For the second edition in a row at the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, the Faroe Islands celebrated a quarter-finals spot, after a dramatic comeback, 28:27, against France.

Denmark, Portugal and Sweden also qualified to the next phase, thanks to their wins today, with Portugal registering a high-octane 46:28 win over Japan.

MAIN ROUND 
GROUP III
Faroe Islands vs France 28:27 (16:17)

It was a do-or-die situation for France, after their previous loss against Denmark and Denmark’s win against Romania in the first match of the main round. If Guillaume Joli’s side did not win this match, they would be out of contention, while Denmark and the Faroe Islands secured their places in the next phase of the competition.

Therefore, plenty was at stake in this match and France knew it, yet they still needed to weather the storm against a fast-paced attack, which they managed to do in the first half, especially thanks to a fantastic 7:1 run spanning between the sixth and the 11th minutes, where France were absolutely flawless in attack.

France’s top goal scorer, Naël Tighiouart, had a big part in that run, scoring three goals, but soon, the Faroe Islands started to play catch-up, as their star, Oli Mittun, got more and more of the ball, despite being man-marked at times by France.

In the first half, Mittun, the top goal scorer of the competition in the preliminary round, had four goals and five assists, helping the Faroe Islands get back into the match and even take a brief lead, 15:14, before France outscored their opponents 3:1 to end the first half with a one-goal lead, 17:16.

A crucial run for France to start the second half on a 3:0 run, limiting Faroe Islands’s attack for the first six minutes, as the Nordic side only bounced back on a seven-on-six attack, when Isak Vedelsbol converted another Mittun pass to cut the gap to only three goals, 17:20.

Tighiouart continued his show in the second half, but a Faroe Islands 4:1 run again made the gap smaller, 20:21, with 20 minutes to go, as Mittun became more of a scorer than a facilitator, reaching an eight-goal tally and seven assists with seven minutes to go, when the Faroe Islands were again down by a single goal, thanks to another 4:1 run.

France really benefited from goalkeeper Romann Carle, who entered the match in the 38th minute, and saved five of the first 12 shots he faced, for a 42% saving efficiency, but the end of the match was dramatic, as Faroe had Mittun score twice and assist two other goals, turning everything on its head.

After more than 50 minutes, with only 50 seconds to go, the Nordic side had a 28:27 lead, which they protected until the end, as France failed to score in the last attack, scoring only one goal in the last 11 minutes and 20 seconds of the match.

With their third win in four matches, the Faroe Islands made it into the quarter-finals, as did Denmark, as the group winners will be decided on Tuesday, in their mutual match.

Player of the Match: Oli Mittun (Faroe Islands)



MAIN ROUND 
GROUP II
Portugal vs Japan 46:28 (23:12)

With a convincing win over Japan, Portugal secured a place in the quarter-finals, just as they did in the previous two championships, and took Sweden with them.

Portugal confirmed their role as favourites from the very start. Within the opening ten minutes, they built a commanding 10:3 lead and held Japan scoreless for more than five minutes. Goalkeeper Diogo Rêma played a key role in that early run, reaching 60% save efficiency at one point.

Japan attempted to respond by adjusting their defensive structure, relying on fluid movement and fast transitions, but it wasn't enough. Portugal's attack remained consistent, extending the lead to 18:10 by the 20th minute.

In attack, Japan struggled to find options outside of centre back Haruto Nagamori. With only 43% shooting efficiency, Japan really didn't have any other solutions in attack, while Portugal gradually extended their lead to double digits.

With the result never in doubt, Portugal used the comfortable lead to rotate the squad and give all players time on court. Gonçalo Morgado stepped in for Rêma between the posts, and by the final whistle, all 14 outfield players had found the net.

Japan trailed more and more with each passing minute, with only Haruki Kawada stepping up alongside Haruto Nagamori, who finished the game with ten goals. With 46 goals scored, Portugal also set a new scoring record at Poland 2025, surpassing their 45:12 win over Canada from the group stage.

Portugal have now secured their spot in the quarter-finals for the third consecutive championship and will face Sweden on Tuesday in a direct battle for first place in Group II. Japan, meanwhile, will look to bounce back against Croatia and fight for a better position in the placement round, as both teams are now out of the quarter-finals.

Despite the loss, Poland 2025 will mark Japan's best World Championship finish in 40 years, regardless of their final placement. In their previous six appearances, Japan managed to finish inside the top 16 only twice — 11th in 1985 and 16th in 1981.

Player of the Match: João Magalhães (Portugal)

PRESIDENT'S CUP GROUP I
Poland vs Brazil 31:26 (17:13)

Home side Poland, frustrated by missing out on a main round spot, opened the President's Cup with a comfortable win over Brazil, 31:26. With this result, Poland have four points—level with Argentina—and these two sides will face off tomorrow, battling for first place in the group, which will secure a spot in the Placement Matches 17–20.

In contrast, Brazil remain on zero points after four consecutive defeats at Poland 2025. On Tuesday, they will try to end this unlucky streak in their match against Uruguay, hoping to qualify for the Placement Matches 25–28.

Polish goalkeeper Jakub Vysocki played an excellent game, making 16 saves for a 38% save rate. Additionally, captain Patryk Wasiak led by example in attack, finishing the match with seven goals as his team seized the initiative early and enjoyed a four-goal lead at the break.

Poland continued to dominate after the restart, leading 28:21 with eight minutes to play. Although Brazil mounted a late 3:0 run to cut the deficit to 28:24, it was too little, too late.

Player of the Match: Patryk Wasiak (Poland)