Spain joined Egypt as the second semi-finalist at the 1st IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship, with a clear 48:23 win over Tunisia. Qatar also had a big win against the Republic of Korea, 45:24.

GROUP B
Spain vs Tunisia 48:23 (20:10)

Spain staked a claim for being the best group winners at the 1st IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship, after another statement win against Tunisia, 48:23, in a match which they dominated from start to finish, opening a 10-goal lead at the break, and having all but two of their outfield players score at least one goal.

Locked in a battle against Germany for this status and, theoretically, an easier opponent in the semi-finals, with Spain having a +58 goal difference, six goals lower than their European counterparts, Raul Entrerrios’ side pulled no punches and scored as many goals as possible, while also focusing on defence.

Spain had previously scored 98 goals in the first two matches, an average of 49.5 goals per match, and went pretty close to that threshold once again, hitting 48 past Tunisia, in a match where they dominated from start to finish, delivering an excellent performance in defence, topped up by a very efficient attack.

Spain relied heavily on their defence, where they managed three consecutive steals, which provided the fuel for fast breaks. In turn, Spain used a 10:0 unanswered run that saw the gap grow from one goal to 11 goals, with Tunisia failing to produce something meaningful in attack.

Another 5:0 run at the end of the first half ensured that Spain were well prepared for the second part of the match, as all but two of Spain’s players scored at least one goal for the European team, with Ian Viladiú Peré, Xoel Lago Alonso and Adrian Glaría Sanz combining for 19 goals.

Eventually, Spain jumped to a clear 48:23 win, which saw their goal difference grow to +83 goals, as well as sealing the first place in the group standings and, in turn, secure a semi-finals berth. 

Tunisia finished third in the group, with two losses and a single win, and will head for the Placement Matches.

Player of the Match: Xoel Lago Alonso (Spain)



GROUP B
Republic of Korea vs Qatar 24:45 (9:22)

Qatar needed a win by as many goals as possible against the Republic of Korea to enhance their chances for sealing the last semi-finals spot available at the 1st IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship, by being the best second-placed side in the competition.

Before the match against Korea, they were at a goal difference of -9 goals, therefore double-digits was mandatory, and after the first 30 minutes, Qatar were dominating this Asian derby, between the second and the third-ranked sides at the 2025 AHF Asian Men’s Under-17 Championship.

However, in the second half, the Republic of Korea, which have players only born 2010 or later, managed to keep the gap floating around the 13-15 goals margin, only for Qatar to finish off the match with a 12:4 run. Once again, the turnovers were the problem for Korea, which turned the ball over 27 times, while their goalkeeper only had a 13% saving efficiency.

On the other side, Qatar’s back Ahmed Elsayed had 15 goals, while Ramy Mahrous added eight goals, as many as Youssef Hussein, with all the three Qatari players dominating the top goal scorer standings, being on the podium, with 29, 26 and 23 goals respectively.

While Korea suffered their third consecutive loss, Qatar will be still hoping to qualify, as this will be decided later, when Argentina and Brazil take on the court. So far, the Asian side has a +12 goal difference, and will need Argentina to lose by at least 15 goals to progress.

Player of the Match: Ahmed Elsayed (Qatar)

GROUP C
Islamic Republic of Iran vs Puerto Rico 38:33 (19:17)

The two teams in Group C which have lost their first two matches collided in the third match of the day three at the 2025 IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship and provided one of the most exciting clashes, going head-to-head until the dying minutes.

While Puerto Rico did lead between the sixth and the 14th minute, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Asian champions in this category, bounced back and a 4:0 unanswered run saw them take back the lead, as Mohammadhossein Hagh Setan and Mohammadreza Hematigharacheh dominated the court.

However, Iran could never open a lead larger than three goals, 16:13, after 25 minutes, as at the break, they had a two-goal lead, 19:17, with everything still to play for in this match.

As Puerto Rico managed to improve their attacking efficiency to over 60% and cleaned up their turnover-prone tendency from the first two matches, they managed to come back, with some excellent goals from Antwan Garcia and tie the score, 26:26, after 42 minutes.

But then the Islamic Republic of Iran came back and with a 4:0 unanswered run managed to open a four-goal lead, 30:26, which eventually proved to be unassailable. Eventually, the ending was perfect for the Asian champions, with Hematigharacheh and Hagh Setan scored eight goals each, helping their side secure a 38:33 win over Puerto Rico.

Player of the Match: Mohammadhossein Hagh Setan (Islamic Republic of Iran)