The first four groups of the preliminary round are now concluded, with a fiery Monday evening in Katowice, Krakow, Gothenburg and Kristianstad.

Undoubtedly the highest-profile clash was the one between Portugal and Hungary, which saw Paulo Pereira’s side clinch a 27:20 win, enough for them to secure the first place in the group. Portugal, Hungary and Iceland will all start with two points in the main round after conceding one loss each.

In Group B in Katowice, France dominated Slovenia (35:31), while co-hosts Poland made it to the main round after a hard-fought match against Saudi Arabia where they secured a 27:24 win.

Co-hosts Sweden steamrolled Uruguay for their third win in a row (47:12), while Brazil took a narrow 30:28 win over Cape Verde, as they start the main round with two points.

In Group A, Spain had no issues with the Islamic Republic of Iran, while Montenegro enjoyed a last-gasp win against Chile to ensure that they will start the next round with two points. 

Moving on to Tuesday, five main round berths are ready to be delivered, with the big battles being the ones in Groups G and H, in Jönköping and Malmö.

Reigning champions Denmark are through already, but Bahrain, Tunisia and Belgium are clashing for the other two spots in Group H, while Croatia, the USA and Morocco are vying for two places in Group G. 

Argentina face North Macedonia in a do-or-die clash in Group F for the last main round place, as in Group E Serbia face Qatar with the winners taking the points into the main round.

Talking about Belgium, the “Red Wolves” have been making waves at Poland/Sweden 2023 as the only rookies in the competition. Their win against Tunisia made them dream even higher now. 

Montenegro have also made it to the main round after returning to the competition after a 10-year hiatus, and we also featured them, with the players telling their story. 

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 Bjarki Már Elisson has taken the lead in the top goal scorer standings with 26 goals, while Montenegro’s Branko Vujović (25 goals) and Miloš Vujović (24 goals) are completing the podium of those standings.

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.