There could be little separating the teams in Group C at the 27th IHF Men World Championship, as all four sides look set to have a fighting chance to proceed to the next round. While Croatia are favourites to finish atop the group with their experience and depth, the European side still have a tough task ahead against three highly-motivated teams with plenty of World Championship experience and high expectations.

Head Coach Lino Cervar could prove to be Croatia’s main advantage. Egypt 2021 will be the eighth IHF Men’s World Championship for the 70-year-old coach, as the Croatian legend has agreed to remain in place until the Olympic Games in Tokyo, provided his team qualifies.

This will be Cervar’s sixth World Championship as Croatia’s coach, with his tactical nous and handball knowledge proving crucial in 2003, when Croatia won the gold medal, and in 2005 and 2009, when the “Kauboji” finished second. He’s also led Croatia to an Olympic gold medal as well as second place finishes at the 2008, 2010 and 2020 European championships.

With Croatian handball being on the up with players like right wing Ivan Cupic and left wing Manuel Strlek coming back into the fold, Cervar’s side looks poised for a main round berth especially since their opponents are familiar.

Croatia have beaten Japan twice in their two previous World Championship matches, 34:25 at Tunisia 2005 and 35:27 at Germany/Denmark 2019.

However, the story is a little different with Qatar, as the Asian side beat Croatia at the 2016 Olympic Games, 30:23. The 2020 EHF EURO runners-up will have the chance for revenge when the teams meet on 19 January.

Qatar are one of the teams favoured to proceed to the next phase of the competition despite not meeting expectations at the past two World Championships after placing second at Qatar 2015. The Asian side will look to bounce back from eighth place at France 2017 and their 13th place two years ago.

Qatar will arrive confident knowing they have beaten Croatia and have had tremendous success against Japan in years past including most recently a 36:28 victory at the 2020 AHF Men’s Asian Championship.

But Qatar are still looking for that elusive win against Angola, which could seal the deal for a main round berth.

Angola have won both games between the two sides, including a 24:23 nail-biter two years ago, their only win in the group phase, which basically threw Qatar out of contention for a main round berth.

However, Qatar will have both experience and cohesion on their side, with key players playing in Qatar’s skilled domestic competition, with many of them already having played under coach Valero Rivera for the past years.

The pivotal game for both Angola and Japan will be the one in which they face in each other – their last Group C match on 19 January. Neither team have ever progressed to the main round and the encounter between the two sides will most likely decide who earns that elusive berth.

This will be the third consecutive World Championship where Angola and Japan cross paths, with the two sides trading wins: Japan steamrolled the African side at France 2017, 37:26, while Angola avenged that loss two years later, winning the 23/24 placement match 32:29.

The pressure will surely be on Japan to improve from two years ago, with their eyes firmly set on the Olympic Games next summer, where they have already secured a spot as the host nation.

All Group C matches will be played in Borg Al Arab Sports Hall on 15, 17 and 19 January. More information on the 27th IHF Men’s World Championship can be found here.