Poland/Sweden 2023 saw Algeria finish on the lowest position in history at the IHF Men’s World Championship, as the African side’s 16th appearance in the competition saw them seal a single win in seven matches, ending up on the 31st position, breaking a six-match losing streak in the Placement Match 31/32, with a hard-fought 34:33 win over Uruguay.

In fact, in Algeria’s previous three appearances in the competition, at Qatar 2015, Egypt 2021 and Poland/Sweden 2023, the African side secured only two wins in 20 matches, conceding 18 losses, with Algeria ending up on the last place in 2015, the second to last place in 2023 and making it to the main round in 2021, where they finished 22nd.

This time around, though, the ambitions are higher, as Algeria are entering the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship as the runners-up of the 2024 CAHB African Men’s Handball Championship, the best performance in the continental competition since 2014, when they won the title on their home court.

Last January, Algeria secured five wins, including clear wins against DR Congo in the quarter-finals, 36:23, and against Cape Verde in the semi-finals, 32:26, before eventually being left with no chance against champions Egypt, which Algeria found too strong, conceding a 21:29 loss.

They did not meet their fellow African counterparts, Tunisia, in the continental championship, but Tunisia will be Algeria’s opponents in the preliminary round at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, with a fantastic African derby scheduled in the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, Denmark.

Algeria will definitely face a mountain to climb against reigning champions Denmark, but the battle for the other two places which will deliver main round berths will be fiery, as Algeria and Tunisia are joined by Italy, which will come back at the IHF Men’s World Championship for the first time since 1997.

Nevertheless, Algeria have an interesting squad, mixing youth and experience. Undoubtedly, their star will be right back Ayoub Abdi, who scored 22 goals in this season in the EHF Champions League Men for HBC Nantes, adding 30 more in the French league, where he has an average of 2.79 goals per match.

Abdi is not the only experienced player in the squad, as Algeria will rely once again on experienced back Messaoud Berkous, who is 34 years old, as well as goalkeeper Khalifa Ghedbane, who has extended experience in the European competitions, currently plying his trade at HC Erlangen, in the German Bundesliga.

Key players: Ayoub Abdi (right back), Messaoud Berkous (centre back), Khalifa Ghedbane (goalkeeper)

Qualification: CAHB 2024 African Men's Handball Championship: 2nd

History in the competition: 1974: 15th, 1982: 16th, 1986: 16th, 1990: 16th, 1995: 16th, 1997: 17th, 1999: 15th, 2001: 13th, 2003: 18th, 2005: 17th, 2009: 19th, 2011: 15th, 2013: 17th, 2015: 24th, 2021: 22nd, 2023: 31st

Group at CRO/DEN/NOR 2025: Group B (Denmark, Italy, Algeria, Tunisia)