The opening matches in Group F saw a big difference between the rivals, as the Netherlands defeated Argentina by ten goals and Norway beat North Macedonia by an even wider margin.

If the Dutch and the Norwegians also win their matches on Sunday, both sides will secure progression to the main round. 

• 18:00 CET: North Macedonia vs Netherlands

On Friday, the Netherlands played their first Men's IHF World Championship match in 62 years and celebrated it in style, defeating Argentina 29:19. It was their maiden victory at this level, as back in 1961, they lost both matches they played.

"I was quite nervous before the match and it was because of the respect I have for Argentina. Now I'm satisfied. Above all, our defence and goalkeeping were good," said Netherlands' coach Staffan Olsson after the match.

A victory saw the Dutch making a big step towards the main round, and they will secure their progression if they defeat North Macedonia on Sunday. Actually, the two European sides have never faced each other in competitive matches.

North Macedonia, who are playing their eighth World Championship, have more international experience than the Dutch. However, now they are in a more difficult situation following a 27:39 defeat against Norway.

Similar to Olsson, North Macedonia's head coach Kiril Lazarov was a famous player in the past, but now he has a new role. And the 42-year-old knows for sure that his team is able to improve. 

"I think we will be better in the next match. The Netherlands are certainly an outstanding team, but we have a better chance for a positive result than against Norway," Lazarov said. 

• 20:30 CET: Norway vs Argentina

Seen as favourites of Group F, the Norwegians confirmed that status in their opening match, defeating North Macedonia by 12 goals and climbing to the top position in the group.

Having recently returned after a serious injury, Sander Sagosen demonstrated his good form, scoring six goals and making 11 assists in that encounter. The 27-year-old centre back once again showed how important he is for the national team.

However, Sagosen prefers not to emphasise his role. "There were many players who had a good day. We may have missed four 100% chances, but many good players make it easy for me to make the right choices," he said.

Norway's next rival will be Argentina, whom they defeated in the group stage of the 2020 Olympic tournament in Tokyo, 27:23. And at the World Championship, their only meeting took place 26 years ago at Japan 1997, when the European side won 27:22 in the preliminary round.

Argentina opened Poland/Sweden 2023 with a 10-goal defeat against the Netherlands and will find it hard to snatch any points from Norway. But their decisive match will most probably take place on Tuesday, when "The Gladiators" are scheduled to meet North Macedonia.