Seven more teams progressed to the main round of the 28th IHF Men’s World Championship on Sunday evening, as all the 32 teams have now played twice in the preliminary round.

Reigning champions Denmark extended their unbeaten run in the competition to 21 matches with a win against Bahrain. At the same time, in the same Group H, Belgium clinched their first-ever win against Tunisia in a huge surprise. 

Germany, Serbia and Qatar all progressed from Group E, while Norway secured their berth emphatically against Argentina.

With their second win in as many matches, Egypt are also through to the next phase of the competition as they project to be a very strong side at Poland/Sweden 2023.

Let’s look forward to Monday, as four groups of the preliminary round will end, with high-profile clashes ready to decide the future of 16 teams. In Group A, Spain face the Islamic Republic of Iran, while Montenegro need a win against Chile to be sure of starting the next phase with two points.

The most exciting clash will probably be the one in Katowice, where two unbeaten teams, France and Slovenia, face off, with the winner starting with four points in the main round group in Krakow. 

The three qualified teams are already known in Group C, where Brazil aim to beat Cape Verde to start with two points in the next phase, while Portugal meet Hungary in a mouthwatering clash to conclude Group D in Kristianstad.

We talked a bit about Cape Verde, so let’s get to know them better through the words of their captain Leandro Semedo, who talked to us about their rise, an unprecedented one in the last few years. 

Morten Soubak is an interesting coach who has seen it all: he has coached men’s and women’s teams and has already been leading sides on four different continents. Now he is the Saudi Arabia senior men’s team assistant and is trying to improve handball in that part of the world. 

The Netherlands are one of the teams that impressed at Poland/Sweden 2023, winning their first-ever match in the competition and also clinching a main round berth after only two matches. Find out more about them here. 

Iran’s goalkeeper Mohammad Siavoshishahenayati has been an outstanding player for his team and we learnt more about him in this feature. 

All the statistics, tailor-made for everyone, are just one click away, so you can follow your favourite player and see who’s the best scorer, the best assists provider and the best goalkeeper. 

Iceland’s left wing Bjárki Mar Elisson has taken the lead in the top goal scorer standings with 18 goals, as many as Denmark’s right back Mathias Gidsel, the MVP at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Curious about where you can follow your team on TV? Don’t worry, we also got you covered – just click here!

Don’t forget you can also win prizes by predicting the results of the matches at Poland/Sweden 2023. 

The IHF is working hard to bring you the very best from what is sure to be an exciting competition, and wherever you are, there are many ways to follow the action! Make sure you stay up to date, follow our social media channels and find out which was the pic of the day and the best actions of the day! 

You can also check the best plays from the first day on our Facebook and Instagram accounts, with plenty of mouthwatering goals ready to be seen.