With the 28th edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship throwing off on Wednesday, 11 January, the final preparations are being made by the 32 teams that will be fighting for the coveted trophy.

Nearly all sides have played at least one friendly match before the throw-off, with Norway, Spain, Poland and France winning the tournaments they hosted in the last few days.

Co-hosts Poland secure three-match winning streak to start 2023

Co-hosts Poland lost their first friendly tournament, in which they took part before the turn of the year, with a loss against Tunisia, but bounced back in style during another four-team tournament in the Spodek Arena in Katowice, where they will be based during the preliminary round of Poland/Sweden 2023.

This time around, Patryk Rombel’s side had no issues and clinched first place with three wins in a row against the Islamic Republic of Iran, Morocco and Belgium, as Poland are gradually trying to improve their form.

First, Poland took a 32:27 win over Iran, doubling down with a clear 30:23 win over Morocco before their final match against Belgium. As Szymon Sićko and Przemysław Krajewski combined for 10 goals, Poland took a clear 29:18 win, with their defence becoming better and better as the championship gets closer.

Belgium finished second in the group with a 30:28 win over Morocco and a 35:31 win over Iran. The Asian side finished in third place in the standings after taking a narrow win (29:28) against Morocco before they return to the world handball flagship competition after a six-year hiatus.

Norway win Gjensidige Cup at home

On home court, Norway won the Gjensidige Cup, a friendly tournament which saw teams from three continents face off in preparation for the 28th IHF Men’s World Championship.

With star Sander Sagosen back in the side, the Scandinavian side were truly impressive, outplaying their opponents by a significant margin. First, they swept aside Portugal (38:27) before taking a big win against Brazil (30:23), finishing the weekend with a 43:26 win against the United States of America.

Wings Kristjan Bjørnsen (15 goals) and Sebastian Barthold (14 goals) were Norway’s top scorers in the tournament, in which coach Jonas Wille used all the players he had at his disposal.

Portugal finished second with wins against Brazil (31:28) and the USA (39:27), while the South American champions ended up in third place after their 27:22 win against the USA.

Los Hispanos dominate their opponents

Three teams that will be taking part at Poland/Sweden 2023 met in the Torneo Internacional de España in Benidorm, Spain. The hosts measured their strength against Argentina, Bahrain and Romania, a team coached by Spanish ace Xavi Pascual.

“Los Hispanos” finished the tournament on a three-match winning streak, starting with a 42:29 win against Romania and using another 34:21 win against Bahrain to set up their 31:20 win against Argentina. Therefore, Spain finished first with a +37 goal difference and an average of 35.6 goals scored per match, making them one of the favourites to win the big prize at Poland/Sweden 2023.

Romania finished second with wins over Argentina (31:26) and Bahrain (27:24), confirming their status as an emerging side, while the South American side ended up in third place with a 31:27 win over Bahrain.

France clinch home tournament

Four teams lined up in a sold-out arena at the Tournoi de France in Orléans last week, as hosts France clinched first place with a win against the Netherlands (43:32) and another one against Egypt (33:32).

Goalkeeper Vincent Gérard had a superb match against Egypt, saving 18 shots for a 36% saving efficiency. After making the cut on their home court two years ago, the African side have proved their mettle once again as they aim to qualify for the quarter-finals.

The Czech Republic, who missed the cut for Poland/Sweden 2023, finished in third place with a 33:30 win over the Netherlands in the third-place play-off.

Friendly wins for Sweden and Denmark

Co-hosts Sweden also had a friendly match against Serbia to test themselves in Lund before travelling to Gothenburg where they will start the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship. Glenn Solberg’s side did not have an easy game. Still, in Niclas Ekberg’s 200th match for the national team, the Scandinavian powerhouse clinched a 35:34 win over Serbia, boosting their morale before the tournament. Hampus Wanne and Lucas Pellas each scored seven goals.

Reigning champions Denmark measured their strength against Saudi Arabia in the last few days, taking two wins against the side coached by fellow Danish mastermind Jan Pytlick, 43:16 and 41:27. The Danish side conceded only five goals in the first half of the first match, proving once again their credentials before the start of Poland/Sweden 2023.

Another friendly doubleheader was played between Iceland and Germany in Bremen, Germany, over the weekend. While Iceland won the first match at 31:30 on Saturday, Germany bounced back with a 33:31 win on Sunday in what proved to be two exciting matches.

Photo: Sascha Klahn