Four years ago, Egypt became the first non-European side to clinch the trophy at the IHF Men's Youth World Championship, with an excellent generation spearheaded by Abdelrahman Mohamed, Hassan Walid and Ahmed Hesham.

It was a flawless performance delivered by the African side, which qualified for every edition of the world handball flagship competition at this younger age category but had never finished higher than the fifth place in 2007 and 2011.

With huge potential, Egypt are back for Croatia 2023 with a clear eye on retaining their title, after they totally dominated their opponents at the 2022 CAHB African Men's Youth Handball Championship. 

In the preliminary round, they outscored their rivals by 88 goals in three matches, 43:19 against Algeria, 44:30 against Rwanda and 64:14 against Madagascar, forcing their way to the final with a clear 66:22 win over Burundi.

There was no question about the winners of the title last summer, as Egypt produced yet another attacking masterpiece against Rwanda, 51:29, in a display of total domination, which confirmed their superiority.

This time around, though, the competition will be tougher, as Egypt's credentials will be definitely tested against Iceland, Japan and Czechia, with the reigning champions facing some tough opponents on their way to the trophy.

With excellent wings and some strong centre backs, all being developed at the top teams in Egypt, experience might be an issue, but the enthusiasm Egypt usually bring to the table could prove decisive once again, as the African champions are definitely a tough nut to crack.

Key players: Belal Masoud (left wing), Mohamed Elsayed (centre back), Moaz Azab (line player)
Qualification for Croatia 2023: 2022 CAHB African Men's Youth Handball Championship – 1st
History in the tournament: 2005: 6th, 2007: 5th, 2009: 12th, 2011: 5th, 2013: 14th, 2015: 15th, 2017: 14th, 2019: 1st
Group at Croatia 2023: Group C (Egypt, Iceland, Japan, Czechia)