The knockout phase is upon us at the 2025 IHF Men's World Championship, with the four semi-finalists being decided after the crunch quarter-finals which will take place at 18:30 and 21:00 in Sosnowiec and Katowice. Seven European sides and one African team have qualified and will battle for the coveted spots on a packed Thursday at Poland 2025.

Quarter-finals

18:30 Denmark vs Norway
18:30 Portugal vs Egypt
21:00 Germany vs Sweden
21:00 Slovenia vs Faroe Islands

Placement Matches 9-12

09:30 Austria vs France
11:45 Croatia vs Spain

Placement Matches 13-16

14:00 Hungary vs Romania
16:15 Japan vs Switzerland

Placement Matches 17-20

14:00 Poland vs Iceland
16:15 Algeria vs Serbia

Placement Matches 21-24

09:30 Argentina vs Morocco
11:45 Republic of Korea vs Tunisia

Placement Matches 25-28

16:15 Brazil vs North Macedonia
18:30 United States of America vs Bahrain

Placement Matches 29-32

11:45 Uruguay vs Mexico
14:00 Canada vs Saudi Arabia

Quarter-finals
18:30 Denmark vs Norway

Denmark are one of just two national teams alongside Portugal who still maintain a perfect record at Poland 2025. In the main round Group III, the Danes proved too strong for both Romania and Faroe Islands to smoothly progress to the quarter-final.

Denmark's attack has been the best in the competition so far, having scored 204 goals in five games, which is 40,8 on average. However, they were more vulnerable in defence, conceding 28,8 goals per game on average, which is the joint 13th result only among all the participating teams.

Now the Danes hope to extend their winning run in a Nordic derby against Norway, who also boast an unbeaten record in the tournament. However, the Norwegians have ended two of their games in a draw – the opening encounter against Slovenia in the group stage (33:33) as well as their last match in the main round against Austria (27:27), so they ranked second behind the Slovenes in the main round Group I.

While Norway have scored fewer goals than Denmark at Austria 2025, 33,4 on average, they did better in defence, with 132 conceded goals being the joint fourth-best result in the competition. Their goalkeeper Henik Ibsen boasts a 37% saving rate, and his impact may play an important role when the two Nordic sides fight for the semi-final spot. 

18:30 Portugal vs Egypt

The knock-out phase in Sosnowiec begins with a high-intensity clash between Portugal and Egypt. Portugal return to the quarter-finals, this time with more than just ambition. They enter the knock-out phase boasting the best defence in the tournament, conceding just 113 goals—an average of 22.6 per match—and the second-best attack overall, averaging 37 goals across five matches. Their latest statement win came against Sweden, where they overturned a five-goal deficit to secure a 31:29 victory and finish atop Group II.

While the numbers show balance, it was goalkeeper Diogo Rêma Marques who changed the pace when it mattered most. His eight saves in 20 minutes sparked the comeback, while Rafael Vasconcelos and Filipe Monteiro closed out the match in style. João Magalhães and Ricardo Brandão continue to lead the attack, and Portugal now look more stable than in any of their previous top-eight finishes—including 1995, 2019, and 2023.

“If we manage to maintain our level over longer periods, we're sure we can keep progressing in the competition, and our goal now is definitely to make it to the semi-finals,” said Portugal's head coach Carlos Martingo.

Egypt, on the other hand, suffered their first loss at Poland 2025 against Germany, 25:29, after struggling with turnovers and failing to recover from a 6-0 unanswered run in the first half. Mohamed Elbattawi and goalkeeper Youssef Salama were among Egypt's best performers and will be the first obstacle for Portugal on Thursday.

Egypt are fifth in total defence, with 129 goals conceded (25.8 per match), and have more tournament experience at this level, including their 1993 gold and nine top-six finishes. They have also won all three previous head-to-head encounters with Portugal at this stage.

21:00 Slovenia vs Faroe Islands

This marks the first time Slovenia and the Faroe Islands meet at this stage, and it could not come at a more critical point—a spot in the semi-finals is on the line. The Faroe Islands continue their remarkable progress; just like the previous generation, they are back in the quarter-finals. In 2023, they finished sixth, and this team is aiming even higher.

The Faroe Islands enter the quarter-finals with all their key weapons ready. Oli Mittun, the tournament's top scorer with 47 goals (9.4 per match), is again expected to carry the load, while their 7-on-6 attack remains a key tactical advantage. Their most recent match, a 32:41 loss to Denmark, has not dampened their ambition as they head into this crucial clash.

Slovenia secured their quarter-final spot with their best performance yet, a commanding 37:31 win over Hungary, marked by clinical finishing and full control from start to finish. They boast the fourth-best defence in the competition, with 128 goals conceded (25.6 per match).

Seventeen-year-old centre back Aljuš Anžič is in top form with 34 goals so far. Goalkeeper Mark Šalamon continues to climb the individual rankings, now among the top five with 45 saves at a 36.5% save efficiency.

Slovenia have not reached the last four at the IHF Men's Junior Handball Championship since 2007, but head coach Klemen Luzar is confident in his squad: “We reached the quarter-finals with collective play. I believe that we will remain cool-headed before the playoffs, but keep our hearts on fire. We want to continue to be a real team on and off the court, just like we have been so far. I can only promise that the team will fight to the last atom of strength.”

21:00 Germany vs Sweden  

Germany have dropped just one point in the competition so far, splitting the points with Spain in a dramatic main round opener on Monday (35:35). On the following day, eight goals from David More powered Germany to a 29:25 win over Egypt, which helped them leapfrog their African rivals and take first position in Group IV.

Now the Germans will take on Sweden, who claimed four straight victories in the competition before suffering a defeat in their last main round encounter, 29:31 against Portugal. In that game, Sweden were in front by five goals at half-time, 21:16, but struggled in attack afterwards, netting only eight goals in the second half and ultimately finishing second in main round Group II.

Centre back Axel Månsson, who became Sweden's (joint) top scorer in four of their five games at Poland 2025, shares fifth position in the tournament's scoring chart with Iceland's Elmar Erlingsson, boasting a tally of 40 goals. Overall, the Nordic team have scored 36 goals on average, which is the fifth-best result in the tournament, while Germany ranks third in shooting efficiency, having converted 72.7% of their attempts. This quarter-final match in Katowice promises a close fight, as both sides hope to secure their place among the four best teams of the tournament.