Just 14 games remain of the 2025 IHF Men’s and Women’s Youth Beach Handball World Championship in Hammamet, Tunisia and by the end of the final day, all six medallists will be dancing on the North African sand, job done and ready to return home.

Besides the podium games, matches to decide places 5-14 will also take place as well as the presentation of the All-star Team and closing ceremony.

All games will be streamed live via the IHF YouTube Competitions channel.

World championship title-holders Spain look to hold onto women’s crown

Title-holders Spain return to the final, facing a German side who finished in seventh spot at Greece 2022. The two know each other well, meeting last July in the 5/6 placement match at the YAC 16 EURO in Bulgaria, Spain taking a 2-1 (26:16, 22:25, SO 8:6) shoot-out victory.

“Hopefully we can win but the game against Germany will be very difficult because they are a very strong opponent,” said Spain’s Abril Torres Corbera to ihf.info. “They’re good in both attack and defence, but so are we. If we played like [we did in our semi-final], we’ll win.”

After winning all seven of their previous games in a row, European champions Netherlands’ finally tasted defeat, losing to Germany clearly in their semi-final on Saturday. This not only put an end to a possible gold medal place, but stopped the run of Dutch silver medals which they had won twice in a row, at the previous two editions, in 2017 and 2022.

They will be hoping to get the better of Hungary in their bronze medal match, with the two teams meeting less than a year, in July 2024 at the YAC 16 EURO which went to an epic shoot-out, won 13:12 by the team in orange (2-1, 18:22, 20:19, SO 13:12). Hungary finished fourth last time out and will not want to repeat that, aiming to add bronze to their gold, won in 2017. 

The host nation has already secured a top 10 place in their debut world championship, but a win against China in their morning clash will seal a single-digit ranking and provide the Tunisian fans with a memory to take away with them on the closing day. Mexico will be the only team without a game on day six, their 15/16 placement match not taking place due to the pre-championship withdrawal of Tanzania*.

New podium for 2025 guaranteed with Germany in the driving seat for title

The second of the two Germany-Spain finals, will see one side looking to replicate their women’s win in the match preceding, or to gain some revenge on the nation which beat theirs.

Either way, it is set to be a classic with the two sides also meeting in Bulgaria last year in the semi-finals, Spain taking a 2-0 (21:20, 24:22) victory.

With the top three from the 2022 IHF Men’s Youth Beach Handball World Championship in Greece – Croatia, Brazil and Iran – not on the podium this year, Tunisia 2025 will see three new medals compared to the previous edition, although Spain knows what the podium feels like, their 2017 team winning gold in Mauritius at the debut IHF Men’s Youth Beach Handball World Championships.

Another generation of Spanish players saw off the German threat at Greece 2022, a 2-1 (23:20, 27:28, SO 8:6) main round win ensuring they topped their main round group. And this new generation knows each other quite well, with the two teams already meeting at Tunisia 2025, Germany taking a 2-0 (22:20, 23:22) main round victory on Thursday (20 June), a game in which Yannick Alt racked up 18 points for the Germans to ensure two points.

Alt is joined by tournament top-scorer Finn Jacobsen (116 points) in the team along with the third-placed Tim Perse (108).

Involving the statistics, it is the Tunisia 2025 top-scorers against the best defence. Germany have scored 375 points in their eight games so far, averaging 46.8 per game, while Spain have conceded just 214, just 26 per game in their eight played so far. Debutants Hungary will take on 2022 silver medallists Brazil for bronze.

Home fans will be hoping for a top five finish as Tunisia’s men take on Thailand in their morning 5/6 placement match, while Cook Islands are the only team not to play on the final day, due to their 15/16 placement match not taking place after Iran withdraw on the eve of the championship*.

Speaking about both Germany teams in the final, German Handball Federation Sports Director Ingo Meckes told handball.net: “To be in the final with both teams is absolutely amazing. And when we see the quality already present in both the women's and men's teams, it's an absolute promise for the future that we will be among the absolute world elite in the long run. And when we see all our efforts, it naturally makes us want more.”

Sunday 22 June – Schedule
(All times local)

Men’s Competition
0930: 7/8 Placement Match: ARG vs OMA
0930: 11/12 Placement Match: SEN vs PUR
0930: 13/14 Placement Match: MEX vs KEN
1020: 9/10 Placement Match: CRO vs URU
1110: 5/6 Placement Match: TUN vs THA
1600: 3/4 Placement/Bronze Medal Match: HUN vs BRA
1800: Final/Gold Medal Match: GER vs ESP
15/16 Placement Match: will not be played due to the withdrawal of Iran, Cook Islands will place 15th*

Women’s Competition
1020: 7/8 Placement Match: CRO vs BRA
1020: 9/10 Placement Match: CHN vs TUN
1020: 13/14 Placement Match: BUL vs SEN
1110: 11/12 Placement Match: THA vs KEN
1200: 5/6 Placement Match: FRA v URU
1500: 3/4 Placement/Bronze Medal Match: NED vs HUN
1700: Final/Gold Medal Match: ESP vs GER
15/16 Placement Match: will not be played due to the withdrawal of Tanzania, Mexico will place 15th*

*See HERE.