The 18th edition of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship will throw off on Friday, 26 September, in the New Administrative Capital in Egypt, with nine teams at the start, representing six continents.

Eight of the nine participants from the previous edition return to the competition now, with the European sides – title holders Veszprém, SC Magdeburg and FC Barcelona – being the favourites, with Al-Ahly being once again a dark horse, after finishing third in the previous edition of the competition.

But what are the things to watch for this edition of the competition?

European powerhouses aim for the title again

16 of the previous 17 editions of the competition have been won by European teams, with the only exception coming in the second edition, in 2002, when Qatari side Al-Sadd secured the title ahead of SC Magdeburg. Since then, only three times a non-European side finished second and the last nine finals were played between European sides.

The crop of favourites for this edition is truly impressive, bringing together the title holders, Veszprém HC, and the two teams with the largest number of trophies – FC Barcelona, five-time winners of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, and SC Magdeburg, which won the title in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and finished second in the previous edition.

Magdeburg will come in red-hot form, being the title holders in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League Men and currently second in the Bundesliga, with a single draw in five matches, but with a 39:32 win against Fuchse Berlin earlier in the season.

Barcelona have lost against Magdeburg, 21:22, in the Champions League earlier this season and will aim to win their first title in the IHF Men’s Club World Championship after 2019, while Veszprém HC aim to secure back-to-back trophies in Egypt, after Xavi Pascual’s side emerged victorious for the first time in history in the previous season.

Top stars to shine in Egypt

Reuniting some of the top club teams in the world, the 2025 IHF Men’s Club World Championship will also see some of the best players in the world take the court in the New Administrative Capital Covered Hall, trying to help their sides secure the trophy.

For FC Barcelona, Dika Mem is still a doubt due to injury, but the Spanish powerhouse, which won five titles in their history, still have a star-studded line-up, with the All-Star goalkeeper of the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, Emil Nielsen, right wing Aleix Gomez, line player Ludovic Fabregas or centre back Domen Makuc in their ranks, as well as rising stars Petar Cikusa, Djordje Cikusa and Ian Barrufet in the squad.

Magdeburg boast the Icelandic duo of Ómar Ingi Magnússon and Gísli Þorgeir Kristjánsson in their line-up, as well as line player Magnus Saugstrup or centre back Felix Claar, while Veszprém HC have assembled a stellar line-up, with Luka Cindrić, last year’s MVP Nedim Remili or Ivan Martinovic in their squad. The home fans will also be treated to four Egyptian players in the Hungarian side’s squad, with Ali Zein, Ahmed Adel, Ahmed Hesham and Yehia Elderaa coming back to their home country.

Beach handball fans will be treated with Ebiye Jeremy Udo Udoma in California Eagles’ squad, while Al-Ahly and Zamalek SC have plenty of talent in their squads, as homegrown players and Egyptian legends such as Ahmed Elahmar make the cut to boost their sides’ appeal over the next days.

Sydney Uni to boost their record

While FC Barcelona are the most decorated team in the history of the competition and will make their 11th appearance, the Spanish giants are not the team with the largest number of appearances. That record is still held by Australian side Sydney Uni, which will make their 12th appearance in 18 editions, missing out only once, in 2023, after making their debut in 2023.

Sydney Uni had their best finish in 2015, when they ended up on the fourth place, and finished seventh out of nine teams in the previous appearance, in 2024, winning against the California Eagles, 35:30. In total, over the last five appearances, Sydney Uni have two wins, one draw and 16 losses.

This time around, they will rely once again on a core of players who are based in Australia, but with several others coming from different parts of Europe, yet they will have a mountain to climb, facing Veszprém HC and Al-Ahly, which will likely mean that they will head for the placement matches, where they aim to secure one or two wins.

A new Asian team on the block

While eight of the nine participating teams are returning to the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, the only new side taking part in the competition are the Asian representatives, Sharjah SC. This is the first time they take part in the world club handball flagship competition, becoming the first team from the United Arab Emirates to ever don the court at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship.

They were the AHF Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship last year, as they lost the first match against Al-Kuwait, 29:30, following with yet another loss, 26:28, against Al-Rayyan, before clinching a 35:31 win against Al-Shabab to finish third, four points behind Al-Kuwait and one point behind Al-Rayyan.

They won the quarter-final against Sanat Mes Kerman, 35:26, the semi-final against Kazma SC, 28:27, in extra-time, and then shocked Saudi team Khaleej Club, 27:26, in the final. With a core formed by UAE players, while also having some Egyptian players in their extended roster, Sharjah SC hope to make a surprise or two in Egypt.

Can the California Eagles win their first match?

In the last edition, the California Eagles became the third team from the United States of America to ever feature at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, after the San Francisco CalHeat finished 10th in 2021 and 2023 and New York City THC ended up ninth in 2019.

The Eagles failed to win any match in their first appearance, but will now try to improve on that record, as they face SC Magdeburg and Sharjah SC in the preliminary round. Their coach last year, line player Gonzalo Carou, will now feature as a player, with fellow Argentinian coach Guillermo Milano taking over the team, after the Eagles won the North American and Caribbean Senior Club Championship back in July.