Hungary, Sweden and Germany are the first three quarter-finalists at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, after Hungary enjoyed a buzzer-beater win against Austria, 33:32, while Norway drew against Slovenia, 37:37, seeing Germany through.

Main Round
Group I
Hungary vs Austria 33:32 (16:14)

Austria’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in history at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship were hanging by a thread and their main hope to still keep their chances intact was to deliver a win in the main round opener in Cairo Stadium – Hall 1, against Hungary.

Their opponents were coming after three consecutive wins in the preliminary round, where they scored 121 goals, the second-best attacking output of the competition, therefore Austria needed to contain this powerful attack, but instead they opted to try to match it goal-by-goal.

For the first 10 minutes, Austria silenced Hungary and jumped to a 6:3 lead, with an excellent start in attack from left back Emanuel Tikvić and line player Maximilian Danhel, who both scored two goals. But Hungary quickly bounced back and tied the score, 9:9, before Austria wrestled back the lead, 14:12, in the 24th minute.

For the last six minutes of the first half, though, Austria failed to bring on what was needed in the attacking phase of the match and Hungary were leading at the break, 16:14, thanks to a 4:0 unanswered run which turned the match on its head.

Hungary’s Márkó Eklemovic look to take control of the match, followed by his teammate, Máté Fazekas, with both scoring six goals by the 44th minute. But surprisingly, Hungary’s attacking output fell, as they were outscored 12:8, with a 26:24 Austria lead prompting Istvan Gulyas to take a team time-out, with 15 minutes to go.

That team time-out proved to be decisive, as from that moment on, Hungary bounced back and with a 3:0 unanswered run they took back the lead. From that moment on, th lead changed hands again twice, but Márkó Eklemovic scored three of Hungary’s last four goals to tie the score, 32:32.

And then, a fantastic buzzer-beater from Máté Fazekas sealed the deal, with a 33:32 crucial win for Hungary seeing them qualified for the quarter-finals, joined by Sweden, which also have four points.

The two sides will face off on Tuesday to see which one wins the group, while Austria and Switzerland will head to the Placement Matches.

Player of the Match: Márkó Eklemovic (Hungary)

Main Round Group III
Norway vs Slovenia 37:37 (19:18)

Norway started confidently, opening with a 2:0 run and stretching the lead to 7:3. In the early phase, Slovenia leaned almost entirely on Aljuš Anžič, who scored all five of their first seven-minute goals. Both defenses stood firm, but a spate of Norwegian attacking errors midway through the half offered Slovenia a way back.

When Tjaž Štaleker struck for 9:10, the gap was down to one. Norway pushed again to 15:11, but a timely Slovenia time-out sparked a two-goal reply. The pattern repeated to the break, with Slovenia producing one last surge from 14:18 to 18:19. Anžič continued to dominate, reaching double figures with 10 first-half goals.

The second half delivered the drama the Cairo Stadium Hall 2 crowd wanted. Slovenia equalised immediately after the restart, and the teams stayed neck-and-neck until the 50th minute, with Norway only sporadically edging in front. Slovenia had two chances to take the lead earlier but rushed their attacks.

They finally made it count in the 51st minute. Unshakeable from seven metres, Anžič converted his sixth penalty and 20th goal to give Slovenia their first lead, 32:31. A big Štaleker block swung momentum further, and Slovenia moved 34:32 ahead, forcing a Norwegian time-out. The first break didn’t help; Slovenia extended to plus three with five minutes left, prompting another Norwegian time-out. This one worked—Norway battled back to 36:36 with a minute to go.

Both teams scored once more, then missed their final attacks, leaving the contest level. Both remain in the quarter-final race: Norway sit on three points ahead of their last main round match against Germany, while Slovenia have one and must beat France to keep hopes alive. The draw also confirmed Germany’s place among the top eight, while Anžič finished the match with 23 goals, seven more than he scored in the previous three matches combined.

Player of the Match: Aljuš Anžič (Slovenia)

President’s Cup Group I
Kosovo vs Kuwait 36:23 (17:11)

Kuwait arrived on a three-game skid and hoped to break the pattern against fellow newcomers Kosovo. After falling behind 4:1, they responded well to keep it tight until around the 20-minute mark—when the tide turned decisively.

Kosovo goalkeeper Olt Kabashi delivered another standout display, sparking easier transition and second-phase goals, while Kuwait’s defence lacked bite. A decisive 5:0 burst between the 20th and 26th minutes shaped the half-time score and set the tone for the remainder.

Eight minutes into the second half, Kosovo hit a double-digit lead at 25:15. Kuwait tried to disrupt their rhythm by alternating between 3–3 and 5–1 defences, forcing Kosovo’s key backs deeper. It worked briefly, trimming the gap to 27:19, but the comeback soon stalled.

From there, Kosovo managed the tempo and cruised to a second win at Egypt 2025. They join Portugal atop the group on four points, with Tuesday’s head-to-head to decide who advances to the President’s Cup semi-finals and who plays for 21st–24th place. Kuwait’s wait for a first win continues; they meet Morocco next and will need more scoring options beyond Abdullatif Salmin and Yosef Madwah to end the skid.

Player of the Match: Olt Kabashi (Kosovo)

President’s Cup Group II
Brazil vs Algeria 36:28 (16:14)

Missing out on a main round spot was frustrating for Brazil, but the South Americans have set their sights on going deep in the President’s Cup—and they opened this phase with a confident win over Algeria.

Brazil now have four points in Group II, level with Croatia. The two will decide the group winner in a direct duel on Tuesday. Algeria, meanwhile, will face fellow African side Guinea, with both teams still seeking their first points at the tournament on home continent soil.

The sides were level at 4:4 early on before Brazil produced a 3:0 run to take control. By the 15-minute mark, they led 11:7, but then scored just once in the next seven minutes, prompting a Brazilian timeout. Algeria kept pushing, and despite Brazil’s 76% shot efficiency, the gap was only two at the break, 16:14.

Three straight goals from Selim Berrou—later named Player of the Match—gave Algeria their first lead in the 36th minute, 20:19. Brazil steadied quickly and responded, with Marcos Oliveira’s attacking surge restoring a cushion at 26:23 midway through the second half.
Oliveira finished with 11 goals, and Brazil saw out the game comfortably, winning by eight. The result should provide a timely boost ahead of the remaining fixtures.

Player of the Match: Selim Berrou (Algeria)