A German side will win the title for the sixth time at the IHF Men’s Super Globe, when Füchse Berlin and SC Magdeburg clash in the big final of the 2023 edition in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, as the only two unbeaten sides lock horns in a battle for the ages.

FC Barcelona and Industria Kielce will tough it out for the bronze, as six matches are scheduled in the last day of the 2023 IHF Men’s Super Globe.

FINAL 
20:15 AST Füchse Berlin (GER) vs SC Magdeburg (GER)

After 16 editions, the IHF Men’s Super Globe have its first 100% German final, as the two unbeaten sides, Füchse Berlin and SC Magdeburg, face off in the battle for the coveted trophy. Both sides have won the title twice, Füchse in 2015 and 2016, and Magdeburg in 2021 and 2022, with the winner becoming only the second team in history to clinch three Super Globe titles, after Barcelona.

Magdeburg are on a 12-game winning streak at the IHF Men’s Super Globe, and also have the chance to become only the second team in history, once again after Barcelona, to three-peat, as they have been looking sharp.

Since September, the reigning champions have won 12 games on the trot in all competitions, as they shook off some rust in the start of the season, but will be facing another team that is yet to be beaten this season in all competition, Füchse Berlin, who have won 14 matches and drew three so far since August.

The “Foxes” will have somewhat of a gap to bridge, after they expended plenty of energy in the 35:34 win in the semi-final against Barcelona, with the 10 minutes of extra-time being important in the recovery, as they will play their fourth game in six days in Dammam.

Yet for Füchse, the IHF Men’s Super Globe is somewhat of a premium prize, having featured in the final in each of the five editions they started. After winning the 2015 and 2016 editions, they ended up on the second place in 2017 and 2018, while Magdeburg have won both finals they played, against Barcelona, in the previous two editions.

The two Bundesliga teams – who are on the top two places in their domestic league – know each other well, having faced off nine times in the previous three years, with Magdeburg taking seven wins and Füchse only two. They also met in the final of the 2020/21 season of the EHF European League Men, when Magdeburg clinched the title, with a 28:25 win.

Their most recent match, played two months ago, on 6 September, saw Füchse take a 31:26 win against Magdeburg, the last loss this season for the title holders in the IHF Men’s Super Globe.

Füchse and Magdeburg have the two best scorers in the competition so far, with Mathias Gidsel leading the way with 36 goals, while Magdeburg’s Daniel Pettersson scored 26 goals, all in the match against the University of Queensland. Yet Füchse still have the best attack, with 120 goals so far, followed six goals behind by Magdeburg.

BRONZE MEDAL MATCH
17:30 AST FC Barcelona (ESP) vs Industria Kielce (POL)

Over the last 13 years, FC Barcelona and Industria Kielce have met 15 times, with the Spanish side taking 11 wins, Kielce securing three wins and one game ending in the draw. This will be the second consecutive season when the two teams face off at the IHF Men’s Super Globe, after Barca took a 39:28 win in the semi-finals in the last edition.

Most recently, the two sides also met in March 2023 in the EHF Champions League Men, with Barca extending their winning streak against the Polish side to four games, after a 32:31 win.

The most decorated team in the history of the competition, Barca, have never missed the podium in any of the previous eight appearance at the IHF Men’s Super Globe, and are aiming to preserve that streak, as a loss would bring their worst-ever finish in a competition where they won 28 of the 32 matches they played.

On the other hand, Kielce have never finished lower than the third position, where they ended up in 2016 and 2022, after losing both semi-finals. They are also coming after a painful loss against Magdeburg, 24:28, which prevented them to qualify for their first-ever final at the IHF Men’s Super Globe.

In terms of goals conceded, Barca (75) and Kielce (74) measure up well, but the Spanish side has scored 14 more goals so far, 114, than the Polish side’s 100, therefore Talant Dujshebaev’s side might have a tougher challenge on its hands.

PLACEMENT MATCH 5/6
15:15 AST Al-Ahly (EGY) vs Khaleej Club (KSA)

A match between these two sides is always going to be fiery, just the previous won sealed by Khaleej Club against Al-Najma Club on Saturday, when the Saudi side clinched a 27:24 win. Another win against Al-Ahly, which would be Khaleej’s third in a row at the 2023 IHF Men’s Super Globe, would also bring the best-ever finish for the Saudi side, after they finished sixth in the last edition.

On the other hand, Al-Ahly have failed to make the semi-finals for the second season in a row, but they did show strength in their two wins so far, 38:20 against Al-Noor and 35:25 against Kuwait SC, proving too strong for the Gulf teams, with an excellent attack proving unstoppable at times.

Khaleej will have once again Mamdouh Shebib and Petar Nenadic at their disposal, with the Serbian back being both the top scorer and the top assists provider for the Saudi club, having scored 13 goals and dishing 13 assists in the three games he played so far. In fact, Nenadic had a direct hand in 26 of Khaleej’s 95 goals so far, therefore being the fulcrum of their attack.

On the other hand, only four teams have a better average of goals scored in the competition so far than Al-Ahly, the four European sides, therefore Khaleej look to have a tough challenge to stop the Egyptian powerhouse, who has an average of 33 goals scored per match so far.

PLACEMENT MATCH 7/8
13:15 AST Kuwait SC (KUW) vs Al-Najma Club (BRN)

Another fiery clash against an Asian opponent is on the cards for Al-Najma Club, after the Bahraini side lost on Saturday against Khaleej Club, 24:27, and headed to the Placement Match 7/8.

Both sides have delivered some good performances so far in the competition, with Al-Najma losing against Kielce by only one goal in the preliminary round, 26:27, yet both sides have lost two of the three matches they played so far.

Al Najma will have an advantage in the goalkeeping department, with their shot stoppers making the second largest number of saves after three matches, 51, with an excellent saving percentage, 40.8%

Yet Kuwait have scored 15 more goals in the competition, as they will aim to finish seventh, after having already sealed their best-ever placement, improving on their ninth place from the previous edition.

PLACEMENT MATCH 9/10
11:15 AST Al-Noor (KSA) vs San Francisco CalHeat (USA)

After finishing seventh in the 2021 edition of the IHF Men’s Super Globe, Al-Noor cannot go higher than the ninth place this time, as the Saudi team secured only one win in three matches so far in Dammam.

For them to seal the ninth place, the hosts must win against the San Francisco CalHeat, which just stopped a five-game losing streak in the competition, sealing their maiden win in the IHF Men’s Super Globe, 27:22, against the University of Queensland.

Both sides are ranking high in the number of turnovers so far in this edition of the competition, placing second and third, with the CalHeat’s 61 attacks finished via a turnover being bettered only by Al-Noor’s 62 turnovers and UQ’s 81 turnovers.

The two teams are also matched virtually equal in terms of goals scored so far, placing 10th and 11th after three matches, with Al-Noor scoring 70 goals and the CalHeat being on 72 goals scored.

PLACEMENT MATCH 11/12
09:15 AST San Fernando HB (ARG) vs University of Queensland (AUS)

The two teams which lost all their three matches played so far in the competition will clash in the first match of the day, with the sole aim of securing their first-ever win at the IHF Men’s Super Globe, with both being debutants in the competition.

After big losses in their first two matches, both San Fernando and the University of Queensland have balanced the scales in the previous matches on Saturday, with the Argentinian side coming close to surprise Al-Noor, 29:31, while UQ conceded a 22:27 loss against San Francisco CalHeat.

The big question will be if UQ can stop San Fernando’s attack, as the two sides have the largest number of goals conceded so far, with the Australian side shipping 130 goals, while the Argentinian team has 107 conceded goals. But on the other hand, San Fernando, which usually deploys a seven-on-six attack, has scored 92 goals, 30 more than their rivals in this match in the first three matches in the 2023 IHF Men’s Super Globe.