Four of the teams that will enter the fray at the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, are gearing up their preparations and getting in shape for the 5th Men’s Arab Youth Championship, which will take place in Mahdia, Tunisia, between 10 and 16 April.

The four teams will feature in a round-robin tournament, with six games played in the group phase on 10, 11 and 12 April, as the final ranking will decide the semi-finals pairings. The winner of the group phase will play against the fourth-placed side, while the second and third places will play against each other on 14 April.

After a one-day rest, the Rachad Khouja Arena will host the two finals, the bronze medal match and the game for the trophy, with the eventual champions possibly needing to win all five games they play to clinch the trophy.

For Algeria, Libya and hosts Tunisia, it will be an interesting preparation tournament, as they have their eyes set on Germany/Greece 2023, where they are all drawn into Group B, alongside co-hosts Germany, in one of the most balanced groups of the competition.

Libya will be returning to a major international tournament for the first time since 2009, while Tunisia are qualified for the 12th straight time at the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship. In this competition, they secured a bronze medal at Greece 2011.

Algeria will feature for the 11th time in the competition and return for the first time since 2017, as Saudi Arabia also come back for the first time in six years but only features for the fourth time in history in the competition.

The 24th edition of the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship will take place between 20 June and 2 July 2023 in five different venues in Magdeburg, Hanover, Athens and Berlin, with the German capital hosting the final weekend in the Max-Schmeling-Halle. 

Photo: Handball Federation Saudi Arabia