The preliminary round of the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship concluded in Kielce, where Switzerland delivered a fantastic 30:28 win against Serbia to clinch the last main round spot, while Germany made it three out of three with a 39:26 win over Tunisia.

Group G
Serbia vs Switzerland 28:30 (14:17)

Returning to the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship for the first time since 2013, Switzerland dished a huge shock, delivering a 30:28 win against an experienced Serbia side, to clinch the final main round spot in Group G, finishing just below Germany, which ended up on six points.

It was a do-or-die scenario for both sides in this match and any mistake would have been punished by the opponents, therefore starting well was a must and Switzerland enjoyed more action in the first minutes of the match, taking an early 6:3 lead after only seven minutes, as their top scorer, Luca Sigrist, delivered a blistering start, with two goals and two assists under his name.

Serbia immediately bounced back and cut the gap to two goals, but their lack of efficiency from key players like Uros Mitrovic and Vojin Čabrilo spoke volumes, as the latter one converted only one of the six shots he had during the match and instead turned into a more creative role, with six assists registered under his name.

By half-time, Switzerland were firmly in control, 17:14, and it was thanks to the efforts of goalkeeper Mathieu Seravalli, who clearly won the battle with his counterparts, Marko Drasko and Nikola Zoric, that Switzerland really made it until the end. Seravalli, the Player of the Match, finished the encounter with 16 saves and a 36% saving efficiency, while Serbia’s goalkeeping pair had a 23% saving efficiency.

Quiet in the first part of the match, Switzerland’s second best scorer in the competition, Nikos Sarlos, added three goals in the second half, but it was still Sigrist’s show, as the centre back was unstoppable at times, scoring 11 goals and dishing six more assists on the way to a flawless performance.

By the 47th minute, Switzerland still had a three-goal lead, 24:21, but the pace had slowed down at that point, and that was suitable for an attempted comeback from Serbia, which cut the gap to a single goal, 26:25, with eight minutes to go. The last two goals from Switzerland came from Sigrist, with another one from right wing Gino Steenaerts, who made his debut in January at the IHF Men’s World Championship, as Switzerland eventually took a 30:28 win, celebrating their second win of the competition.

As Serbia lost two matches, they are out of contention, but both those losses came by the slightest of margins, 29:30 against Germany and 28:30 against Switzerland, with the European side now heading to the President’s Cup, while the Swiss side go into Group IV of the main round, where they are due to face Spain and Egypt.

Player of the Match: Mathieu Seravalli (Switzerland)

Germany vs Tunisia 39:26 (19:11)

After their win against Switzerland two days ago, Germany were sure of finishing first in the group and taking two points into the main round, but they made sure to deliver yet another clear win against Tunisia, as the preliminary round of the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship concluded in Kielce.

The cards were stacked against Tunisia from the start, as the African side conceded their third loss in a row, with Germany checking in a blistering start, as they went on a scoring spree which took them to a 10:1 lead after only 15 minutes.

Max Günther had five goals, with support from Jan Schmidt and David Móré, who combined for seven goals in the first half, as Germany had 10 different scorers on the sheet after the first 30 minutes. But with changes in their squad, the European side opened a door for Tunisia, which became more efficient, and cut the gap to only eight goals at the break, 19:11, finally getting their attack going.

There was no stopping Germany in the second half, as the European side nearly got to 40 goals, with right wing Tim Gömmel scoring seven goals, while Günther also scored seven. The two Germany goalkeepers – Marc Julian Buchele and Frederik Holer – also shined, saving 19 shots between them for a 44% saving efficiency.

Eventually, Germany took a 39:26 win, making it three out of three, while Tunisia conceded their third loss, and will start the President’s Cup group with zero points.

Player of the Match: Frederik Holer (Germany)