The picture for the teams which will advance from the European Qualification – Phase 2 for the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship is now clearer, with the first legs taking place throughout Europe on Wednesday and Thursday, but several clashes will still be under the microscope over the second legs, with serious potential of comebacks.

The biggest wins came from Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina, which dominated their home ties against Lithuania and Kosovo respectively, securing double-digit wins and taking a huge step towards progressing to the next round.

Line player Dragan Pechmalbec scored 10 goals for Serbia, which dominated the match from start to finish, taking a 21:12 lead at the break, which morphed into a 17-goal win, also thanks to some fantastic goalkeeping from Dejan Milosavljev, who had 21 saves, for a 45% saving efficiency. The winner of this tie is due to face Hungary in the European Qualification – Phase 3.

Bosnia Herzegovina served a fantastic performance in the second half against Kosovo, to power to a 34:21 win, limiting their opponents to only eight goals in the last 30 minutes of the match. Goalkeeper Zoran Radic had 13 saves for a 50% saving efficiency, while Mislav Grgic scored eight time for Bosnia, which had a 72% shooting percentage.

Poland also made a big step towards the the next phase, where they are due to meet Austria, after a 33:24 win against Latvia. The depleted Poland side took early control of the match, and duly continued to pounce in the second half, as Latvia did not have its star, Dainis Kristopans, in the squad.

Romania dominated Türkiye, 37:32, despite being depleted themselves, and with more injuries recorded in the match, which prompted two emergency call-ups for the second leg in Buzău on Sunday, while Montenegro also secured a 36:32 win against Finland, with Luka Radović, Radojica Čepić and Branko Vujović combining for 25 goals.

However, three doubleheaders were agonisingly close, all finishing with a difference of three goals, which prompts a quite well-balanced second leg this weekend.

It was a cat-and-mouse match between Greece and Belgium, with the lead changing hands six times, but the hosts eventually had the lion’s share, with a stronger finish in the second half, where Belgium actually took a three-goal lead riding a 6:0 start of the second part.

Achilleas Toskas scored eight goals for Greece in their 29:26 win, but the second leg in Belgium, scheduled for Saturday, will likely be another close one, where Greece need to focus on stopping Raphaël Kotters, who scored 13 goals.

Slovakia also took a crucial win against Ukraine, 27:24, as they aim to return to the IHF Men’s World Championship for the first time since 2011, with the away leg in Povaszka Bystrica deciding the team which will face North Macedonia in the Phase 3 of the European Qualifiers.

Another close tie was the one Georgia and Israel, where Israel produced a huge shock by taking a 32:29 win. Georgia took early control of the match, but without some key players, they failed to manage their performance. Right back Giorgi Tskhovrebadze scored 12 goals, but it was not enough for Georgia, which will now need a comeback on their home court in Telavi to progress to the next phase, where the winner of the clash must play against Spain.

European Qualification Phase 2  - results first leg

Ukraine vs Slovakia 24:27 (11:16)
Bosnia Herzegovina vs Kosovo 34:21 (15:13)
Finland vs Montenegro 32:36 (13:16)
Serbia vs Lithuania 42:25 (21:12)
Georgia vs Israel 29:32 (16:15)
Greece vs Belgium 29:26 (16:13)
Türkiye vs Romania 32:37 (15:19)
Latvia vs Poland 24:33 (12:17)