FC Barcelona, already qualified for the final, delivered another attacking masterclass, putting 36 goals past debutants Montada, celebrating their third win in a row at the 2026 IHF Men’s Club World Championship, 51:15.

It was Barcelona’s largest-ever win in the competition, beating their previous record set in 2022, when they beat Mexican side Ministros, 50:18.

GROUP A
FC Barcelona (ESP) vs Montada (MAR) 51:15 (23:8)

There was no question about the winner of the match, even when Montada took a 2:1 lead, taking advantage of Barcelona’s lack of impetus in the attack in the first minutes of the match.

But soon enough, the tables turned. Won balls in defence turned into deadly fast breaks, as left wing Daniel Fernandez Jimenez was flawless in attack, scoring nine of his team’s first 11 goals.

That meant that Fernandez outscored Montada two times, as the gap quickly grew to 11:3, with no stopping in site for Barca, despite stalwarts like Dika Mem and Timothey N’Guessan were in the stands, while Luis Frade, Ludovic Fabregas, Aleix Gomez Abello or Blaz Janc did not enter for a minute on the court.

At the break, Barcelona had a 15-goal lead and they were motivated to push even further, as by the 40th minute, the score ballooned to 33:8, as Fernandez was replaced by Ian Barrufet when he hit the 11-goal mark, while Djordje Cikusa had eight goals and Adrian Sola added five on the scoresheet.

Despite relying mostly on 10 players, Barcelona continued pushing stronger and stronger, closing in on another record. Previously, their largest wins at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship were against Mexican side Ministros, in 2022, 50:18, and against Sydney Uni in 2024, when they took a 53:23 win.

But by the 48th minute, the gap was 32 goals, exactly their margin of winning against Ministros, with the Spanish powerhouse leading 42:10.

For the third time in their appearances at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, Barcelona hit 50 goals, with Fernandez finishing with 12, Sola with 11 and Cikusa boasting a 10-goal tally in their 51:15 win.

Barcelona finish the group with the best record in the competition and a +57 goal difference, featuring against Veszprem in the final on Thursday.

Montada are still looking for their maiden win and will finish either seventh or eighth, facing Burgan SC in the first match of the last day at the 2026 IHF Men’s Club World Championship.

Player of the Match: Djordje Cikusa (FC Barcelona)