Three European teams and one African side have qualified for the semi-finals of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship for the third time in the last four editions. The final of the last edition will now be played in the semi-finals, with Veszprém taking on Magdeburg, while Barcelona aim to boost their chances for the first title since 2019 when they face home side Al-Ahly in the New Administrative Capital Hall in Egypt.

Semi-finals
17:15 EEST Veszprém HC (HUN) vs SC Magdeburg (GER)
20:00 EEST FC Barcelona (ESP) vs Al-Ahly (EGY)

Placement Matches 5/6
15:00 EEST Sharjah SC (UAE) vs Zamalek SC (EGY)

Consolation Round
12:45 EEST Handebol Taubaté (BRA) vs Sydney Uni (AUS)

What to expect: The four semi-finalists from last year are facing off again, but this time, the two semi-finals will see the last edition’s finalists collide, with the bronze medal match also replayed in this phase of the competition. 

This will be the third match between Al-Ahly and FC Barcelona at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship in the last calendar year. The two sides met  twice in 2024 – with Barcelona taking a 31:23 win in the preliminary round and Al-Ahly winning, 32:29, in the bronze medal match. Barcelona, the most decorated team in the history of the competition, are still looking for their maiden title since 2019.

Magdeburg and Veszprém have met three times in the past year. In the final of the last edition of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, the Hungarian side edged the win in extra-time, sealing their maiden trophy in the competition, 34:33. But Magdeburg avenged that loss in the Champions League quarter-finals, securing a 54:53 aggregate win to secure an EHF FINAL4 berth and go on and win the title.

Players to watch: The top three scorers are all wings who are playing in the semi-finals. Veszprém’s French left wing Hugo Descat is leading the way, with 18 goals, followed by Al-Ahly’s Omar Hassan and Barcelona’s Daniel Fernandez, who both scored 16 goals. Fernandez only played one match so far, in the win against Taubaté, becoming the second-best scorer in a single match in the competition. Barcelona’s Ian Barrufet (13 goals) and Dika Mem (12 goals) are also not far behind the best scorers in the competition.

Stat of the day: SC Magdeburg have played in all the last four finals of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship. Only one team have had more consecutive finals berths in history – FC Barcelona – five betweeen 2017 and 2022.