Groups II, III and IV of the President’s Cup concluded this afternoon at the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, with Algeria, Iceland and Serbia now in the hunt for the President’s Cup.

Algeria won their group after a 24:24 draw against the Republic of Korea, while Iceland and Serbia had maximum points after their wins.

President’s Cup
Group II
Republic of Korea vs Algeria 24:24 (14:13)

Korea and Algeria delivered a tightly contested match, with the Asian side holding a slender lead for most of the encounter, but it wasn't enough. In the final seconds, Atek Youcef levelled the score at 24:24, salvaging a draw that hands Algeria top spot in Group II with a better goal difference and a ticket to the Placement Matches 17–20 in Katowice, while Korea will fight in the 21–24 bracket.

It may not have been the path either team envisioned, but the stakes were still high. With a spot in the placement matches 17–20 up for grabs, and the chance to fight for the consolation trophy, both Korea and Algeria came into the match fired up.

From the first whistle, the intensity was there. The two sides traded narrow leads with neither managing to pull away. Minjun Lee took responsibility for Korea, netting four in the first half, while Algeria relied on their reliable pair—Atek Youcef pulling strings from the back and line player Adel Gumeida staying involved on both ends.

Despite some strong saves from Algeria's goalkeeper Achiche Sid Ali, five in total, the North Africans could not turn defence into easy goals. In fact, things started to go awry. From leading 9:8, they found themselves trailing 10:12 in just a few minutes. It prompted a much-needed timeout, which managed to settle things, and Algeria cut the gap to two before the break.

The same distance remained in the second half, and Algeria's problems stayed the same. Even though their defence continued to hold the line, this time with Salim Mezaza stepping up between the posts and reaching a 42% save rate, their attack didn't catch up until the closing moments.

Whether it was Korea's 3-3 defence or the sheer number of rushed decisions and turnovers, Algeria were kept on a short leash. They kept trailing by one or two goals, unable to break through. But Korea's failure to score in the final eight minutes opened the door and Algeria took it.

A late push turned into a full comeback, and with just four seconds left, Atek Youcef found the net to seal the 24:24 draw—a result that handed Algeria first place in the group with a +19 goal difference compared to Korea's +15. The Asian side had one last attempt, but with no time to build a clear shot, the miracle never came.

Korea now move to the placement matches 21–24—still a respectable finish after missing the 2023 edition, where their last three appearances landed them at 16th, 19th, and 11th place. Algeria, who finished 22nd last time, will now aim to push for a top-20 spot.

Player of the Match: Salim Mezaza (Algeria)

United States of America vs Canada 39:23 (19:10)

The United States once again proved they hold the upper hand in North American rivalries. With a dominant first-half display, they took control early and never looked back. Canada held the lead briefly—at 2:1, 3:2, and 4:3—but after a timeout in the 14th minute, the USA found their rhythm.

Led by Benjamin Pedersen between the posts, who closed the first half with a 37% save rate, and powered by Rodrigo Campos Menendez and Benjamin Edwards in attack, the Americans shifted gears. A 6-0 unanswered run turned a tight game into a one-sided match, with a nine-goal gap already by halftime.

Canada had some decent defensive moments, but the offensive struggles continued. Once again, their game leaned heavily on Colton Kuypers, who scored five from nine attempts. But without consistent support from the rest of the squad, there simply wasn't enough strength to close the gap.

The score stretched out to 25:13, but Canada did not back down easily. They spurred a 3-0 run of their own to bring the gap back to single digits (16:25). However, the momentum did not last long. The USA regrouped and, by the 47th minute, pushed the score to 29:16. The lead could have been even bigger during that stretch if not for a handful of strong saves by Naël Bisou between the posts.

In the final ten minutes, Canada faltered. They failed to score on two consecutive empty-goal chances, while the USA capitalised with ease, turning almost every attack into a goal. Their lead rose to 37:20, and they cruised to a convincing 39:23 win—their highest scoring output at Poland 2025.

Canada, playing only their second IHF Men's Junior World Championship, now head to the Placement Matches 29–32. It will inevitably mark their lowest finish to date, as their debut back in 2011 ended in 22nd place.

The USA, on the other hand, continue their third consecutive junior flagship competition journey in the Placement Matches 25–28—consistent with their recent history, after finishing 22nd in 2019 and 27th in 2023.

Player of the Match: Benjamin Pedersen (United States of America)

Group III
Morocco vs Iceland 28:48 (15:20)

Iceland secured the first place in Group III of the President’s Cup, after arguably their most consistent performance so far at the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, with a 48:28 win over Morocco.

The two sides were locked in a battle for the first place, which would then send them to the Placement Matches 17-20, with four points after the first match in this phase of the competition, and for the first minutes, Morocco looked like they could match Iceland, just as they matched Denmark and France for at least one half in the preliminary round.

Two 5:0 unanswered runs for Iceland opened up a 18:12 lead close to the break for the European side, but the big push came in the second half, when the Nordic side had several unanswered runs, which helped the gap grow to 14 goals, 33:19, with 16 minutes to go.

Morocco also had one of their top performers, Youness Mansari, concede a red card early in the match, which hampered their efforts, conceding a 28:48 loss at the end of the match, their third in five matches.

Össur Haraldsson scored 11 goals for Iceland, while their top goal scorer, Elmar Erlingsson added seven goals, with Skarphéđinn Ívar Einarsson chiming in with another eight goals, as they combined for 26 goals, nearly as much as the whole Morocco team.

Player of the Match: Össur Haraldsson (Iceland)

Mexico vs North Macedonia 21:41 (9:21)

The European side secured their maiden win in the competition, stopping a four-match winning streak, including a disappointing one against Morocco, which meant that it was impossible for them to finish higher than the 25th place.

But a win and a chance for a better finish are still crucial for a team developing and this is why the European team jumped to the chance of delivering their best attacking performance at Poland 2025, scoring 21 goals in the first half, nine of which came in the last 10 minutes, as Mexico’s level started to drop.

With a plethora of turnovers – 12 in the first half alone – Mexico allowed their opponents to run amok and by the 40th minute, Radoslav Stojanovikj’s side had converted nine fast breaks, to take a commanding 18-goal lead, which they managed until the end, taking a 41:21 win. Ivan Galevski, the European side’s goalkeeper, also had a fantastic outing, saving 21 saves, for a 50% saving efficiency.

Mexico now finished on the last place in the group standings, with five loses in five matches, and will head to the Placement Matches 29-32, while the winners of this match head to the Placement Matches 25-28.

Player of the Match: Ivan Galevski (North Macedonia)

Group IV
Serbia vs Bahrain 36:32 (19:15)

Visibly disappointed by failing to make it into the main round, Serbia still had something to fight for and try to win the President’s Cup, but that meant not conceding a loss in the last match of this group against Bahrain. Yet the Asian side really delivered a good performance, their most consistent so far at Poland 2025.

More experienced, Serbia started strong, but soon Bahrain wanted to erase their loss against Tunisia from Monday, so using a 5:1 run, they took a 8:6 lead. They could not protect it until the end of the first half, as Serbia whent on their own 6:1 run, to open the biggest lead in the match, 21:15, as the match looked over.

While Vukašin Antonijević had eight goals for Serbia and Radan Kovacević added six more, Bahrain relied on Elias Ali (10 goals) and Player of the Match, Mohamed Abdula, who had nine goals, using a strong 6:1 run themselves to cut the gap to only two goals, 27:25, with 15 minutes to go.

In the end, Serbia were stronger, taking a 36:32 win, winning their group and heading to the Placement Matches 17-20, where they are due to face Algeria.

Player of the Match: Mohamed Abdulla (Bahrain)

Tunisia vs Saudi Arabia 35:31 (18:17)

Conceding losses against both Bahrain and Serbia so far, Saudi Arabia aimed to finally break their duck at the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, yet their match against Tunisia was far from easy, especially as the African side were buoyed by their dominating 39:27 win against Bahrain on Monday.

In the end, it was a match decided by the team which had the best shooting efficiency, and that was Tunisia, which only missed six of their shots until the 53rd minute, boasting a fantastic 84% shooting efficiency, despite a slow start, which saw them score only four times in the first 12 minutes.

By that point, Saudi Arabia had a 8:5 lead, as their top scorers in the match, Sajjad Al Farjan and Mohammed Alqaid already asserted dominance. But Tunisia had more in the bag, and, as their attack started to get more precise and clean of turnovers, they turned the match around and finally took the lead with 20 seconds to go in the first half, 18:17.

That goal was part of a 5:0 unanswered run by Tunisia, spurred by their top scorer in the match, Iskander Jafali, which saw the African side take a 21:17 lead early in the second half. Saudi Arabia did cut the gap again to a single goal, 29:28, with only 13 minutes to go, but they could not simply managed to mount a comeback.

Eventually, Tunisia clinched a 35:31 win to finish second in this group, and will head to the Placement Matches 21-24, while Saudi Arabia are left looking for their maiden win.

Player of the Match: Koussay Ben Fraj (Tunisia)