Four main round berths were sealed in the last matches of Day 3 at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, after France and Switzerland won their matches against Argentina and Morocco respectively, with Hungary and Norway also making it through.

Group B
Switzerland vs Morocco 32:25 (15:13)

Switzerland secured their place in the main round of the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship Egypt 2025 with a hard-fought victory over a determined Morocco side. For much of the opening 45 minutes, the encounter remained closely contested, with Morocco even enjoying a brief 3:2 advantage. Switzerland, however, gradually imposed their style through patient ball movement and extended possessions, stringing together a 7:4 run to seize control of the scoreboard.

A pivotal factor in Switzerland’s first-half steadiness was goalkeeper Lino Schneider, who maintained a save rate above 45% for long stretches. Nevertheless, Switzerland’s overall attacking performance left room for improvement, operating at just 44% efficiency with Niclas Mierzwa the only player to score more than twice in the first 30 minutes. Equally matched in turnovers with Morocco—the fourth-placed team from the 2024 African Men's Youth Handball Championship—Switzerland struggled to create any significant separation.

Morocco responded with resilience, steadily reducing the deficit to trail by just one goal, 12:13, moments before halftime. The narrow two-goal gap persisted into the break, and the evenly matched contest continued well into the second half. The turning point arrived midway through the period, as Switzerland finally found their rhythm, embarking on a decisive run to open a six-goal cushion.

By the 55th minute, Switzerland had extended their lead to double digits at 31:21, effectively deciding the outcome. The Swiss side confidently managed the closing moments to seal a 32:25 win, highlighted by a ten-goal performance from Player of the Match Niclas Mierzwa. For Morocco, Samy Arent-Mansour stood out with a team-best seven goals.

With this result, Switzerland not only progressed to the main round but also confirmed Hungary’s accompanying qualification from Group B. The group’s top two sides will now meet to determine first place on Saturday. Morocco join Kosovo in the President’s Cup, with two points still up for grabs in their final group fixture.

Player of the Match: Niclas Mierzwa (Switzerland)

Group F
France vs Argentina 38:24 (18:13)

France were warned by Argentina’s great performance against Norway in the first day of the competition, when the South American side really went close against the Scandinavian side, conceding a one-goal loss in the closing stages of the match, where they even had the chance to tie the score.

That kind of performance was also on Argentina’s mind, and they started strong once again, only for France to really up their tempo. Most of it was down to their goalkeepers – Wilson Schultz and Timothé Riss – who combined for a 42% saving efficiency until the 45th minute, when France were already up by 11 goals, 28:17.

But for that gap to grow, it took some efforts from France, which constantly rotated their players and tried to offer meaningful minutes to all of them. Nevertheless, the first moment in which France really pushed the pedal was a 4:0 run between the 24th and the 28th minutes, when the European side steamrolled their opponents, to create a six-goal lead, 17:11.

Argentina bounced back in the start of the second half with a 3:0 run and cut the gap to only three goals, proving their worth. But the camel’s straw was broken when France embarked on a 6:0 run, where Alexandre Baradat and Lukas Delattre each scored two goals, with the gap ballooning to nine goals, 25:16.

As Argentina’s starters got more and more tired, France’s defence grew stronger and could easily force turnovers from the South American side. That enabled the European side to create fast breaks, which they converted to push the gap into double digits. While France doubled their tally from the first half, Argentina barely scored 10 goals, reflected in the 39:24 final score, with all but one of France’s 14 outfield players getting on the scoresheet.

France’s win meant that they qualify for the main round, alongside Norway, while the decider between the two teams on Saturday is due to see which team progresses to the next phase with two points. Argentina and Mexico head to the President’s Cup, with their chances for the first win at Egypt 2025 coming in the mutual match on Saturday.

Player of the Match: Tristan Gourguechon (France)