FC Barcelona secured their place in the final of the 2026 IHF Men’s Club World Championship, with a 39:29 win over Zamalek Club, their second in a row in this edition.

GROUP A
FC Barcelona (ESP) vs Zamalek Club (EGY) 39:29 (20:12)

Reigning champions Barcelona are 60 minutes away from their seventh title at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, after securing their second win in a row in this edition of the competition.

After the 44:33 win against E.C. Pinheiros two days ago, Barcelona were put under pressure by Zamalek Club, but the Egyptian side, who lost by 22 goals against the European champions in the previous edition, 47:25, improved this time around and even managed to snatch the lead in the first minutes of the match.

Backed by 500 raucous fans, who sang from start to finish, Zamalek enjoyed a strong start and took a 4:2 lead, but Barcelona were in no mood of creating issues for themselves and tried to solve the match as fast as possible, for Carlos Ortega to rest his starters as much as possible.

Barca went then on a 4:0 unanswered run, with two goals from left win Daniel Fernandez, but it was more about a collective effort rather than one individual standing out in the Spanish team’s effort.

Zamalek’s first signs of weakening came when Ahmed Hafez conceded a red card for a foul against Timothey N’Guessan after only seven minutes, and after Barca’s 4:0 run, another 5:0 unanswered run spurred by line players Luis Frade and Ludovic Fabregas provided a great springboard for Barcelona’s win.

By that time, the leas was only six goals, 12:6, but it grew to eight goals at the break, 20:12, as Barcelona showed no signs of stopping in attack, especially after scoring 44 goals against Pinheiros in the first match.

While the output in the second half might have been lower by one goal, Barca’s coach, Antonio Carlos Ortega, managed to rest all his players, trying different line-ups, including a two-pivot and two backs setup, but Barcelona still managed to control the match expertly.

Zamalek’s promising right back, Youssef Ahmed, did his part, scoring eight goals throughout the match, but could not usher a comeback for the Egyptian side, who had their two-match winning streak stopped in its tracks by Barcelona, whose best scorers were Ludovic Fabregas and Ian Barrufet with seven oals each, while Luis Frade had six goals.

With their 39:29 win, the reigning champions secured mathematically the first place in the group, boasting a four-points tally, two points over Zamalek and Pinheiros. With wins against both sides, in a head-to-head tie, provided that Barca lose against Montada, the European champions will secure the first place.

Zamalek still have to place Pinheiros and they need at least a draw to finish second, heading to the bronze-medal match on the final day of the 2026 IHF Men’s Club World Championship.

Player of the Match: Ludovic Fabregas (FC Barcelona)