Sweden, Germany and Denmark secured their main round spots with wins in the third day of the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship – with all winning their groups – while Iceland confirmed their top spot in Group D, with a 25:19 win against Brazil.

Other main round spots have also been secured, with Saudi Arabia taking advantage of Brazil’s loss, as Austria and Czechia also made it through to the next phase.

Group A
Sweden vs Portugal 38:34 (22:16)  

Sweden approached this decisive clash with full focus, delivering a disciplined and compact defensive performance to remain unbeaten at Egypt 2025. Their defensive organisation allowed goalkeeper Viggo Hakansson to shine once again, as he stopped four Portuguese attempts in the opening minutes, boasting an impressive 67% save efficiency early on.  

If not for the occasional turnover in attack, Sweden’s lead might have been even larger, but a 7:2 advantage after nine minutes gave them control of the match and the tempo, forcing Portugal into chase mode — knowing that only a win would keep their main round hopes alive.  

Portugal struggled to cope with the pressure, committing errors and lacking the defensive strength to contain Sweden’s offence. The Scandinavian side capitalised, extending their lead to 17:8 before halftime. Hannes Hölting Nilsson and Arvid Andreasson were clinical, scoring half of Sweden’s first-half goals without a single miss.  

After the break, Portugal looked revitalised, cutting the deficit to 19:24 within three minutes. Both sides experienced issues when playing without a goalkeeper due to two-minute suspensions, with turnovers and missed opportunities affecting their rhythm. Portugal made the most of these moments and, inspired by Joao Lourenço, narrowed the gap further to 26:29 by the 40th minute.  

The comeback continued, and by the 50th minute Portugal were within striking distance at 29:31, having fought back from nine goals down. However, Sweden responded with composure and power, unleashing a decisive 4:0 run in the 55th minute, anchored by their deep 6-0 defence, to seal the victory.  

With this win, Sweden maintained their perfect record and advanced to the main round as Group A leaders, carrying two valuable points forward. Their victory also secured Austria’s progression to the next stage.  

Portugal, despite another spirited second-half fightback, head to the President’s Cup alongside Kuwait, taking two points with them. This marks the first time Portugal have failed to reach the main round at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, after placing 7th in 2017, 4th in 2019, and 6th in 2023.  

Player of the Match: Liam Hultberg (Sweden)  

GROUP D
Iceland vs Brazil 25:19 (12:10)

Iceland, already assured of a main round berth before this match, maintained their perfect record at Egypt 2025 while also helping Saudi Arabia progress. With this result, both Iceland and Saudi Arabia advance to the main round, the Saudis qualifying thanks to a +7 goal difference compared to Brazil’s +1. The Brazilians, needing at least a draw to go through, will now continue in the President’s Cup.

Iceland took early control with solid defensive work and quick attacking play, racing to a 6:2 lead by the 13th minute. Brazil, however, responded strongly, holding Iceland scoreless for nearly nine minutes and pulling level at 9:9. A late first-half push, fuelled by two timely goals from Árni Elingsson, restored Iceland’s advantage to 12:10 at the break.

Brazil’s shooting efficiency stood at just 43% in the first half, and they struggled to improve after the restart. Iceland extended the gap to 17:12 by the 43rd minute, prompting a Brazilian timeout which did little to change the momentum. The South Americans managed only four goals in the opening 20 minutes of the second half before briefly rallying with three quick strikes to close to 17:20. However, they could not sustain this run, and Iceland closed out the victory.

Though Iceland’s own shooting efficiency was a modest 53%, Ágúst Gudmundsson proved a decisive figure, scoring 10 times, six from the seven-metre line.

Player of the Match: Jens Sigurdarson (Iceland)

GROUP E
Germany vs Slovenia 30:25 (11:14)

Germany overcame a first-half deficit to beat Slovenia and finish top of Group E, securing two points for the main round. With their first loss of the tournament, Slovenia will advance to the next stage without points.

Slovenia’s key players made an immediate impact, with Mai Marguč leading the attack and goalkeeper Matevž Mlakar making important stops. Their efforts produced a 5:2 advantage after eight minutes. Slovenia kept a lead of two or three goals for most of the first half, with both sides squandering opportunities late in the period as Mlakar and German keeper Finn Knaack both impressed. The Slovenians went into halftime ahead 14:11.

The second half, however, belonged to Germany. Knaack’s saves ignited a decisive 6:0 run that put his team ahead for the first time. Slovenia did not score in the second half until the 41st minute, when Tjaž Štaleker found the net. From that point, Germany held the momentum as Slovenia struggled to recover.

Knaack’s outstanding display earned him Player of the Match, finishing with 18 saves and a 42% save rate. Tim Schröder led the German attack with eight goals, sealing a second win for Germany at Egypt 2025 and confirming their place among the contenders in the next stage.

Player of the Match: Finn Knaack (Germany)

Group H
Denmark vs Tunisia 37:31 (19:14)

Despite losing some key players, such as goalkeeper Emil Juul Winther, due to injuries, Denmark bounced back after some uninspiring moments against both Czechia and the United States of America and delivered their third win in a row, 37:31 against Tunisia, progressing to the main round with two points.

Once again, Denmark had a slow start for their expectations, as a 3:0 run from the Scandinavian side was quickly cancelled by Tunisia. The gap did not exactly grow until the 20th minute, with Tunisia’s strong defence being in place at times, while Denmark’s attack had a few hits and misses.

Nevertheless, Denmark created a five-goal lead, with 10 different players scoring in the first half, including goalkeeper Carl Poulsen, as the European side would enter the break with a five-goal lead, 19:14, in the context of a draw being enough to progress to the next phase with maximum points.

Tunisia had previously lost against Czechia, by the slightest of margins, a single goal, which proved to be their undoing, and Denmark’s superior depth was the decisive factor in the match. Poulsen was replaced in the second half by new addition Johannes Dalsgaard, who saved five of the first eight shots she faced, enabling Denmark to open a bigger lead.

However, Tunisia had cut the lead to only two goals, prompting a recalibration of Denmark’s gameplay, and the Scandinavian side quickly followed up with runs of 4:0 and 3:0, with Emil Darling Sorensen and Magnus Boysen Moldrup combining for nine goals for the European side.

The match was as good as over with 10 minutes to go, when Denmark had ensured they have an eight-goal lead, 32:24, eventually clinching a 37:31 win, to seal the first place in the group and progressing to the main round.

Tunisia are heading to the President’s Cup with two points, while Denmark start the main round group, where they face Egypt and Japan, with two points, as a single win might be enough to see them through to the quarter-finals.

Player of the Match: Emil Darling Sorensen (Denmark)