With five quarter-finals spots already secured, the last day of the main round at the 2025 IHF Men's Junior World Championship will see the last three available berths awarded. Sweden, Portugal, Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Egypt are the qualified teams, with two of Norway, Slovenia and Austria and one of Germany and Spain completing the table.

Main Round
Group I
11:45 Norway vs Austria
14:00 Slovenia vs Hungary

Group II
16:15 Sweden vs Portugal
18:30 Japan vs Croatia

Group III
16:15 Denmark vs Faroe Islands
18:30 France vs Romania

Group IV
18:45 Switzerland vs Spain 
21:00 Germany vs Egypt

President’s Cup

Group I
16:15 Uruguay vs Brazil
18:30 Poland vs Argentina

Group II
11:45 Republic of Korea vs Algeria
14:00 United States of America vs Canada

Group III
11:45 Morocco vs Iceland
14:00 Mexico vs North Macedonia

Group IV
11:45 Serbia vs Bahrain
14:00 Tunisia vs Saudi Arabia

• Five teams are already through to the main round, with four of them winning all matches so far - Denmark, Egypt, Portugal and Sweden, and one of them having three wins and one draw - the Faroe Islands
• In Group I, Norway and Slovenia are both on three points, while Austria are on two points. Only a win against Norway would salvage Austria's progression to the next phase
• Group II will decide which team between Sweden and Portugal is the winner of the group, as both sides are on four points. In case of a draw, Portugal have the better goal difference
• Denmark need a draw against the Faroe Islands to win Group III, as both teams are through and Denmark hold a one-point lead over Faroe
• Germany and Spain will battle for the second qualifying spot in Group IV, with Germany affording to lose, but only if they maintain the goal difference advantage over Spain, currently +10 to -1

MAIN ROUND
GROUP I  

11:45 Norway vs Austria  

Norway, who are still unbeaten at Poland 2025, started the main round with a 37:33 win over Hungary. Kasper Iversen and Henrik Hartz Hagen combined for 15 goals, helping their team dominate during most of the game and clinch their third consecutive win. Overall, the Scandinavians have scored 140 goals in four games in the competition, which is 35 on average, and they have netted at least 33 goals in each of their encounters.

Thanks to a superior goal difference, Norway top Group I ahead of Slovenia, as both teams are level on three points. A draw against Austria will be enough for the Nordic side to seal their quarter-final berth, and they may go through even with a defeat, provided that Slovenia lose against Hungary and have a worse overall goal difference than the Norwegians.

Austria, who boasted a perfect record at the group stage, could have booked an early quarter-final ticket with a win against Slovenia on Monday, but a dramatic 27:28 defeat saw them drop to third place in the group. Nevertheless, Michael Draca's fate is in their own hands, as a victory against Norway will see them through, and with players like goalkeeper Leon Theodor Bergmann and left back Clemens Möstl, they hope to upset their Scandinavian rivals.

14:00 Slovenia vs Hungary  

In an extremely close battle, Slovenia snatched two points against Austria on Monday, 28:27, making a big step towards the quarter-final. In their last main round encounter, even a draw will be enough for Klemen Luzar's team to secure their spot among the top eight teams of the competition.

"The key was that we didn't give up, we left our hearts on the court and showed that this year we are a real team that fights for each other. We don't want to give up. Let's move forward and see where it takes us," said Slovenia's captain Lun Ključanin.

In turn, Hungary, who were the runners-up at the previous IHF Men's Junior World Championship two years ago, have already lost their chance to reach the quarter-final. With no points, they are now certain to finish bottom of Group I and head to the Placement Matches 13/16.

On Monday, the Hungarians suffered their second straight defeat at Poland 2025, this time against Norway. Yet in their last main round match, Hungary hope to shake off their frustration and cheer up by taking their second win in the tournament.



GROUP II
16:15 CEST Sweden vs Portugal

With both teams already through to the quarter-finals, Sweden and Portugal now clash for the top of Group II and to remain perfect at Poland 2025. Both teams arrive in top form, each with four wins so far.

Sweden had a tougher path to get here. Against Croatia, they needed a second-half turnaround to stay unbeaten, and once again it was Axel Mansson pulling the strings. The left back is now on 32 goals total and remains one of Poland 2025’s standout performers.

Their attack often gets the spotlight, but it was Arvid Skoog who made the difference when it mattered. The Swedish goalkeeper now ranks among the tournament's top six with 34.3% save efficiency. While Sweden had ups and downs in that match against Croatia, once their transition game clicked, they took control and never looked back.

Portugal, meanwhile, had it all under control from the start. Their 46:28 win over Japan wasn't just a win, it was a statement of their powerful attack. Joao Magalhaes dictated the rhythm, Diogo Rema put on a convincing first-half performance between the posts, and all 14 outfield players got on the scoresheet. With 154 goals scored in four games, averaging 38.5 per game, Portugal boast the second-best attack at the tournament.

This generation is continuing Portugal's strong youth streak, with 6th and 8th place finishes at the previous two editions. Sweden, on the other hand, are chasing their first top eight finish in a decade — their last one coming back in 2015 when they finished fifth.

In their last 12 meetings, Sweden leads 10:1 with one game ending in a draw.

GROUP III
18:30 France vs Romania

It's the final day of the main round Group III in Katowice, and while neither France nor Romania can reach the quarter-finals anymore, this game is crucial for the placement matches, and for pride.

France were on the verge of keeping their quarter-final hopes alive against the Faroe Islands, but watched it all fall apart in the closing stages. They had control for much of the match, even holding a three-goal lead midway through the second half, but then came to a halt—just one goal in the final 11 minutes—and a 28:27 defeat. Naël Tighiouart once again led the charge and now ranks among the tournament's top 10 scorers with 31 goals.

Romania, after a solid group stage, ran into another Nordic wall. After losing to the Faroe Islands, Denmark's dynamic backcourt overpowered their defence, and a tough day for the goalkeepers, with just a 14% combined save rate, widened the gap. Still, Daniel Stanciuc remains a constant—his 39 goals in four matches make him the tournament's second-best scorer and Romania's key figure.

In four previous duels, both teams have two wins at this level; however, their last encounter was in 2015.

GROUP IV
18:45 CEST Spain vs Switzerland

Spain's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals at Poland 2025 are hanging by a thread, and are not in their own hands anymore. After a wild finish against Germany, which saw them come back from a seven-goal deficit only to concede a last-second equaliser from the penalty, the reigning European champions are now left chasing a miracle.

With one point on the table and an inferior goal difference, -1 to Germany's +10, they will need to beat Switzerland and hope Egypt helps them out by taking down Germany. That is a far cry from what was expected of this golden generation. Winners of the M18 EHF EURO 2022, the 2023 Youth World Championship, and the M20 EHF EURO 2024, Spain entered Poland 2025 as favourites, having never finished outside the top 10.

But that same spark has dimmed under pressure. Led by coach Javier Fernandez, the team built around the Cikuša Jeličić brothers, Djordje and Petar, and Ian Barrufet, never fully hit their true rhythm, but hope still exists.

Switzerland, meanwhile, are also out of the knockout race, but have shown great progress throughout the competition. They suffered defeat against the same opponent as Spain—Germany—and showed true fighting spirit in their 25:28 loss to Egypt. Leading the charge at Poland 2025 is Luca Sigrist—the centre back has netted 35 goals and added 17 assists.

The meeting on Tuesday will be their eighth at the IHF Men's Junior World Championship. Spain holds six wins, while Switzerland managed to win only once—in 1985 by 25:21.

21:00 Germany vs Egypt  

The Egyptians, who boast a 100% record at Poland 2025, booked an early ticket to the quarter-final on Monday. In their opening match of the main round, the African team were losing 11:13 at half-time against Switzerland, but showed character and mounted a comeback, ultimately celebrating their fourth successive victory (28:25).

Germany could have also already progressed to the quarter-final with a win over Spain, and they seemed to be heading in the right direction, boasting a seven-goal advantage in the 43rd minute. But the Spanish team mounted a strong comeback and were even close to a win, leading 35:34 before Florian Drosten's last-gasp goal secured the German side a draw in this thriller.

So Germany are second-placed in Group IV with three points, and a win or a draw against Egypt will see them through to the quarter-final—but if they lose, and Spain beat Switzerland, everything will be decided by overall goal difference. Now Germany are far superior, +10 compared to Spain's -1, but they should take nothing for granted before the key battle on Tuesday.