Draw provides high-profile clashes for the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship

28 Jan. 2025

Draw provides high-profile clashes for the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship

The draw for the preliminary round of the 25th IHF Men’s Junior (Under-21) World Championship took place on Tuesday, 28 January, on the outskirts of the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, in Oslo.

32 teams are confirmed at the start of the competition, the second ediiton in history with this number of teams in the line-up, after Germany/Greece 2023. Currently, there are 17 European teams, four African teams, four Asian sides, three teams from the South and Central American Confederation and two from the North and Caribbean Handball Confederation qualified.

As per the IHF Rules and Regulations, Poland, the hosting country, had the prerogative of assigning a qualified team to each host city, as well as choosing their group, with the rest of the Pot 1 teams, assigning them to a venue.

Hosts Poland will be playing in Group A, in Płock, alongside Norway, Slovenia and Uruguay, a tough proposition for the hosts, as only two teams will make it in the main round.

Reigning champions Germany will head to Group G in Kielce, alongside two other European sides, Serbia and Switzerland, plus African powerhouse Tunisia.

The runners-up of the previous edition of the competition, Hungary, will be headed to Group B, in Sosnowiec, where they are due to face Austria, Argentina and Brazil.

Three European sides will face off in Group F, with Iceland, the bronze medallist from the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, facing North Macedonia and Romania, plus a substitute side, as the place reserved for the Oceania Continent Handball Federation is unoccupied and the IHF is currently in the process of finding a replacement nation.

In Group D, Portugal will face Croatia, Algeria and the  IHF InterContinental Trophy winner, a competition due to take place in Kosovo, between 11 and 16 March.

Another tough group seems to bee Group E, with Denmark and France on a collision path, alongside Morocco and Mexico. In Group H, Spain will face Egypt, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, in yet another fascinating group.

The 25th IHF Men’s Junior World Championship will take place in four venues – Płock, Sosnowiec, Katowice and Kielce - in Poland between 18 and 29 June.

2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship – draw results

Group A (in Płock):
Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Uruguay
Group B (in Sosnowiec): Austria, Hungary, Argentina, Brazil
Group C (in Płock): Sweden, Japan, Republic of Korea, United States of America
Group D (in Sosnowiec): Portugal, Croatia, Algeria, IHF Trophy InterContinental winner
Group E (in Katowice): Denmark, France, Morocco, Mexico
Group F (in Katowice): Iceland, North Macedonia, Romania, TBC
Group G (in Kielce): Germany, Tunisia, Serbia, Switzerland
Group H (in Kielce): Spain, Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia