Huge shocks were seen on the board across the European Qualification Phase 2 – Part 2 for the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, with strong favourites like Poland, Slovenia, Czechia or the Netherlands conceding losses and making their path more difficult to seal the coveted tickets for the world handball flagship competition.

Undoubtedly, the biggest shock was Poland’s home loss against Slovakia, 28:29, with Slovakia’s left wing, Jakub Briatka matching Poland’s line player Kamil Syprzak’s output of 11 goals. Slovakia have only qualified twice for the IHF Men’s World Championship, in 2009 and 2011, and eye a return after a strong display.

Another team which will try to seal their return for the first time since Sweden 2011 is Romania, which led by as many as seven goals in the home match against Czechia, only to seal a 31:30 win, which still holds Czechia in the hunt for a place at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025.

On the other hand, the 29th edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship might see the Faroe Islands make their debut, after the Nordic side excelled at the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship. Led by the 2023 IHF Young Male Player of the Year, Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu, who scored 10 times, the Faroe Islands clinched a 34:27 win against Kiril Lazarov’s North Macedonia, but will face a tough second leg in Skopje.

Another shock win was Switzerland’s 27:26 hard-fought battle against Slovenia, a team qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Manuel Zehnder scored eight goals in Andy Schmid’s debut as a coach for Switzerland, with Slovenia facing a must-win match to keep their appearance streak at the IHF Men’s World Championship alive.

In Kozani, Greece delivered another bombshell, with a 31:27 win over the more experienced Netherlands team, with Achilleas Toskas and Dimitrios Tziras combining for 13 goals. In the previous EHF EURO Qualifiers, Greece took a four-goal win against the Dutch side, but lost the second leg by six goals.

A hard-fought battle also saw Spain take a 32:28 win against Serbia, in the most balanced tie on paper, ales Alex and Dani Dujshebaev combined for 10 goals against a plucky Serbia side, which were down a single goal at the break.

The biggest win in the first leg of the European Qualification Phase 2 – Part 2 was sealed by Iceland, which took a clear 50:25 win against Estonia, with SC Magdeburg pair of Omar Ingi Magnusson and Gisli Kristjansson nearly outscoring Estonia by themselves, with 20 goals scored between the two backs. 

Another clear win was registered by Portugal, which are now getting ready for their third consecutive appearance at the IHF Men’s World Championship, with a clear 29:19 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Portugal did not have available two key players, Francisco and Martim da Costa, but dominated the match, as goalkeeper Manuel Gaspar had an outstanding 52.3% saving efficiency.

The second legs of the European Qualification Phase 2 – Part 2 will take place on Sunday, 12 May, with the winners of the 11 doubleheaders making it to the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship.

European Qualification Phase 2 – Part 2 - first leg results

• Lithuania vs Hungary 26:33
• Italy vs Montenegro 32:26
• Greece vs Netherlands 31:27
• Romania vs Czechia 31:30
• Spain vs Serbia 32:28
• Faroe Islands vs North Macedonia 34:27
• Slovenia vs Switzerland 26:27
• Portugal vs Bosnia and Herzegovina 29:19
• Iceland vs Estonia 50:25
• Poland vs Slovakia 28:29
• Georgia vs Austria 25:27

Photo credit: Hondbóltssamband Føroya