France finished on the ninth place at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, with a 42:33 win over Serbia, while Switzerland, Slovenia and Austria also finishing with wins.

The United States of America beat Mexico, 30:20, for their maiden win in the competition and ended up on the 31st place.

Placement Match 9/10
France vs Serbia 42:33 (26:19)

France secured their sixth finish in single digits at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, dominating the Placement Match 9/10 against Serbia, with a great attacking display.

The European side registered a strong finish at Egypt 2025, with three consecutive wins – against Slovenia, Switzerland and, now, Serbia – as playing without pressure really could be seen in the free-flowing display of their attack.

France scored the largest number of goals in seven matches at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship against Serbia, boasting an 82% shooting efficiency, hitting 26 past their opponents, while the average duration of a France attack being only 23 seconds.

Wings Yoni Peyrabout and Mathis Barelle carried the load for France, combining for 17 goals between them throughout the match, with Serbia never being allowed to mount any type of comeback, despite scoring 33 goals.

While France’s attack slowed down in the second half, they still scored 16 goals, as all players were rotated by coach Franck Prouff, with a 42:33 win to end the competition on a high and on the ninth place in the final standings.

Serbia finished 10th, their best finish since 2013 in the competition, with some several talented players in their squad which will surely have a say in the future of Serbian handball.

Player of the Match: Yoni Peyrabout (France)

Placement Match 11–12  
Switzerland vs Czechia 34:29 (17:12)  

Switzerland concluded their return to the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship after a 10-year absence with a comfortable victory, securing 11th place. Czechia, competing in their second consecutive and overall World Championship, finished 12th.  

Player of the Match Lino Schneider was instrumental, making 17 saves at a 39% efficiency. In attack, Niclas Mierzwa led with eight goals, while Manoy Ugiagbe and Moritz Heinl each netted six.  

After leading by a single goal at 5:4 ten minutes in, Switzerland surged ahead with a 6:0 run fuelled by Schneider’s string of saves and Ugiagbe’s scoring. Another strong spell extended the gap to 15:6, but Czechia recovered slightly before halftime, cutting the deficit to five.  

The Swiss opened the second half with a 4:0 run to restore a nine-goal lead. Czechia rotated their squad in search of a comeback but struggled to break through Schneider, who continued to make key stops. Roman Jahoda scored seven goals for Czechia, but their hopes were dashed when Switzerland held a commanding 33:25 lead with three minutes remaining. A late 4:1 Czech run was only enough to reduce the final gap.  

Player of the Match: Lino Schneider (Switzerland)  

Placement Match 13/14
Slovenia vs Japan 41:35 (19:17)

Slovenia finished on the 13th place at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, with another dominating win over Japan, 41:35.

The European side was still left reeling after their disappointing draw against Norway in the main round, where every possible chance of making it to the quarter-finals was erased, but they still managed to finish the competition with two wins in a row.

There was no question about the winner, as Slovenia led this match from start to finish, with their top scorers, Aljuš Anžič and Mai Marguč, leading the way.

Anžič had 12 goals to boost his overall tally to 67 goals in the competition and top the scoring standings, with Marguč adding seven goals to improve his number to 65 goals, as the two backs are now on the top two places in the goal scorer standings.

Eventually, Slovenia scored their largest number of goals in a single match at Egypt 2025, 41, to secure a 41:35 and finish on the 13th place, their best finish since 2017.

Japan ended up on the 14th place, an improvement from their 21st place back in 2023, with some interesting players which can be the backbone of the future of the Asian side.

Player of the Match: Aljuš Anžič (Slovenia)

Placement Match 15/16  
Austria vs Saudi Arabia 35:34 (18:17, 31:31)  

Austria secured their third win at Egypt 2025 in dramatic fashion, defeating Saudi Arabia in a penalty shootout to finish 15th. Saudi Arabia took 16th place. Both teams were appearing in their third IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, but each stepped back compared to Croatia 2023, where they had finished 13th (Austria) and 12th (Saudi Arabia).  

Goalkeeper Sergej Novaković was Austria’s hero in the shootout, saving attempts from Haidar Altarooti and Ali Alsuni, while all four Austrian shooters found the net to clinch the win in this tight contest.  

Austria were first to create a clear lead at 6:3, but Saudi Arabia quickly replied. Ahmed Alobaidi and Zakaria Taha were vital for the Asian side, scoring 10 and nine goals respectively—together accounting for more than half of their 34-goal tally. The match remained close, with Austria edging the first half thanks to a Maximilian Danhel goal just 16 seconds before the break.  

After the restart, Saudi Arabia briefly held a narrow advantage but never managed to lead by more than two. With one minute left, the teams were level at 30:30. Alobaidi put the Saudis in front with 15 seconds to go, but Danhel struck again in the dying moments to force the shootout, where Austria held firm to claim the victory.  

Player of the Match: Maximilian Danhel (Austria)  

Placement Match 25/26  
Kuwait vs South Korea 26:29 (7:12)  

Driven by an outstanding first-half performance from goalkeeper Uiseok Hong, who made 12 saves at an impressive 67% efficiency, South Korea controlled the opening 30 minutes. The gap could have been larger if not for some unnecessary turnovers and several important stops from Hassan Alalrahis, which helped Kuwait avoid a complete collapse.  

With a shooting efficiency of just 24%, Kuwait struggled in attack and relied heavily on Abdullatif Salmin, the only player to score more than once in the first half. Korea’s solid defence kept them well ahead, and the same pattern continued after the break.  

The Koreans reached their largest advantage at 18:10, while Kuwait’s closest approach came at 24:27 in the 57th minute, spurred by a rejuvenated Yosef Madwah, who also scored a spectacular free throw at the final buzzer. However, it was too late to change the result.  

South Korea matched their placement from Croatia 2023, finishing 25th once again. For Kuwait, their long-awaited return to the World Championship stage after 16 years concluded with a 26th-place finish.  

Player of the Match: Uiseok Hong (South Korea)  

Placement Match 27–28  
Uruguay vs Algeria 27:32 (19:14)  

Algeria overturned a poor first half to end their sixth World Championship campaign with a win, placing 27th. Uruguay, making their debut, finished 28th, recording only one victory in the tournament—a 36:21 President's Cup Group III win over Mexico.  

Uruguay started strongly, with Mathias Gonzalez scoring seven goals in the opening quarter of the match, yet their early advantage was just 9:8. Ignacio Lopez then added three goals to power a 5:1 run, helping the South Americans reach halftime with a 19:14 lead.  

In the second half, Algeria improved in defence despite modest goalkeeping, combining for only seven saves. Steadily, they chipped away at the deficit. Even when Uruguay still led 25:21 in the 45th minute, Algeria’s resilience paid off. A 4:0 run brought the teams level at 25:25, led by the outstanding form of Selim Berrou, who finished with 11 goals.  

Algeria’s momentum continued with a decisive 5:0 run, while Uruguay went ten minutes without scoring until Gonzalez netted his ninth goal on the final whistle. The late surge sealed Algeria’s comeback win.  

Player of the Match: Valentino Gandolfo (Uruguay)  

Placement Match 29/30  
Morocco vs Guinea 29:32 (12:17)  

Guinea started the game with clear intent to end Egypt 2025 on a high note, and it showed from the first whistle. They opened with a 3:0 run and, by the 12th minute, had built an 8:4 lead, driven by four early goals from Pokpa Francois Loua. Morocco struggled to find their rhythm, rushing attacks and missing clear chances, which allowed Guinea to extend the gap to seven goals.  

Guinea’s goalkeeper Ismail Ba delivered a strong performance, making nine saves at a 43% efficiency and playing a crucial role in maintaining their advantage. When Loua was eventually contained, Alahaly Diaby and Luka Ibrahim Camara stepped up to keep Guinea in control. Morocco managed to cut the deficit before the break, capitalising on a brief attacking slowdown from their opponents.  

The second half was a tale of two approaches. Morocco came out flying, scoring four unanswered goals and putting real pressure on Guinea. Goalkeeper Jalil El Mouadar contributed with important saves, and Elias Lemaizi’s third goal in the 47th minute brought Morocco within one at 22:23. However, turnovers again disrupted Morocco’s momentum.  

In the closing stages, Guinea held their composure and secured their first-ever win at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, claiming 29th place on their debut appearance. Morocco finished 30th, marking their lowest ranking in five participations, following previous finishes of 10th, 15th, 18th and 20th.  

Player of the Match: Ismail Ba (Guinea)  

Placement Match 31/32  
Mexico vs United States of America 20:30 (12:12)  

A strong second-half performance propelled the United States of America to their first win at Egypt 2025, securing 31st place. Mexico, who lost all their matches in the tournament, finished 32nd, marking the lowest-ever placement for both North American teams at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship.  

Fourteen USA players registered goals, with Simon Neumaier leading the way on six. For Mexico, Diego Guerra and Arturo Sandoval scored four goals each.  

Maximilian Zoller helped the USA take an early 3:1 lead, but Mexico responded with a 5:0 run to turn the game around. Eduardo Ponce’s consecutive goals gave the Mexicans their biggest lead of the match at 11:7 in the 23rd minute. However, a 5:0 surge led by Alvaro Alcover and Neumaier brought the USA level by halftime.  

The Americans carried their momentum into the second half, starting with a decisive 4:0 run. Goalkeeper Elvis Mescali made key saves during an 11-minute period in which the USA did not concede, enabling a 6:0 scoring streak and a commanding 24:15 lead. Mescali and teammate Wolf Simianer combined for 12 saves, with Simianer even scoring a goal himself.  

This was the USA’s second-ever win at the competition, following their 33:26 victory over Burundi on debut in 2023.  

Player of the Match: Elvis Mescali (United States of America)