Füchse Berlin and Burgan SC opened the last day of the 2026 IHF Men’s Club World Championship with wins, finishing fifth and seventh respectively in the final standings.

PLACEMENT MATCH 5/6
E.C. Pinheiros (BRA) vs Füchse Berlin (GER) 27:31 (13:17)

Surely disappointed after their losses against Veszprem and Al Ahly, Füchse Berlin played against Pinheiros to finish fifth in the final standings and, while this was their worst finishing position at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, they also needed to save face.

Still, their top player, Mathias Gidsel, only stayed on the bench for the 60 minutes against the Brazilian side, but Füchse did play better than against Al Ahly, taking the lead and never looking back in the first half.

After Pinheiros took an early lead, 2:1, Füchse went on a 3:0 run and established a two-goal lead, as the Brazilian side was always forced to play from behind. A much more collective play from Füchse saw nine players score in the first 35 minutes of the match, but with only Tobias Grondahl scoring five times until then, the gap was still manageable for Pinheiros.

At the break, Füchse had a four-goal lead, 17:13, with their rhythm surely slowed down by Gidsel’s absence, as the Brazilian side somehow managed to stay afloat, despite goalkeeper Lasse Ludwig boasting a 14-save tally until the 39th minute, when Füchse were up four goals, 21:17.

Simply put, Pinheiros lacked the efficiency in attack, with Gabriel Reis and Marcos Oliveira, two of their backs, missing 13 shots between them from 18 tries, but Füchse were also lacking in concentration in attack, with goalkeeper Gonzalo Guerra also saving at a 33% rate for Pinheiros.

With more experience on their side, Füchse managed the end of the match without a hitch, opening a seven-goal lead, 29:22, with seven minutes to go, as Grondahl ended with seven goals, while left wing Aitor Arino and left back Matthias Langhoff added five each, eventually seeing Füchse over the line, 31:27.

With their second win in four matches, Füchse Berlin ended up fifth, their lowest ranking in their appearances in the competition, while Pinheiros finish sixth, an uptick of one place over the previous South American representant, Handebol Taubaté, who finished seventh in the 2025 edition.

Player of the Match: Lasse Ludwig (Füchse Berlin)

PLACEMENT MATCH 7/8
Montada (MAR) vs Burgan SC (KUW) 25:29 (15:12)

Burgan SC mounted a spirited comeback to secure their maiden win at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, 29:25, against fellow debutants Montada, who ended the competition with four losses in four matches.

The first 30 minutes were Montada’s best half in this competition, leading 15:12, after a disappointing outing in the Group Phase. The Moroccan side erased most of their turnovers and their goalkeepers finally provided some meaningful contributions, as El Mahdi Abid saved eight shots.

The ending of the first half was particularly good for the Moroccan side, who used a 5:2 run powered by Brahim Hafiz to open a three-goal lead, 15:12. But as the second half just started, Burgan provided a better performance to the tie score immediately.

As goalkeeper Ali Safar entered the fray, with nine saves from 20 shots and a 47% saving efficiency, Burgan took the lead in the 45th minute, 21:20, and never looked back, taking advantage of Montada’s tired legs.

Mubarak Alkhaldi scored six goals, while Jihad Ben Araar and Angel Hernandez added five to lift their side to a 29:25 win, and, subsequently, the seventh place in the final standings, with Montada finishing eighth, with four losses in four matches.

Player of the Match: Ali Safar (Burgan SC)