Egypt and USA secured their maiden wins at the 2026 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, extending their chances to come back on the podium.

Group B
United States of America vs Australia 2:0 (3:2; 7:1)

After scoring only five points in their maiden match against Japan in the maiden matchday of the competition, the United States of America needed a big bounceback against Australia to keep their dreams alive.

And it was exactly the scenario they envisioned, in a strong, physical and close match against Australia, especially in the first set, when the lowest number of points in the history in a single set at the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship was scored.

For 10 minutes, USA and Australia combined for five points, with both teams struggling to get open shots, as they defended fantastically. But eventually, USA, which led 3:1 midway in the set, took a 3:2 win and boosted their morale.

While Australia tried their mightest, they only scored a single point in the second set, having only 10 shots on goal, which, in turn, saw the USA goalkeepers register a fantastic 70% saving efficiency.

And with Christopher Mark Bacon Jr shining on the court, scoring seven of USA’s 10 points, the runners-up from the previous edition managed to sneak to a 7:1 win in the second set, securing their maiden win and tying Japan on points in the standings.

With the top two sides progressing to the quarter-finals in each group, Japan winning a set would see both the Asian side and the USA progress to the next phase, with Australia facing a must-win scenario to secure their place in the last eight.

Group D
Egypt vs Lithuania 2:0 (10:4; 10:8)

Reigning champions Egypt extended their chances to retain their title and kept hopes alive for a second in a row, with a 2:0 win against Lithuania, which was competitive throughout the whole match in their debut at the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship.

With Egypt facing a do-or-die situation after the loss against Chile, they had their issues in the first set, being down 4:1 after three minutes, but managed to stage a comeback and went on a 9:0 run to send the set.

Despite missing nine of the 15 shots attempted in the match, Magdy Talaat Abdo Abbas was once again the top scorer for Egypt in the match, with 10 points, half of the total scored by the reigning champions.

However, the second set was even more balanced. Edgaras Ciaplinskas had eight points for Lithuania, who managed to keep Egypt at bay, with the two teams going toe-to-toe, with the lead changing hands multiple times.

Lithuania were up 6:5, after six minutes in the second set, but Taalat Abdo Abbas scored four points to bring back Egypt into the match and secure a 2:0 win in straight sets.

Egypt and Chile are now tied on two points, with the decider between Chile and Lithuania deciding the final outcome in the group.