Egypt are the last qualified team for the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, after a stunning comeback against Denmark, 29:29, after being down by four goals with less than seven minutes left in the match.

Serbia’s 32:29 win against Saudi Arabia meant that Spain were winners in Group II, followed by Iceland.

Main round
Group IV
Egypt vs Denmark 29:29 (14:17)

It was the decisive moment for Egypt at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship. Starting the main round with two points, the hosts were favoured to progress to the quarter-finals, but a last-gasp draw saved against Czechia put the first questions marks regarding Egypt’s progression to the next phase of the competition.

Still, the African side had a 13-goal advantage were they to lose against Denmark and Czechia win against Japan. That was wiped out by a 15-goal Czechia win against Japan earlier, therefore Egypt needed to avoid a loss in this match to still make it to the quarter-finals.

Win the match and Egypt would have secured the first place in the group. But Denmark were still a strong side, runners-up at the M18 EHF EURO 2024 this time last year, therefore starting with a 5:2 run immediately prompted Egypt’s coach, Fernando Barbeito, to call a team time-out and rethink his approach.

Denmark were still doing what they know best, with goalkeepers Carl Poulsen and Johannes Dalsgaard combining for a 38% saving efficiency, while their attack proved to be fantastic, with a 77% shooting efficiency, carried by Emil Darling Sorensen and Alexander Jensen, who had of their team’s 17 goals in the first half.

An excellent distribution of the attacks, with only five goals from the backline and 10 clear shots for Denmark edged Egypt into opting for a 5-1 defence, a more aggressive approach from Barbeito, trying constantly to stay close to Denmark. The closest Egypt got was a single goal, 14:15, with three minutes left on the clock, but the ending of the first half was disappointing for the African champions.

Failing to score for the last three minutes and eight seconds, Egypt enabled Denmark to finish the first half with two unanswered goals and a 17:14 lead at the break, as well as a red card for influential centre back Hamza Abdalla, who had previously scored four goals.

The Cairo Stadium saw one of the greatest matches ever played in handball’s history, the battle between Egypt and Denmark at the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship, when Denmark eliminated the hosts on penalties, in the quarter-finals, and Egypt hoped to provide more of that spirit in the second half.

Only that Egypt had to really sweat and try to change as much as possible, yet they were still four goals down, 20:24, with 15 minutes left on the clock, with their goalkeepers still lagging behind, at a 20% saving efficiency, while Denmark’s Poulsen made some crucial saves, hovering at around 40%.

The writing was on the wall for Egypt, which seemed to be lackingthe firepower to really mount a true comeback, despite coming back to only two goals, 23:25, with 11 minutes left, as Denmark needed to find new sollutions, after their centre back, Magnus Boysen, and top scorer, Emil Darling, were subject to man-to-man defence, with Egypt coming with a 4+2 scheme.

Denmark went up by four, then the gap was reduced to a single goal by Egypt with four minutes and 30 seconds to go, as the rapturous crowd pushed Egypt more and more until the hosts tied the score, 29:29, for the first time since the first half, with 100 seconds left on the clock.

It was the Player of the Match, Youssef Laoloua, who managed to carry Egypt, with eight goals and four assists, as the African side completed the comeback, with no goal scored in the last minute, and secured the last coveted quarter-finals berth, due to face Spain in the next phase of the competition.

Denmark stayed unbeaten and are group winners, facing Iceland in a battle for the semi-finals, while Czechia are heading to the Placement Matches 9-12, with the last-gasp comeback of Egypt denying them passage to the next phase of the competition.

Player of the Match: Youssef Laoloua (Egypt)

Main Round
Group II  
Serbia vs Saudi Arabia 32:29 (16:14)  

It was difficult for Serbia to find real motivation for this match, knowing they had no chance of reaching the quarter-finals even with a win. That lack of urgency was evident throughout much of the first half. Despite opening with a 3:1 lead, Serbia soon exposed their weaknesses, allowing Saudi Arabia to turn the score around.  

By the 20th minute, Saudi Arabia were 11:9 ahead, fuelled by the play of Ahmed Abdulmohse Alobaidi. Serbia needed fresh energy to claw their way back before half-time. During a time-out, their coach was blunt: forget what has happened, don’t let it bring you down, lift your heads and go for the win. The team responded just before the break, with Uroš Stanković and Marko Jokić scoring back-to-back to send Serbia into the interval two goals ahead.  

Serbia returned to the court in the second half re-energised, quickly extending their lead to 18:14. From that point, Saudi Arabia tried to catch up, experimenting with different defensive formations.  

However, by the 45th minute the gap had stretched to five goals, leaving little hope for a comeback. Serbia entered the final minutes with a safe four-goal cushion (31:27), and although Saudi Arabia narrowed the score to 32:29 at the final whistle, the victory was never in doubt.  

With this win, Serbia move on to the Placement Matches 9–12, an improvement on their recent finishes of 19th, 18th, and 12th, while Saudi Arabia will compete in the Placement Matches 13–16, following their 12th and 20th place finishes at the last two championships.  

Player of the Match: Djordje Draško (Serbia)  

President's Cup Group III  
Uruguay vs Mexico 36:21 (19:9)  

Uruguay made a commanding start, surging to a 5:0 lead before Mexico could respond. The Mexicans did not score their first goal until the sixth minute, and endured another seven-minute drought later in the half. Their only bright spot was Rubén Villa Duarte, who converted all four of his attempts, while the rest of the team combined for just one more goal before the break.  

Uruguay steadily built on their early advantage. Franco Carpinelli Bentancor and Mateo Soria Bergara both scored five times in the first half, while goalkeeper Valentino Gandolfo Carlone posted a 50% save rate, helping the South Americans cruise to a ten-goal lead at half-time.  

The second half brought more of the same, with Uruguay firmly in control. Even a five-minute scoring drought did nothing to threaten their dominance or their intent to secure a convincing win.  

Mexico, meanwhile, were chasing a smaller goal: surpassing the 16-goal mark, their highest tally at this championship so far. They reached it in the 53rd minute and finished the match with 21 goals.  

Uruguay’s first-ever IHF Men’s Youth World Championship got even better with this result, as they celebrated their first victory and advanced to the Placement Matches 25–28. Mexico, in their third appearance, will play in the Placement Matches 29–32, after finishing 24th and 30th in their previous participations.  

Player of the Match: Mateo Soria Bergara (Uruguay)  

Group IV 
Republic of Korea vs United States of America 31:25 (17:10)

The Republic of Korea claimed their maiden win at Egypt 2025, finishing third in the group and securing a place in the Placement Matches 25–28. In contrast, the United States of America suffered their fifth consecutive defeat and will contest the Placement Matches 29–32.  

Propelled by Eunho Kim, Korea took early control but held just a one‑goal advantage in the 13th minute. Then, Junyoung LeE and Hoyoung Yeom sparked a 4:0 run, pushing the score to 10:5. Although Simon Neumaier — who finished as the game’s top scorer with nine goals and earned the Player of the Match award — reduced the deficit to 10:13,  Junwon Kang led another 4:0 surge that gave Korea a commanding 17:10 lead at half‑time.  

The USA refused to back down, tightening their defence in the second half and forcing Korean errors. For a 12‑minute stretch, Korea managed just three goals, allowing the Americans to cut the gap to 20:18 and reignite hopes of a comeback.  

But Korea responded at the right moment with a decisive 3:0 run, restoring control. The USA kept pushing, yet Yeongu Choi stepped up in the closing stages, combining key goals with crucial saves from goalkeeper Ohjun Kwon to build a 28:21 lead with four minutes to go — effectively sealing the victory.  

Player of the Match: Simon Neumaier (USA)