The first time when Canada featured at the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship was in Greece, 14 years ago, when the North American side finished on the 22nd place in Thessaloniki, with a single win under their belt, 23:22 against Benin, in the Placement Matches 21-24.

Then, for the next 14 years, Canada had to wait, but when the opportunity to play again on the biggest of stages arose, they took it with both hands. And, for the second time in history, Canada are at the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, returning for Poland 2025 with a huge desire for improvement.

“To be here it is very important and a huge step in our development. Playing at a World Championship is huge for the Federation and for the players in terms of getting as much knowledge as possible and seeing how can we develop and improve even further in the future. To become better, one really needs to be here and try to soak up the experience and information available,” says the President of the Canada Handball Federation, Carrie Kuypers.

Canada were the last team to secure a place in the competition, following the United States of America’s victory in the junior competition at the IHF Inter-Continental Trophy. With an additional spot becoming available for the North American and Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC), due to the USA’s prior qualification for the World Championship through their continental competition win, Canada filled the vacant spot.

They had previously finished finished in the fifth place at the 2024 NACHC Men’s Junior Championship, but here, at Poland 2025, Canada are getting invaluable experience and know-how, as players are learning by playing against some of the best teams in the world.

“The gap is big, of course,  with the likes of Portugal or Croatia, whom we have met in the preliminary round. But we are here to learn, the players are eager to do that and I think the benefits are immense for the future of the Canadian handball and for the future of this generation, which should be nurtured for the future,” says Kuypers.

The Canada men’s senior team has featured in three editions of the IHF Men’s World Championship, in 1967, 1978 and 2005. Each time, they conceded losses in all matches, as their balance reads 11 matches – 11 losses in the senior World Championship.

Yet the United States of America men’s senior team lost their first 25 matches at the IHF Men’s World Championship before winning five and drawing one in their last two appearances, in 2023 and 2025. That means that with the proper focus on growth, things can be achieved.

“Of course, we have a big ambition to succeed. I think that nurturing this generation is the place to start and we can grow further and further in the future, adding players from other generations and also finding more experienced players. Our main focus is to make handball more popular in Canada, which can help develop the sport further and enhance the chances of finding more players," adds Kuypers.

Obviously, the impediment for growth is also the funding, but the Canada Handball Federation has been trying to inject more money into the sport via sponsorships, yet this is not necessarily plain sailing, especially due to the nature of handball as an emerging sport in the country.

“There are companies which have a direct link to handball here supporting us. Companies set up by former players, or which have a direct link to current players. We are aiming to get more on board and to get some extra funding, because this is our main challenge in order to develop. We are also in contact with the IHF for some special programmes,” adds the President of the Canada Handball Federation.

The next step is contacting already well-established national federations around the world which can share the know-how and experience in order to facilitate a good transition for Canada. The idea is to get them on board and help develop Canadian players, but it is also a matter of identifying which blueprint fits better for the country.

Back to Poland 2025, Canada have lost all three matches so far, by a combined margin of 70 goals. Their luck in the draw was limited, facing Portugal and Croatia, two powerhouses renowned in the last decade for producing young talent, but an improvement has been seen against Algeria, where Canada lost 20:33.

While most of the 16 players brought by Canada to Poland 2025 are featuring domestically, there are also some players who are plying their trade abroad, such as Alfred Danielsson, who play in Sweden, for Karlskrona Handboll, or Simon Lefebvre-Gagnon, featuring in France.

And then, Colton Kuypers – the President’s son – who is also the top scorer of Canada in the competition, with 17 out of the 52 goals scored so far, has been now in Denmark for two years, in Skjern Handbold and Elitesport Vendsyssel.

“His dad played handball and now it is his turn and I am very proud of him, just like I am about all the players which are now in the squad. Our team is very young, one of the youngest here, and I really hope that we create the best possible scenario, where they will improve in the future,” adds Kuypers.

Indeed, Canada have only seven out of the 16 players in the roster who turned 20 years old so far and their average age is 19.1 years old, which, at this level, of course can become a crucial factor.

But the sole objective being to get more and more experience at the highest level, the plan is clear. And, who knows, maybe in the future, Canada will return to the IHF Men’s World Championship at one point.

“We surely hope that we will do that and this is why we are working for. This competition, who has been perfectly set up so far, can be our starting point in this adventure,” concludes Kuypers.