The second day of competition at the 2023 IHF Men’s Super Globe will see the likes of Füchse Berlin and Barca, two former winners of the competition, make their debut in this edition, with no team being able to seal their second win in a row, after an eventful first day in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

GROUP D
12:15 AST Al-Najma (BRN) vs San Francisco CalHeat (USA)

Al-Najma were one of the big surprises of the first day at the 2023 IHF Men’s Super Globe, with the Bahraini side conceding a 26:27 loss against Industria Kielce, after a hard-fought match, which saw the Asian side leading by one goal with two minutes left in the game.

While a place in the semi-finals might have evaded Al-Najma due to that loss, as they would need to win against the San Francisco CalHeat and Kielce to lose against the American team, the Bahraini side will be buoyed by that performance, as they will aim to secure their first win in the competition since 2018, when they ended up in eighth place.

With Mohamed Ahmed (eight goals) and Mujtaba Alzaimoor (six goals) in fine form, Al-Najma will be favoured against the CalHeat, which is making only their second appearance at the IHF Men’s Super Globe, returning after a one-year hiatus.

Back then, the CalHeat conceded three losses in three matches, as they are still searching for their maiden win at the IHF Men’s Super Globe, with Danilo Rojevic’s side aiming to avoid finishing in last place, as they did two years ago and stop their losing streak. 

GROUP B
14:30 AST San Fernando HB (ARG) vs Füchse Berlin (GER)

On paper, this looks like a game with a clear favourite, the leaders of the German Bundesliga, Füchse Berlin, which are making their comeback at the IHF Men’s Super Globe after a five-year hiatus, finishing second in 2018.

The winners of the last edition of the EHF European League Men, the German side is aiming high in Dammam, as they have never finished lower than the second place at the IHF Men’s Super Globe and also have a star-studded squad, led by the MVP of the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, Mathias Gidsel.

Gidsel will be making his debut in the competition and will aim to translate his excellent form from the Bundesliga, where he is the third top scorer of the competition, with a win bringing Füchse closer to a semi-final, which is clearly the objective here for the German side.

On the other hand, San Fernando are on a steep learning curve at the 2023 IHF Men’s Super Globe, with their debut being a painful 29:41 loss against Kuwait SC. The South American side felt the impact of the competition, especially with some key players like Federico Fernandez coming directly after sealing the Paris 2024 Olympic Games ticket with Argentina in the Pan American Games, played in Chile.

GROUP A
16:45 AST Al-Noor (KSA) vs Barça (ESP)

The most decorated team in the history of the IHF Men’s Super Globe, Barça, which won five titles so far, with a 33% winning record, will throw off their campaign in the Dammam Sports Hall against hosts Al-Noor, which are coming after a painful loss against Al-Ahly.

The IHF Men’s Super Globe has always been a coveted trophy for Barça, etched into their DNA, as the Spanish powerhouse aims to end a four-year barren run, with their last trophy coming in 2019, after conceding the last two finals against SC Magdeburg.

Barça have never lost against a non-European side at the IHF Men’s Super Globe and they aim to preserve that record, in spite of their issues, with some crucial players like Luka Cindric and Ludovic Fabregas leaving this summer, while centre back Domen Makuc had a season-ending injury a few weeks ago.

On the other side, Al-Noor got a wake-up call in the first day of the competition, 20:38, against Egyptian powerhouse Al-Ahly, due to the plethora of turnovers – 25 – which enabled Al-Ahly to deliver such a big win.

A loss would mean elimination for Al-Noor, as Barca’s win would see the Spanish side challenge for the semi-finals berth against Al-Ahly on Thursday.

GROUP C
19:00 AST Khaleej Club (KSA) vs University of Queensland (AUS)

Khaleej were coming with big ambitions to the 2023 IHF Men’s Super Globe, but those ambitions have been toned down by their 20:29 loss in the first match against reigning champions SC Magdeburg, as the Saudi side learnt the hard way that they have a large gap to bridge.

However, they will start as favourites against the University of Queensland, a team which will be making their debut in the IHF Men’s Super Globe, after clinching their maiden trophy in the 2023 Oceania Handball Champions Cup last July.

With a core formed mainly from Australian players, who have taken part at the 2023 IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship, but with additions from France, Germany, England or Colombia, the University of Queensland will be trying to represent Australia with their heads held high, being the third team in history, after Sydney Uni and the Southern Stars to take part in the Super Globe.

Their main issue will be the experience, as they are facing stronger opponents than on their continent, while Khaleej have players like Petar Nenadic and Mamdouh Shebib, which will bring plenty of experience to the table, despite their loss in the first match against Magdeburg.

A win for Khaleej will likely make the Saudi Arabian side favourites for the second place in the group, with another chance to finish fifth or six in the final standings, but the University of Queensland will be buoyed by the challenge of making their debut at the IHF Men’s Super Globe.