The 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship threw off with three big wins sealed by Sweden, Iceland and Germany, but also with a tough encounter between Denmark and Czechia, where the Scandinavian side pulled away only in the second half to take a close 34:29 win.

Group A
Sweden vs Kuwait 39:22 (18:11)

Sweden kicked off their Egypt 2025 campaign with confidence, delivering a commanding 39:22 victory over Kuwait in their Group A opener at the 11th IHF Men’s Youth World Championship.

The Swedes started strongly, led by a standout performance from goalkeeper Oscar Arnell, who made five saves from 11 shots in the first ten minutes and held an impressive 48% save rate by halftime. Despite their high tempo, Sweden’s attacking speed early on led to some errors and allowed Kuwait to stay level, with right wing Abdullatif Salmin scoring 75% of his team’s goals to keep it 7:7.

Midway through the first half, Sweden began to take control. Forcing Kuwaiti mistakes, they put together a 3:0 run to establish their first clear lead at 10:7. Kuwait struggled to maintain the pace as Sweden’s rhythm and pressure increased.

Sweden made the most of their seven-against-six opportunities and further extended their lead, finishing the first half ahead by seven. The Swedes converted 75% of their shots before the break, compared to Kuwait’s 44%.

After halftime, Sweden shifted up another gear, widening the margin to double digits within five minutes (25:15), led by Nikola Roganović. As their advantage grew, Sweden rotated their squad, with all 14 outfield players finding the net at least once. Player of the Match Viggo Hakansson picked up where Arnell left off in goal, posting an excellent 52% save rate in the second half.

Kuwait continued to rely on Salmin, who finished with eight goals. Hussen Boland and Abdulhadi Barrak also contributed as Kuwait pushed past the 20-goal mark, but it was Sweden who had the final say—cruising to a decisive victory.

In the next round on Friday, Sweden will face Austria, while Kuwait, the group’s only non-European team, will go up against Portugal.

Player of the Match: Viggo Hakansson (Sweden)

GROUP D
Iceland vs Guinea 41:19 (19:8)

Iceland made a powerful start to Egypt 2025, cruising to a 41:19 victory over debutants Guinea and taking a significant step towards the main round. Playing at their sixth IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, Iceland’s quality and experience quickly showed.

Luka Ibrahim Camara made history for Guinea by scoring their first-ever goal at this level, equalizing Gardar Sindrason's opener early on. The teams remained level at 3:3 five minutes in, but Iceland soon seized control with a 6:0 run, pulling ahead 11:4 by the 16th minute.

Guinea’s goalkeeper Ismail Ba, who came off the bench in the first half, impressed with a 41% save rate and helped slow Iceland briefly. Still, Iceland’s keeper Jens Sigurdarson—later named Player of the Match—matched him with a 46% save rate to help the Europeans to a commanding 19:8 halftime lead.

The second half followed a similar script, with Iceland continuing to dominate even as they rotated players. Left wing Bessi Teitsson stood out, ending as top scorer with seven goals, while Iceland punished Guinea’s errors with eight fast-break goals. Iceland became the first team at Egypt 2025 to reach 40 goals, claiming the biggest win of the tournament so far.

Player of the Match: Jens Sigurdarson (Iceland)

GROUP E
Germany vs Uruguay 39:22 (19:12)

Germany lived up to their reputation as favourites, securing a commanding 39:22 win over Uruguay in their Egypt 2025 opener. This marks Germany’s eighth consecutive IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, while Uruguay made their debut at this level.

Germany started brightly, going 2:0 up before Franco Carpinely opened Uruguay’s World Championship account. Buoyed by that goal, Uruguay made a spirited start and trailed by just two at 7:5 after 11 minutes.

Germany then stamped their authority on the match with a 6:1 run, led by Linus Schmid, and with strong saves from Anel Durmic, moved into a comfortable seven-goal lead at halftime (19:12).

In the second half, Germany further tightened their grip, with Finn Knaack taking over in goal and delivering a superb 50% save rate (10 saves). With the squad rotated, 13 of Germany’s 14 outfield players got on the scoreboard, and six shared the top-scorer honours—including Tim Schröder, who was named Player of the Match. Germany’s lead continued to grow, reaching 26:16 and then 34:20, finishing just shy of 40 goals and confidently moving towards the main round.

Up next, Germany will face the Faroe Islands, while Uruguay look to improve against Slovenia.

Player of the Match: Tim Schröder (Germany)

Group H
Denmark vs Czechia 34:29 (15:14)

The runners-up in the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, Denmark, were trying to do the double at Egypt 2025, after securing the title one month ago, in the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship.

But in the opener of Egypt 2025, in the Cairo Stadium 1, Denmark faced a determined Czechia side, another European side which had their eyes set for a main round berth, and the Scandinavian side, runners-up at the M18 EHF EURO 2024 last year, had a battle on their hands.

After a slow start from Denmark, the Scandinavian side bounced back with a 5:0 unanswered run, which prevented Czechia to score for seven minutes and 26 seconds, turning the match on its head.

Centre back Magnus Boysen Moldrup led the way for Denmark, with four goals in the first half, but Czechia still managed to bounce back, thanks to a better defence, which also stopped Denmark scoring for seven minutes and 21 seconds, helping Czechia back into the match.

A 4:1 run, spanning between the 20th and the 24th minutes saw Czechia wrestle back the lead from Denmark, 11:12, but eventually the Scandinavian side took back the lead just before the break, with two crucial goals from Gustav Bundgaard Petersen, who took the score to 15:14.

The backbone of Denmark’s win was a strong start for the Scandinavian side in the second half, where a 6:1 run saw them take a 20:15 lead, much to the chagrin of the Czech side, which worked throughout the first half to keep the gap under wraps and create a surprise.

But eventually, just as in the junior team’s case, Denmark’s superior depth paid dividends, as Czechia were running out of steam late in the second half, where Denmark opened up their largest lead of the match, 29:23, with nine minutes to go.

Eventually, Denmark opened up their campaign with a 34:29 win, which sets them up nicely for the next matches against the USA and Tunisia.

Player of the Match: Magnus Boysen Moldrup (Denmark)