Iceland are the first team to confirm their spot in the main round at the 2025 IHF Men's Youth World Championship, with a 43:27 win over Saudi Arabia, with Denmark sealing another win against the USA, 36:25.

GROUP D  
Saudi Arabia vs Iceland 27:43 (11:22)

With one match remaining in the group stage, Iceland have secured their place in the main round after earning a second consecutive victory, this time against Saudi Arabia. Conversely, the Saudi team remain on one point – after their last-gasp draw in the opening match against Brazil – heading into a decisive encounter with Guinea, scheduled for Saturday.

Iceland asserted control from the outset, but the match remained competitive during the first 10 minutes, with the Europeans holding only a narrow 7:5 advantage as Saudi Arabia worked hard to stay within reach. However, a decisive eight-minute spell followed, during which Stefan Hjartarson scored four of Iceland’s seven unanswered goals, extending the lead to 14:5.

Right wing Hjartarson – later named Player of the Match – was instrumental, tallying seven goals in the opening half, while left back Dagur Heimisson contributed five more. Iceland’s solid defensive display enabled the team to reach the break with a commanding 22:11 advantage.

Even as Iceland rotated their squad in the second half, their energetic, fast-paced approach continued to trouble the Saudi defence. Notably, Iceland did not rely on their goalkeeper for this victory, as Sigurjon Bragi Atlason registered only six saves for a 19% save rate. Instead, he contributed five goals, all scored into an empty net when Saudi Arabia opted for an extra outfield player in attack.

In total, 15 Icelandic players found the scoresheet, marking the team’s second consecutive game with at least 40 goals. Despite Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Alobaidi leading all scorers with nine goals, his side were unable to secure any points on this occasion.

Player of the Match: Stefan Hjartarson (Iceland)

Group H
United States of America vs Denmark 25:36 (10:14)

After conceding a 17-goal loss against Tunisia on Wednesday, the United States of America’s hopes for a main round berth clinged on a positive result against Denmark, one of the powerhouses of the competition.

But the Scandinavian side, winners against Czechia in their maiden match, had only 14 players on the match sheet and also lost goalkeeper Emil Juul Winther due to an ankle injury early in the match.

However, not scoring for more than 11 minutes throughout the first half and allowing the USA to lead, 5:4, after more than 17 minutes into the match, was not exactly on Denmark’s bingo card, as the European side, runners-up at the previous edition, had more turnovers than the USA.

But with the American team unable to score over that period and extend their lead, Denmark came back and used a 4:0 unanswered run to take a four-goal lead, 10:6, just 10 minutes later, containing this lead until the end of the first half.

Needing a clearer win, Denmark jumped to a 4:1 run in the start of the second half, which they improved to eight goals just 20 minutes to go into the match, as all but two of their outfield players had scored at least one goal in the match.

Nevertheless, the USA team, which had Edwin Bengtsson in fine form, scoring five goals from six shots, managed to make the final minutes of the match more interesting, cutting the lead to only five goals, 24:19, with 11 minutes to go, prompting Denmark to take a team time-out.

Eventually, the gulf between the two sides was clear to be seen, with Alexander Jensen, Oscar Hansen and Emil Darling Sorensen combining for 24 goals of Denmark’s 36 in the match, with left wing Jensen scoring 10 goals, as the Scandinavian side eventually secured a 36:25 win.

Denmark made another step to the main round, boasting a four-point tally, but their berth for the next phase of the competition might need to wait until the last day of the preliminary round.

Player of the Match: Alexander Jensen (Denmark)