The International Week in men's handball delivered a thrilling week of action on two fronts, as eight nations secured their place in the Qualification Europe for the 2027 IHF Men's World Championship, while several of the world's top teams - already booked for the tournament in Germany next January  - took to the court in high-profile friendly matches.

Among the standout events of the week was a prestigious three-day competition held at the iconic Royal Arena in Copenhagen, where reigning world champions Denmark went head-to-head with Norway, the Netherlands and the United States of America. The competition brought together some of the finest handball on display this week, serving as a timely reminder of the quality that awaits at the 2027 IHF Men's World Championship.

Denmark rolled out an experimental squad, with no less than five debutants in their roster for the three matches, but there were also high profile players in the squad, like the 2025 IHF Male World Player of the Year, Mathias Gidsel, team captain Magnus Saugstrup, or multiple world champions Emil Nielsen and Magnus Landin.

And Denmark pulled no punches, returning to their usually excellent selves, especially in attack, as the Triple Crown holders secured three big wins, 39:30 against Norway, 41:24 against the USA and 38:27 against the Netherlands to finish on the top place in the friendly competition.

Norway bounced back after their initial loss against Denmark and secured two wins to finish second, 38:31 against the Netherlands and 38:30 against the USA, with left wing August Pedersen scoring 19 goals against the Dutch side and fellow left wing Alexander Blonz scoring 13 goals against the USA.

Throughout this event, back Sander Sagosen became Norway’s all-time top scorer, breaking a record of 20 years held by Roger Kjendalen, with Sagosen now scoring 948 goals for Norway, nine more than Kjendalen

 

The Dutch side finished third thanks to their 39:30 win against the USA in the first day. Both the Netherlands, which will face Greece, and Norway, playing against Turkiye, are due to feature in the Qualification Europe – Phase 3, in May, for a place at Germany 2027.

The hosts of the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship, Germany, played two friendly matches against Egypt winning both, 41:38 in the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, and 34:33 in the ÖVB Arena in Bremen, with both arenas sold out, where 10,732 spectators and 9,458 spectators attended respectively.

Both teams – already qualified to Germany 2027 - provided an entertaining tempo in both matches, as Germany provided a better efficiency in attack, as they gear up their preparations aiming to secure the best placement at the IHF Men’s World Championship since 2007, when they won the title.

Talant Dujshebaev made his debut as the France men’s national team coach, with a doubleheader against Spain, one match played in Le Mans, and the other in Ciudad Real, where he featured as a player between 2001 and 2007 and as a coach between 2005 and 2011.

Dujshebaev’s France emerged unscathed after a 29:26 win in the first match, and a 25:25 draw in the second match, as the decorated coach got to grips for the first time with his new team.

“When we play our first match in May against Czechia, we'll have had two, maybe three, training sessions. It's impossible to change everything so quickly. We'll need to remember everything we've worked on before and bring a bit more consistency to our defensive game. As I've said since the beginning of the week, time will be our best friend; the more time passes, the more progress we'll make. Overall, I have a very good feeling this week because I've seen many areas where we can improve, but also where we have opportunities to achieve better results,” said Dujshebaev, according to the official website of the French Handball Federation.

For the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship European Qualifiers – Phase 3, France will need to win against Czechia, while Spain are favoured against Israel.

 

Runners-up at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship and bronze medallists at the EHF EURO 2026, Croatia, had a doubleheader against Switzerland, with Dagur Sigurdsson’s side taking a 34:26 win in the first match and the second match ending in a 35:35 stalemate.

“We played well for over 60 minutes, pushed the pace, and found better solutions compared to Thursday. We played simply, but still brought variety to our game and were dangerous in front of goal from every position,” said Switzerland’s coach, Andy Schmid.

Croatia are qualified for the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship, while Switzerland meet Italy in a crunch doubleheader for a place at Germany 2027 in May.

Iceland and Sweden, both qualified for the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship, played a friendly doubleheader in Iceland, with the guests taking two wins, 35:33 and 33:30, while Portugal also secured a 35:32 win against Czechia in Tondela.

Photo credit: Dejan Obretkovic - Danish Handball Federation / Jozo Cabraja / kolektiff / Croatian Handball Federation