FC Barcelona secured their sixth title at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, confirming their status as the most decorated team in history, after a dramatic 31:30 win against Veszprém HC, the previous winners, with 80 minutes of intense drama in the New Administrative Capital Hall.

FINAL
Veszprém HC (HUN) vs FC Barcelona (ESP) 30:31 a.e.t. (12:13; 21:21)

Sixth title for Barcelona or the second consecutive one for Veszprém? Which of the two was going to become reality at the 2025 IHF Men’s Club World Championship?

The stage was set in the big battle for the title in the New Administrative Capital, as the two European powerhouses, interconnected by many threads of storylines, clashed for the title.

Barcelona won all their five titles at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship with Xavi Pascual on the bench, but the Spanish coach was now their rival, spearheading the title holders, Veszprém, as he had never previously lost a final in the competition before this year.

But was that going to change? Was that streak going to end?

Veszprém had dashed around SC Magdeburg in the semi-finals and looked as strong as ever, with impressive depth. But for the first 16 minutes of the match, they heavily relied on only two players – the French pair of left wing Hugo Descat and right back Nedim Remili – who scored all of their team’s five goals.

It was not about Veszprém not having the chances, but it was mostly about a fantastic performance from the two goalkeepers, with Veszprém’s Rodrigo Coralles having seven saves until that point, for a 58% saving efficiency, while his counterpart, Emil Nielsen, who will join Veszprém next summer, had six saves, for a 54% saving efficiency.

Therefore, it was no surprise that at this point, the two teams were still in a deadlock, 5:5, with Barcelona finally using a 3:0 unanswered run to take their maiden lead of the match, 6:5, after a seven minutes and 13 seconds stint without a goal from Veszprém, which derailed the Hungarian side and impacted their confidence.

With Barcelona constantly rotating in attack, with both Dika Mem and Blaz Janc acting as playmakers, they still had more to offer, but at the end of the first half they were leading by the slightest of margins, 13:12, as left wing Ian Barrufet was the team’s top scorer, with five goals.

Sure enough, Veszprém eventually put their depth to use and Ivan Martinovic scored three goals, but the Croatian right back alongside Mem and Remili combined for 10 of their team’s 12 goals, with only five different players entering the scoresheet.

But the plot had more twists and turns until the end. Barcelona needed more than three minutes and 30 seconds to score the first time in the second half and the title holders were already up by one goal, 14:13, at that point. One minute later, Dika Mem finally scored after two missed chances to put Barcelona back ahead, 15:14.

Suddenly, though, Veszprém were in disarray in attack. Losing centre back Luka Cindric to a knee injury did not help their morale, but after scoring only once between the 32nd and the 45th minutes, Barcelona were up three goals, 18:15, as the Hungarian side was missing key shot after key shot, letting too much on the table.

Yet the last three finals of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, with both Veszprém and Barcelona part of them once, have gone to overtime, with such a scenario hovering over this match too.

Veszprém did managed to put together a 3:0 unanswered run, as Barcelona were not able to score even with a seven-on-six tactic deployed by Antonio Carlos Ortega, but with eight minutes to go on the clock, Barcelona were still one goal ahead, 19:18, as the battle between Coralles and Nielsen was still on.

But once again, for the fourth edition in a row, the final went to overtime. This time, Barcelona scored only eight goals in the second half, as Veszprém’s defence stood tall, with the score deadlocked, 21:21, after 60 minutes, in the lowest-scoring final in the history of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship.

So just like last year, the two teams went to extra-time, where Veszprém scored 10 goals in the previous edition in 10 mintues to beat Barcelona. And, once again, the Hungarian side proved to have the better nerves.

Last edition’s MVP, Nedim Remili, took over and scored twice in the first overtime period to boost his team’s chances, 26:24. Veszprém looked to be cruising to the win, only that the IHF Men’s Club World Championship final is a magical and dramatic place. And once again, Barcelona bounced back and forced 10 more minutes of overtime.

And this is where the game was decided. First, Barcelona did not concede for the first four minutes and 23 seconds. But Veszprém bounced back and scored twice in 37 seconds to tie again, 28:28, with five minutes to go before penalties. With two and a half minutes to go it was still anyone’s match, 29:29.

But the ending was dramatic. Veszprém had the chance to take the win in the last seconds, but a turnover costed them the title, as they were punished by Aleix Gomez Abello, who scored the decisive goal with 10 seconds left, through an open-goal shot, punishing Veszprém’s seven-on-six tactic. Yet Barcelona could not have done it without Emil Nielsen, who recorded 27 saves, for an outstanding 49% saving efficiency over 80 minutes.

For the first time in six years, Barcelona have won the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, after finishing the last edition on the fourth place. Veszprém lost their second final from three played.