With 16 matches left, the action is heating up on court at the 28th IHF Men's World Championship as the world's best players look to claim the World Championship title.

96 matches of the 112 scheduled at Poland/Sweden 2023 have been played, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals, placement matches, bronze-medal match and final remaining.

Every single match has seen a 'hummel Best Player of the Match' awarded thanks to International Handball Federation partner hummel.

After each match, the 'hummel Player of The Match' will get the opportunity to pass on his talent and passion for handball to the next generation by donating handball equipment to the organisation FANT (Football for A New Tomorrow), which was founded in 2012 by the Athens 2004 women's handball Olympic gold medallist with Denmark, Josephine Touray.

And it is no surprise that the eight quarter-final teams dominate the awards. Egypt, France, Germany, Norway and Spain all have five awards each in their six matches played, while Denmark and Sweden have taken the award in every single one of their matches at Poland/Sweden 2023. 

The eighth team, Hungary, have recorded two so far, while the Republic of Korea have an impressive five awards from their six matches so far and could make it six awards as they face North Macedonia for 27/28 place on Wednesday (25 January).

Only Algeria have failed to win an award so far out of the 32 teams playing. They have one last chance on Wednesday when they take on Uruguay in the 31/32 placement match.

In terms of continental federations, all five represented at Poland/Sweden 2023 have won awards, with Europe, on 63, taking just short of two-thirds of all awards on offer, despite having over half of the teams competing (17 out of 32).

With Denmark and Spain holding 11 best player awards between them so far, it is no surprise that two of their key players head up the nominations – but at very different ends of the court.

Denmark's right back Mathias Gidsel has won half of his team's awards so far and is joined by Spain's goalkeeper Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas at the top of the awarding with three each.

It is fitting that Pérez de Vargas' position is not only the most awarded one (35 awards), 17 more than the next position – centre back (18) – but also that his shirt number (#1) is the most popular with 10 awards, three more than #12, another classic goalkeeper number.

To see the awards from Egypt 2021 click here, for Germany/Denmark 2019 click here. 

hummel Best Players of the Match – Poland/Sweden 2023

(up to 23 January 2023)

Per team:

6: Denmark (DEN), Sweden (SWE)

5: Egypt (EGY), France (FRA), Germany (GER), Republic of Korea (KOR), Netherlands (NED), Norway (NOR), Spain (ESP)

4: Iceland (ISL), Poland (POL), Slovenia (SLO), United States of America (USA)

3: Brazil (BRA), Cape Verde (CPV), Croatia (CRO), Serbia (SRB)

2: Argentina (ARG), Bahrain (BRN), Montenegro (MNE), Morocco (MAR), North Macedonia (MKD), Portugal (POR), Tunisia TUN)

1: Belgium (BEL), Chile (CHI), Hungary (HUN), Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), Qatar (QAT), Saudi Arabia (KSA), Uruguay (URU)

0: Algeria (ALG)

Per continental federation:

Europe (EHF – 17 teams at Poland/Sweden 2023): 63

Africa (CAHB – 5): 12

Asia (AHF – 5): 10

South and Central America (SCAHC – 4): 7

North America and The Caribbean (NACHC – 1): 4

Per player:

3: Gonzalo Perez de Vargas (ESP), Mathias Gidsel (DEN)

2: Torbjorn Bergerud (NOR), Szymon Sicko (POL), Simon Pytlick (DEN), Sander Sagosen (NOR), Pal Merkovszky (USA), Nedim Remili (FRA), Luc Steins (NED), Milos Vujovic (MNE), Kay Smits (NED), Leonardo Tercariol (BRA), Andreas Palicka (SWE), Bjarki Mar Elisson (ISL), Daniel Fernandez Jimenez (ESP), Blaz Janc (SLO)

1: 62 players

Per position:

Goalkeeper (GK): 35

Centre Back (CB): 18

Left Back (LB): 15

Right Back (RB): 10

Left Wing (LW): 9

Line Player (LP): 4

Right Wing (RW): 5

Per shirt number:

10: #1

7: #12

5: #8

4: #5, #9, #16, #30

3: #6, #10, #19, #35

2: #3, #4, #7, #11, #15, #20, #25, #31, #39, #43, #44, #62, #66, #70, #71, #90

1: #18, #21, #23, #33, #36, #45, #51, #77, #80, #88, #92, #94, #95, #98

Per match: