Slovenia secured the first place in Group I, after their convincing 37:31 win against Hungary, while Norway and Austria drew, 27:27, with the Scandinavian side progressing to the quarter-finals alongside Slovenia.

MAIN ROUND GROUP I
Slovenia vs Hungary 37:31 (22:15)

Slovenia's quarter-final spot had been secured already before the match, but Klemen Luzar's team did their best to leapfrog Norway and finish top of Group I. A win by at least four goals was enough to reach that objective, and the Slovenes managed to do it, taking a six-goal victory.

Hungary, who were certain to finish fourth in the group regardless of their last main round match result, opened a 2:1 lead in the early minutes. But the individual efforts of Lun Ključanin and Aljuš Anžič helped Slovenia to turn the tide quite soon. Following a 4:0 run, they pulled in front 5:2 and never looked back.

The 17-year-old centre back Aljuš Anžič demonstrated his big potential once again, having a special impact in the first half, when he converted all his eight attempts. His accuracy helped Slovenia to boast an 85% shot efficiency before the break, so their 22:15 lead looked well-deserved.

Hungary were the runners-up at the previous edition of the IHF Men's World Junior Championship, at Germany/Greece 2023, but this time they came up short. After beating Brazil and Argentina early in the competition, they went on to suffer three defeats against the European rivals and will now relocate to Sosnowiec for the Placement Matches 13–16.

The unstoppable Anžič maintained a 100% shooting efficiency throughout the game, scoring 11 goals from 11 attempts, including five from the 7m line. His team led by nine goals several times during the second half, and while Hungary cut the gap in the closing minutes, Slovenia's win was never in question.

Player of the Match: Aljuš Anžič (Slovenia)

Norway vs Austria 27:27 (12:11)

In a thrilling match, Norway led for a long time but ultimately narrowly escaped defeat—however, a draw was enough for the Scandinavian side to reach the quarter-final. This result was also good news for Slovenia, who are also through regardless of their result against Hungary later today. In turn, Austria finished third in Group I and will head to the Placement Matches 9–12.

In a rather low-scoring first half, the goalkeepers of both sides had a big impact, just as they had done in most previous matches at Poland 2025. Norway’s Henrik Ibsen delivered nine saves for a 45% saving rate, and Austria’s Leon Theodor Bergmann also stopped nine shots for a 43% save efficiency.

The Austrians took an early 2:1 lead, but Ibsen’s saves combined with good defence helped Norway hit back quickly. The Scandinavians used a 5:0 run to take a 6:2 lead, and although Austria improved their attack as the match progressed, Norway still enjoyed a four-goal advantage in the 27th minute, 11:7.

However, Austria refused to give up, and their 4:1 run late in the first half saw them cut the deficit to just one goal at the break. Norway had a fresh start in the second half, as three goals from right wing Kasper Iversen lifted them to a 4:0 run before Austria scored their first goal after the restart in the 38th minute. The game became more balanced in the next minutes, but as Austria lacked accuracy in attack, and Bergmann’s saving rate somewhat dropped compared to the opening half, the Scandinavians enjoyed a 20:14 lead in the 45th minute.

However, Austria showed their fighting spirit, as they started playing more aggressively in defence and tried to mount a strong comeback. Norway looked shaky and made a lot of mistakes, and following a long chase, Nils Moser equalized at 23:23 in the 55th minute before Nico Sager handed the Austrians a 25:24 lead two minutes later.

An exchange of goals followed in the nerve-wracking closing minutes, and following Norway’s timeout, Preben Gram drew level at 27:27 with 24 seconds to go. Austria also took a timeout, but in their last attack, Jonas Kofler lost the ball, and it was Norway who were the happy side after the final whistle.

Player of the Match: Kasper Iversen (Norway)