Andorra, Cuba and hosts Bulgaria can seal their semi-finals berths at the IHF Men's Emerging Nations Championship, provided they double up on their wins sealed on Tuesday, the tournament's first day.

Group A

• 12:15 EEST Andorra vs India

India won two games out of seven in the previous edition of the IHF Men's Emerging Nations Championship at Georgia 2019 when they made their debut and will be looking to bring their fast-paced style at Bulgaria 2023 when they make their debut against Andorra.

Both of India's wins four years ago came against European opposition, in the Placement Matches 9/12, 36:35 against Ireland after penalties and 46:28 against Azerbaijan, with plenty of goals scored from the Asian side.

But in Andorra, they face a plucky, albeit depleted, side that only had 10 players on their roster for the first match against Malta, a roller-coaster ride which ultimately saw Andorra clinch a 29:27 win.

Back Unai Ruiz shone for Andorra, being the top scorer of the first round of the group phase with an outstanding performance of 11 goals, as India will have to take care of his scoring prowess. But it will be interesting to see how Andorra, who will qualify for the semi-finals if they win here, recover after a difficult match against Malta which saw them go full gas until the last second.

Group B

• 14:00 EEST Republic of Moldova vs Australia

A six-year wait for participation at the IHF Men's Emerging Nations Championship has ended for the Republic of Moldova. Still, the return has not yielded a positive result after a 31:35 loss against Cyprus. Yet the Republic of Moldova, ten goals behind in the second half, showed their grit, powering through and cutting the gap.

The next challenge for an inexperienced team, with only one player featuring outside of the domestic championship, will be Australia, a side with several players plying their trade in Europe and other experienced ones who already featured in the previous editions of the competition.

The Republic of Moldova will have to improve their defensive effort, as they are the team which conceded the highest number of goals, 35, in the first game, with their chances of progression being almost reduced to zero after the loss against Cyprus.

Australia could make a name for themselves here as they aim to improve their 12th place finish at the maiden edition of the competition, Kosovo 2015.

Group C

• 16:45 EEST Cuba vs Guatemala

Cuba have definitely become one of the favourites for the trophy after their excellent 32:28 win against Great Britain, which saw them mount a comeback in the second half after they hit some early trouble in the first part of the game.

Four years ago, Cuba were the runners-up of the competition and one of the players who returned to the competition, Hanser Michel Rodriguez Rodriguez, has been excellent once again, scoring seven goals against Team GB, playing a dual role, both as a centre back and as a left wing.

On the other side, Guatemala are making their debut in the competition and will be a huge underdog against a strong Cuba side which looks to rely heavily on the back line, with excellent physical qualities, to create goals for their attack.

Another win would see Cuba progress to the semi-finals, repeating their achievement from Georgia 2019, as Guatemala would battle against Great Britain for second place in this scenario.

Group D

• 19:00 EEST Bulgaria vs Nigeria

The hosts can also make it through to the semi-finals, their objective in this competition, if they win against Nigeria, making it two out of two after they dominated Azerbaijan in the first match, 30:19.

The two sides also met four years ago, in the previous edition of the IHF Men's Emerging Nations Championship, with Bulgaria taking a clear 27:19 win, which they will hope to repeat this time around at the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna.

Yet on paper, things look better for the African side, which has an amazing young talent in right back Faruk Yusuf, who scored 55 goals in this season's EHF European League Men for the Spanish side Fraikin BM. Granollers. However, apart from Yusuf, Nigeria have little experience to show, with Bulgaria being the more experienced team which will also play in front of their fans.

Named Player of the Match in the win against Azerbaijan, right wing Svetlin Dimitrov will also have the chance to become the first player in the history of the IHF Men's Emerging Nations Championship to score 200 goals as he is currently on 191 goals after putting seven goals past their opponents on Tuesday.