The Faroe Islands secured the 13th main round spot at Poland 2025, with a clear win over Romania, 35:28, and will start the next phase with two points, while Algeria, Argentina and Bahrain clinched their maiden wins, starting the President’s Cup with two points.

Group F
Romania vs Faroe Islands 28:35 (15:18)

With Romania already qualified to the main round, the Faroe Islands could have still made it into the next phase with a loss, but it was clear that the Nordic side was going to gun for the win, especially as in that case, they would have taken the two points in the next phase of the competition.

This was also a battle between the top two scorers of the competition, Faroe’s Oli Mittun (26 goals) and Romania’s Daniel Stanciuc (24 goals), one which was dominated, at least in the first half, where Mittun had six goals and four assists, as opposed to Stanciuc’s three goals and one assist.

Nevertheless, with the Faroe Islands delivering an aggressive 4-2 defence throughout most of the first half, Romania had to think of creative ways to overcome it and mostly they tried to pass the ball to their line players, with Andrei Oancea scoring three times from five shots and Alexandru Focșăneanu having one goal.

And Romania even took the lead after 20 minutes, 12:11, the first time in the match, after being forced to play from behind for the first the first part of the match, as Mittun once again ran the show in fantastic fashion, totally dominating the Romania defence.

Yet when Romania pushed the pedal, they really punished the Faroe Islands, leading up until the 26th minute, 14:13, when their attack collapsed, their shooting efficiency dropped from 70% to 60% and their opponents scored four goals in quick succession to take an 18:15 lead into the break.

But what was going to happen in the second half? Had Romania enough in the tank to produce a comeback? The answer was no, as Mittun continued to run the show, despite not scoring at his usual pace.

In fact, the backbone of Faroe’s win came between the 40th and the 48th minutes, when in that spain, the Faroe Islands scored eight times, with Romania mustering a single goal, only through right back Codrin Radu, with Stanciuc relegated more to a creative role.

Faroe’s defence was sharp and strong, stopping all of Romania’s mighty attempts, including a seven-on-six tactic deployed by coach Adrian Petrea, when the win was already out of reach, with Faroe taking a 30:21 lead.

Eventually, the Nordic side secured a 35:28 win, winning the group and securing the first place in the final standings, as they will start the main round with two points, where they are due to face Denmark and France, looking for the second consecutive quarter-finals berth. Romania will start with zero points, as they lost their maiden match of the competition.

Player of the Match: Niklas Gaard (Faroe Islands)

Group B
Argentina vs Brazil 30:29 (14:14)

Before the game, it was clear that both South American sides would head to the President's Cup, but each was determined to claim their first points at Poland 2025. In an extremely hard-fought match, it was Argentina who snatched the win and finished third in Group B, leaving Brazil behind.

The rivals know each other well—last year, they met in the final of the 2024 South and Central America Junior Handball Championship in Managua, where Argentina edged a close contest, 26:25. Today’s match confirmed that both teams are on a very similar level, and history nearly repeated itself, as the Argentines again won by just one goal.

Argentine player Lucas Obregon opened the scoring in the third minute, but Brazil hit back, with a couple of goals from Vinicius Perin helping them take a 5:3 lead. In response, Santiago Laborde sparked Argentina’s 3:0 run, and from that point on, neither team managed to pull ahead by more than one goal for most of the first half.

Brazil’s Radael Uglar received a blue card for a rough challenge on Lucas Lozano, but the match continued in the same tense rhythm, with both sides trading goals. With less than two minutes left in the half, Brazil finally gained a two-goal advantage at 12:10, yet Argentina levelled the score again, as Juan Gull converted a free throw in the final second before halftime.

It remained anyone’s game in the second half, with the teams continuing to trade goals. Once again, neither side could establish a clear lead until Obregon, who was named Player of the Match, pulled Argentina ahead 27:25 in the 53rd minute.

Obregon finished as the joint top scorer of the game alongside teammate Nicolas Rodriguez, with both players netting nine goals and combining for 18 of Argentina’s 30 total. Brazil had a chance to equalise in the final minute, but Kayky Martins de Oliveira missed his shot, handing Argentina a narrow 30:29 victory.

Player of the Match: Lucas Obregon (Argentina)

Group D
Algeria vs Canada 33:20 (14:7)

Algeria grabbed their first win at Poland 2025, defeating Canada in the final match of Group D. Both teams now move on to the President's Cup, with Algeria taking important points with them.

Both teams knew their fate before the throw-off—the President's Cup awaited—but this match still carried significance. The winner would carry points into the placement round, and neither side wanted to miss that opportunity.

The opening minutes were evenly contested, with both teams trading goals and keeping pace. Algeria, the favourites in this match, eventually found breathing room after the 10th minute. Led by Mohamed Cherif Zhoual, they pulled away to a 6:3 advantage. Canada responded through their standout performer, Matthew Coghill, closing the gap to 7:5 and showing signs of momentum.

When goalkeeper Nael Bisou entered and made five saves from his first nine shots faced, Canada looked ready to push further. But a string of turnovers cost them, and the gap held. As the first half progressed, Algeria began to capitalise on those mistakes. The lead grew once again, and by the time the halftime buzzer sounded, Algeria had reasserted control with a seven-goal cushion (14:7).

Algeria's strong finish to the first half carried into the early moments of the second, keeping Canada at arm's length. But then came Colton Kuypers, whose back-to-back goals brought Canada back into the game. From eight goals down, Canada cut the deficit to just three at 15:18, threatening a comeback.

The shift in momentum forced Algeria into a timeout—and it proved to be the right decision. The 2024 African Junior Championship bronze medallists regrouped, tightened their defence, and within minutes, Algeria restored control. By the 55th minute, they had stretched the lead to 27:17, their first double-digit advantage of the match, effectively sealing the win.

Player of the Match: Mohamed Cherif Zhoual (Algeria)

Group H
Bahrain vs Saudi Arabia 26:24 (12:13)

Both sides were already out of contention, but an Asian derby is always interesting to watch and hard to predict, especially as this match would surely boost the winning side’s chances for a better finish at the end of the competition, with the points taken into the President’s Cup.

And for most of the first half, it looked like Saudi Arabia were in control, taking an early 5:3 lead after only nine minutes. But a 3:0 run from Bahrain, supported by another 2:0 run, with Maitham Mahdi and Mahmood Yusuf running the show, turned the match on its head, with Bahrain taking a 8:7 lead.

But with five minutes and 46 seconds without a goal from Bahrain, which saw Saudi Arabia score four unanswered goals, the lead changed hands once again, 9:12, yet in the end of the first half there was only one goal separating the two teams, 13:12 for Saudi Arabia. And it looked like Saudi Arabia were going to take the win, opening a four-goal lead, 19:15, with 20 minutes to go.

However, from that moment on, they could only score five goals, as Yusuf finished the match with seven goals, followed by Abbas Ali, with six goals, as Bahrain's goalkeepers had a 35% saving efficiency between them. A 7:2 run to finish the match was enough for Bahrain to secure a crucial 26:24 win, with the Asian side emerging victorious, after a strong match between two evenly-matched sides.

Player of the Match: Ahmed Alobaidi (Saudi Arabia)