The preliminary round of the 28th IHF Men’s World Championship is now done and dusted, with the final eight matches taking place on Tuesday as the last main round berths and final answers were delivered in a full card.

The most important match was the one between Argentina and North Macedonia, with the winner clinching a main round berth. The South American side delivered a flawless performance to take a 35:26 win and progress to the next phase.

Germany and Serbia clinched important wins in Group E to start the main round with four and two points respectively, as Qatar enters the next phase with zero points.

Reigning champions Denmark will also start the main round with four points after their win against Tunisia, who were eliminated, as Belgium and Bahrain secured main round berths after the Asian side’s win (30:28) in the mutual match.

Croatia survived an early scare against Morocco to progress to the next round, joined by the USA, who made it despite their loss against Egypt. 

Ok, so let’s get to the point. The main round starts today with six matches, three in Krakow in Group I and three in Gothenburg in Group II.

The two hosts, Poland and Sweden, enter the arena and have the same thing in mind: winning at all costs. For Poland, it is a matter of do-or-die, as any other result than a win would virtually mean elimination. At the same time, Sweden aim to progress to the quarter-finals and extend their winning streak in this competition to four matches.

Take a look at the schedule for the main round and the President’s Cup here, bookmark the page and set your alarms for all the matches.

Let’s look at James Parker, Argentina’s player with a non-Argentinian name. He told us handball is his life and …who can blame him?

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 Elísson has taken the lead in the top goal scorer standings with 26 goals, while Denmark’s right back Mathias Gidsel matched his output in the first three matches. Montenegro’s Branko Vujović (25 goals) completes 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.