Japan, who still have a better placement in mind. After finishing 21st at Croatia 2023, they are determined to leave Egypt with a stronger showing. Their campaign so far has been a mix of narrow wins — over Bahrain and the Republic of Korea — and missed opportunities, most notably in the 28:36 loss to Egypt, where they led by four at half-time before fading.  

This will be the first time Japan and Czechia face each other at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship in this generation, but their predecessors met at Croatia 2023, where Czechia prevailed 30:26 in a Group C clash.  

19:30 - Egypt vs Denmark

The hosts have entered the main round on a high, coming in with two points, but they must wait for the final round to book their seat among the top eight teams in the world. This comes after a dramatic 25:25 draw with Czechia, which made the duel with Denmark decisive.  

The African champions sit on three points and will need at least a draw to be certain of progressing, while a defeat could see them leapfrogged if Czechia win their match — in which case, it would all come down to goal difference.  

The hosts have shown both power and vulnerability in Egypt 2025, ranking fourth in attack with 153 goals scored but having conceded 118. While other teams often have one standout player, Egypt’s scoring has been a true collective effort, with Adel Eletter and Omar Baraka leading on 20 and 18 goals respectively after four games.  

Denmark are still unbeaten after opening the main round with a dominant 38:25 victory over Japan, with Emil Darling Sørensen and Alexander Jensen — Denmark’s top scorers at Egypt 2025 — continuing to lead the attack. With such decisive players, the clash between Egypt and Denmark promises to be nothing short of a true main round derby.  

Egypt have never beaten Denmark at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship — their most recent meeting came in the Croatia 2023 semi-finals, where Denmark prevailed 39:35.