The start of the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship is just around the corner, with only six days separating us from the throw-off, a stellar match in the Spodek arena in Katowice, where co-hosts Poland will face the most decorated team in the history of the competition, France. 

Plenty of stars will line up in the competition. However, for other crucial players of their teams, the start of the world handball flagship competition is coming too early, with several players missing from their teams due to injuries sustained in recent months.

Both France and Poland will be missing key players. Still, the list of the stalwarts that will not be able to participate in the competition also includes crucial players from Egypt, Brazil, Croatia or Iceland.

France miss four key players

France will be missing two Olympic champions from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as left back Timothey N’Guessan and left wing Hugo Descat are injured. Descat, a steady hand on his position and one of France’s penalty takers, who was named the All-Star left wing at Tokyo 2020, sustained a knee injury in December 2022 and will be out for at least two months. N’Guessan, FC Barcelona’s left back, suffered a fractured finger during a match against Nantes in December and will also miss the event with a six-week layoff. On top of those two injuries, France will also miss defensive specialist Karl Konan and left back Kyllian Villeminot, both with injuries sustained this winter.

Syprzak-less Poland trying to surprise on home court

Poland’s ambitions for the tournament they are co-hosting are definitely high. Still, they received a huge blow when line player Kamil Syprzak suffered an injury during the last match played by his club PSG in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League and will therefore miss the tournament. It is the second consecutive edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship that Syprzak will miss due to injury. His absence will be even more painful for Poland as he was the top scorer of the European premium competition, scoring 71 goals.

Less power on the wings for Spain

Spain’s wings have always been crucial to their team’s success in the past, but this time around “Los Hispanos” will miss two stalwarts on the right and the left wing as FC Barcelona’s Aleix Gómez and Aitor Ariño are unable to join their teammates for Poland/Sweden 2023. Gómez, who has been superb both at club level and for his national team, is undergoing treatment for his Achilles, while Ariño has knee issues, with both missing Poland/Sweden 2023.

Croatia have big issues in their back line

Croatia are undoubtedly the team most affected by injuries. Two of them came after a pair of friendly matches in late December 2022, when experienced right wing Ivan Čupić, silver medallist at Croatia 2009 and bronze medallist at Spain 2013, was confirmed out due to a medical issue. Centre back Tin Lučin also has shoulder problems and will be out of the competition, despite trying to join the Croatia team in their preparations. The two new absences add to the long list that coach Hrvoje Horvat has to deal with, as left backs Halil Jaganjac and Marko Mamić and centre back Domagoj Pavlović are also missing. In total, Croatia will have to make do without four back players and their leading right wing, hampering their efforts to be back among the best teams in the world.

Key backs absent for Egypt, Iceland, Hungary and Brazil

A huge absence for Egypt will be right back Yahia Omar, who suffered torn ligaments during a match played for his club team Telekom Veszprém HC against Orlen Wisla Plock in December 2022. It was a season-ending injury for the Egypt star, who was cheered up by his teammates as Ahmed Hesham and Yehia El-Deraa wore his shirt during the friendly matches against Algeria and Slovakia at the Carpathian Trophy in late December.

Another key player that will be missing for his team is Brazil’s left back Haniel Langaro, who suffered a season-ending injury in the same match where Timothey N’Guessan sustained an injury. Langaro ruptured his Achilles tendon and will be out for at least six months, unable to take part at Poland/Sweden 2023.

Iceland will also miss centre back Haukur Thrastarsson, who tore his ligaments during a match in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League. At the same time, Hungary cannot rely on right back Dominik Mathé as PSG’s star nurtures a knee injury.

Big blow for Sweden

Rising star Karl Wallinius, who has impressed for German powerhouse THW Kiel this season with 26 goals in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League, is also confirmed absent for Poland/Sweden 2023. The co-hosts will miss his powerful shots as Wallinius, who was part of the team that won the gold medal at the EHF EURO 2022, said he is not 100% fit for the world championship. He will be replaced by Olle Forsell Schefvert, who will make his debut for Sweden aged 29.