The IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship will have a new title holder, after 2024 winners Egypt were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Japan.

Portugal also secured their maiden semi-finals berth, with a 2:0 win against last edition’s semi-finalists, France.

QUARTER-FINALS
France vs Portugal 0:2 (5:6; 8:10)

The two sides met in last edition’s quarter-finals and France produced one of the biggest shocks, especially as Portugal had a bigger experience than them at that moment. But now, France won both matches in the preliminary round and Portugal had already conceded a loss, which meant that France looked to be favourites.

Yet Portugal started the match better and took the first set after a dramatic battle, 6:5, a very physical match, with twists and turns, but their defence and goalkeeping were absolutely fantastic.

Pedro Marques saved six shots for a 43% saving efficiency, preventing France to score for six minutes, with Portugal relying on Ricardo Queiros and Joao Jeronimo to create a 5:0 run which proved to be decisive.

After a 6:5 win in the first set for Portugal, France started the second set better, as Mathieu De Cillia scored one spin shot and one penalty to take the score to 4:0. France led for half of the second set, but then Queiros and Jeronimo took over again.

Queiros finished the match with 12 points, Jeronimo added three more, as they combined for 15 of the 16 points scored by Portugal, who took the second set, 10:8, finishing on a 3:0 run, to secure the win and a semi-finals berth, their first in history.

Japan vs Egypt 2:1 (6:10; 11:9; 5:4)

Just like two years ago, when these two teams met in the quarter-finals of the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, the match went to the third set, after Japan and Egypt split the first two sets. But the outcome was different here, with the Asian side securing their maiden semi-finals spot, with a dramatic comeback win.

Egypt won the first set comfortably, 10:6, with a strong performance in attack, and some decisions by Japan, who rested their top scorer, Shinnosuke Morooka, in the first minutes.

But Japan roared back with Morooka back in the fold, as Egypt had to rely solely on last edition’s top scorer, Magdy Talaat Abdo Abbas. Egypt’s captain did everything on the court – passed, shot, scored and saved shots – but could not protect his team from a loss.

Magdy Talaat Abdo Abbas finished with 15 points and 12 saves for a 70% saving efficiency, but could not avoid a loss from his side, after Egypt dropped the second set, 9:11.

Morooka finished the match with nine points, Yukitaka Moriya added seven, as Japan conceded only four points in the third set, which was dramatic. Egypt led 2:0, but then the Asian side scored five in a row to take control.

And when Egypt cut the lead, 5:4, and had the last attack of the match, things looked good for them. However, with Talaat Abdo Abbas defended to perfection by Japan, Touba Nagdi Mahmoud Issa needed to take the last shot, which did not hit the goal.

Japan are for the first time in the semi-finals of the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship and will face Portugal in the penultimate act, with the winner securing a medal in Sunday’s final in Granollers.

Egypt are now heading for the Placement Matches 5/8, missing out on the final for the first time in three editions at the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship.