Spain secured the ninth place in the final standings at the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, after a high-octane match against France, which produced 81 goals, 41:40.

Mexico also wrote history, clinching their maiden win in the history of the competition, 37:26 against Canada, to finish 31st.

Placement Match 9/10
France vs Spain 40:41 (16:25)

Similar to the previous IHF Men's Junior World Championship in 2023, Spain finished ninth at Poland 2025 after beating France in a high-scoring and entertaining match. In turn, the French side improved their ranking compared to Germany/Greece 2023 by one position, finishing 10th.

Spain put on an impressive attacking performance in the opening half, scoring as many as 25 goals to create a comfortable nine-goal cushion at the break. Led by Player of the Match Javier Gonzalez, their free-flowing attack posed a lot of problems for the French side, who were regularly punished for their mistakes.

The French goalkeepers Stanis Soullier and Noe Rataboul did not show their best performance today, combining for just eight saves. Nevertheless, their team managed to improve in the second half, powered by their leaders Eliott Desblancs and Nael Tighiouart, who both netted nine times in this game.

Spain still led by seven goals in the 41st minute, 33:26, but France looked the fresher side in the last 20 minutes, and they started to cut the gap. Their long chase was almost successful, as two late goals from Tighiouart made the score 40:41 with one minute to go. However, the French team failed to score in their last attack, so it was Spain who left Poland 2025 in a better mood.

Player of the Match: Javier Gonzalez (Spain)

Placement Match 11/12
Austria vs Croatia 30:26 (12:7)

Twenty saves and a 53% save rate from Leon Theodor Bergmann helped Austria end the tournament on a high note and replicate their best-ever result at the IHF Men's Junior World Championship, as they also ranked 11th at Spain 1989. Meanwhile, Croatia finished 12th, which is their lowest-ever position at this level.

Bergmann, who has been one of the best goalkeepers at Poland 2025, did not have a good day on Thursday against France, as he had a below-par 17% save rate and his team lost 24:27. However, the 21-year-old goalkeeper started to show his impact from the opening minutes in this match, and his 11 saves helped the Austrians pull clear by five goals (12:7) after a low-scoring first half.

Austria, who played at the World Championship after a 28-year wait, boasted the second-best defence in the competition prior to their last encounter. Although Croatia improved their attack in the second half, Michael Draca's men went on to dominate and led by nine goals (29:20) in the 54th minute.

Bergmann continued to shine between the posts before being replaced late in the game, while right back Florian Budde stood out in attack, finishing the match with eight goals. Although Croatia enjoyed a strong 6:1 run in the closing minutes, the Austrians ended their three-game winless run at the tournament.

Player of the Match: Florian Budde (Austria)

Placement Match 21/22
Morocco vs Tunisia 30:34 (13:18)

Tunisia proved why they are the African champions—in the replay of the 2024 African Men's Junior Championship semi-final, they once again defeated Morocco in a high-intensity match, ending their Poland 2025 story in 21st place.

Morocco opened with a promising 3:1 lead, but apart from a brief level stretch around the 10th minute, it was all they could offer. Tunisia hit a 4-0 run to make it 9:5 and needed just ten more minutes to extend it to 14:9.

With only 50% shot efficiency and just one save from their goalkeepers in the first half, Morocco struggled to keep pace. On the other side, Kousay Ben Fraj had already netted six, while Mohamed Aziz Ben Hassine stood strong in goal with a 30% save rate. Morocco gave their best to close the gap, cutting it to just two on multiple occasions, but each comeback attempt was quickly shut down.

Everything changed in the last ten minutes of the game—turnovers allowed Morocco to come closer again, netting for 28:29 as Hamza Ouafik and Ouahib Ilyasse scored with ease, and Jalil El Mouadar became more confident between the posts. Still, in the crucial moments, they failed to find a solution for Tunisia's defence and goalkeeper, ultimately accepting a 30:34 defeat.

Player of the Match: Ouahib Ilyasse (Morocco)

Placement Match 23/24
Argentina vs Republic of Korea 35:30 (15:15)

Argentina closed their Poland 2025 campaign on a high, pulling off a comeback to edge the Republic of Korea and claim 23rd place. It's a step forward for the South American side after finishing 25th in 2023, while Korea's 24th-place finish marks their lowest ranking since 2011 and 2017, when they ended in 19th place.

Korea had a blistering start, storming to an 8:2 lead in just nine minutes, with Hyeonmin Kim standing tall in goal. But Argentina responded and regrouped quickly, narrowing the gap to 6:8 and prompting a Korean time-out. Minjun Lee stepped up to restore Korea's rhythm, yet every gap they created, Argentina closed. The rest of the half turned into a back-and-forth battle, with neither side pulling away.

The turning point came early in the second half. Lucas Ezequiel Obregón Gómez and Juan Federico put pedal to the metal, fueling a 6-0 unanswered run from the 33rd to 42nd minute—allowing Argentina to come from trailing 16:18 to leading 22:18. Korea never fully recovered from that run, even though they continued to challenge Argentina.

Player of the Match: Minjun Lee (Republic of Korea)

Placement Match 31/32
Mexico vs Canada 37:26 (15:12)

After six consecutive defeats, IHF Men's Junior World Championship debutants Mexico claimed their maiden win at this level, which allowed them to finish 31st. In turn, Canada lost all their games at Poland 2025 and took the 32nd position in their second-ever World Championship.

Player of the Match Juan Anguilano made a big contribution to his team's historic success, scoring nine goals, while three of his teammates—Hector Campos, Osvaldo Maya, and Manuel Rivas—netted six times each. Mexican goalkeeper Victor Salgado also did a good job, saving 13 shots for an impressive 57 percent save rate.

The opening minutes featured a close fight, but gradually Mexico started to dominate, and they enjoyed a five-goal lead, 15:10, in the 28th minute before Canada slightly slashed the gap. After the break, Mexico's advantage was even more visible—in particular, they enjoyed a 9:0 run between the 36th and 47th minutes, ultimately taking a big win.

Player of the Match: Juan Anguilano (Mexico)