Both semi-finalists from Group I were determined on Friday, with one match to go in the main round, and now France and Spain, who have secured their progression, will fight for the top spot in the group.
Four other teams will play their last match at Poland/Sweden 2023 on Sunday, and each hopes to finish the tournament on a high. 

• 15:30 CET: Montenegro vs Slovenia

Montenegro, who sit fifth in Group I with two points, have lost a chance to reach the quarter-final, but still can be happy with their performance. After all, this is just the second World Championship in the Balkan team's history, and they are likely to finish better than 22nd place, which they claimed at Spain 2013. 

However, the team coached by Zoran Roganović have lost both of their main round matches so far. On Friday, they struggled in attack against the co-hosts Poland, ultimately suffering a 20:27 defeat.

On the same day, Slovenia played a crucial match with Spain and could have retained a good chance of progressing with a victory. They fought hard, especially in the first half, but in the end they lost 26:31 and will not climb up from their current third position in the group.

On Sunday, both sides will be looking for a win and a good championship finish. Slovenia are seen as favourites of this clash, while Montenegro might rest some key players. 

"There is a lot of fatigue, especially with the players who dragged us all the time, and the most important thing is that they should return healthy to their clubs. Yet, we should represent Slovenia in the best possible way," coach Roganović said. 

• 18:00 CET: Islamic Republic of Iran vs Poland

After beating Chile in their opening match at Poland/Sweden 2023, the Islamic Republic of Iran went on to suffer four straight defeats. If the Asians lose again against Poland, they are certain to finish the main round with zero points and in last place.

So far, Iran have had no chances in their main round matches, losing 21:38 against Slovenia and 29:41 against France. However, reaching the main round at their only second World Championship is already an accomplishment.

In contrast, co-hosts Poland had counted on a much better performance at the competition and they were heavily criticized after losing three of their four opening matches.

Yet a 27:20 win against Montenegro gave the Poles some consolation and restored at least some of their shattered confidence. 
"I am proud of my players. It's not easy to go out and fight when you know that your dreams can no longer come true. I liked the players' commitment and desire to win, although we are all sad about not reaching the quarter-final," Poland's coach Patryk Rombel said.

Now his team hopes to end the tournament on a high, and a victory against Iran looks quite likely. In this case, the co-hosts will probably stay fourth-placed in Group II and avoid their worst-ever position at the World Championship, which is now the 17th position at France 2017. 

• 20:30 CET: Spain vs France

Both European heavyweights have won all their five matches at the tournament and already secured their quarter-final spots. Their clash on Sunday will determine the winner of Group I and both teams will be determined to win it. 

After all, their rivalry is a classic, as the teams have faced each other as many as 86 times in all competitions. France have a slight advantage as they won 42 matches, lost 36 and eight more encounters ended in a draw.

Their last competitive duel took place at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where the French won 36:31 on their way to the title. And at the 2021 World Championship, they met in a bronze medal match, which Spain won 35:29.

So the players of both teams know each other well, because some play in each other's leagues. Three members of the French squad, Dika Mem, Melvyn Richardson and Ludovic Fabregas, represent Barcelona, while as many as seven handballers from the Spanish roster have moved to French clubs. 

Both sides are looking to extend their winning streaks, but they will probably keep in mind their quarter-final battles, which are scheduled for Tuesday. 

"If we want to take first place in the group, we have to beat France. However, we have already taken the most important step, which was to progress to the quarter-final," the Spanish left back Daniel Dujshebaev said. 

Still, there is no doubt that both rivals will fight hard. "We expect a fierce fight with Spain. From now on, there will only be hard matches and the best rivals. We have advanced to the quarter-final, but we are not going to stop," the French center back Nedim Remili promised.