European sides Germany and Spain made it two out of two at the IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship, with wins over Puerto Rico and Qatar respectively, while Tunisia opened their account with a 33:26 win over Puerto Rico.

GROUP C
Puerto Rico vs Germany 15:54 (7:26)

Twice did Puerto Rico take the lead in the early minutes against Germany, 1:0 and 2:1, but that was the most which they could do against a powerhouse in younger age category handball.

Albeit after a slow start, which saw Germany took a 7:3 lead, Germany jumped to a 6:0 run, followed by another 8:0 unanswered run, only split by a goal from Puerto Rico, scored by Yahir Lopez.

Naturally, the goals started flowing for Germany, as the gap grew bigger, with the European side’s shooting efficiency hitting 80% after 30 minutes, when Germany had already scored 26 goals.

With goal difference being crucial in the grand scheme of things of this preliminary round, Germany continued to pounce and improved the gap, with all of Germany’s outfield players scoring at least one goal, led by Can Akkoc and Leo Nowak, who combined for 15 goals.

Eventually, Germany secured a 54:15 win, and now boasts the largest goal difference in the competition after two rounds, +64, six goals more than Spain’s +58 goal difference, as they now will face Argentina in the last match of the preliminary round, with Puerto Rico trying to secure their maiden win against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Player of the Match: Julius Pöthke (Germany)

GROUP B
Qatar vs Spain 24:41 (8:18)

Spain made a huge step towards the semi-finals of the 1st IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship, with their second double-digits win in as many matches at Morocco 2025, 41:24, against Qatar.

After their 57:16 win in the opener against the Republic of Korea, Spain pushed again past the 40-goals threshold, with an excellent attacking display, with 12 out of their 14 players scoring at least one goal, unlike in the win against Korea, where all of their players were on the scoresheet.

Already knowing Qatar’s strength in the back line from the first match against Tunisia, when the Asian side secured a 38:30 win, Spain started the match with a 5-1 defence, isolating centre back Ramy Mahrous.

Throughout the match, Mahrous moved from the centre back to the left back position, however the start of the match was not favourable for Qatar, which was down three goals, 6:9, after 14 minutes.

Spain used two 4:0 unanswered runs, followed by an another 3:0 unanswered run to open a bigger gap, 10 goals, at the break, 18:8, and from that moment on it was the point of no return for Qatar. Mahrous did score eight goals, with Ahmed Elsayed adding six goals, combining for 14 of their team’s 24 goals.

But Spain pressed more in the second half, as goalkeeper Alvaro Quesada finished the match with 11 saves for a 41% saving efficiency, and scored 23 goals, with four players scoring five goals each for a 41:24 win.

Spain have now a +58 goal difference before their match against Tunisia and have a big chance to be the best group winner, which can eventually help the European side in the semi-finals, enjoying a better draw for the knockout phase.

Player of the Match: Alvaro Quesada (Spain)

GROUP B
Tunisia vs Republic of Korea 33:27 (20:11)

Tunisia opened their account at the 2025 IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship, with a clear win over the Republic of Korea, with the Asian side paying tribute to their youth, as all their players are born in 2010.

After seven minutes, Tunisia were already up 7:1, thanks to their excellent defence, which constantly forced turnovers from the Republic of Korea. In the end, the Asian side, runners-up at the 2025 AHF Asian Men’s Under-17 Championship, turned the ball 23 times, 10 times less compared to their debut match against Spain.

However, while this part of the game improved for Korea, their penchant for turnovers still fueled some excellent moments from Tunisia, which took advantage of their opponents’ woes with fast breaks, converting 11 of their 13 chances.

In fact, Tunisia scored a third of their goals via fast breaks, with Mohamed Ben Salem and Seif Eddine Mechergui combining for 13 goals in this match, with Tunisia leading at the break, 33:27.

Nevertheless, Tunisia started to change their players, giving the others time on the court, and that could be seen in the second half. Korea had a better display in the second half and scored 16 goals, winning the second half, 16:13.

But they could not avoid their second loss in a row, 33:27, as they are now virtually out of contention for a place in the semi-finals, having conceded 90 goals in the first two matches. 

Tunisia’s loss against Qatar also saw the African side reduce their chances for progression, meeting Spain in the last match of the preliminary round on Tuesday.

Player of the Match: Mohamed Ben Salem (Tunisia)