Towering Rubin comes of age at 2025 IHF Men's World Championship

19 Jan. 2025

Towering Rubin comes of age at 2025 IHF Men's World Championship

Between 1995 and 2021, Switzerland did not make it to the IHF Men’s World Championship, despite having arguably the best player in their history, Andy Schmid, available in the squad. Fortunately for Schmid, he had the chance to represent his country in the world handball flagship competition in 2021, when Switzerland came 16th, with three wins and three losses.

Now, Schmid is the coach of the Switzerland men’s national team, having taken over last year, and it is the turn of other players to star. And while the European side has not established itself as a powerhouse in Europe, steps are clearly made in the right direction, as they featured at the EHF EURO 2024 and are now present at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship.

Sure, their path towards Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025 has not been easy, but it involved a bit of luck. After being eliminated on penalties by Slovenia in the European Qualification Part 2 – Phase 2, with the result of the doubleheader tied after 120 minutes, Switzerland received a wild card and were drawn into the toughest possible group in the competition, alongside Germany, Poland and Czechia, the only group with a 100% European participation.

Nevertheless, Switzerland provided two quality outings in the first two matches, as a 17:17 draw against Czechia has been followed by a 29:31 loss against Germany, with the latter match seeing Switzerland lead for a big chunk, including in the second half. 

The common denominator in these two matches was also the top scorer for the Swiss side, left back Lenny Rubin, who had eight goals against Czechia, nearly half of his team’s total, and seven goals against Germany, ranking in the top-10 of the best scorers in the competition after two matches.

“I think this is the best and most balanced group in the whole competition. Germany are the best team of the group, but Czechia and Poland are also strong sides, I think we are at the same level. We played good, but against Germany, we scored zero points and this is what matters,” says Rubin.

The 28-year-old back was born in Germany, where his father, Martin, was playing. As he transitioned into coaching, leading Wacker Thun and BSV Bern throughout his career, Lenny inherited the passion and the genes, being a towering presence on the court, 2.05m tall, and with a penchant for scoring goals.

“I think it feels amazing to be here. It's a great competition for us and I feel so good that I can be back at this edition of the World Championship, after having already played in 2021, in Egypt,” says Rubin.

The left back has made his debut for the senior national team in September 2016, against Belarus, already displaying flashes of brilliance despite being only 20 years old, with eight goals. Since that match, he played 80 matches and scored 287 goals for Switzerland.

But his fondest memories in the “Nati” shirt are definitely the ones at the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship, when Switzerland finished 16th, making it to the main round. Can they emulate that achievement and avoid the last place in the preliminary round group now?

It all hinges of the match against Poland, with both sides tied at one point after the first two matches. Switzerland hold the goal difference advantage, as a draw will see them through. But in such a balanced group, everything can turn around easily and Rubin’s side could be heading to the President’s Cup if something goes wrong.

“I am confident that we can finish even better than the 16th place from Egypt 2021, if we manage to beat Poland. Sure, we will not start with the largest number of points, but we have a chance to be on a better spot if we qualify to the main round,” adds Rubin.

The Switzerland left back has had a good season for his club, TVB Stuttgart, scoring 71 goals in 17 matches so far in the German Bundesliga, taking it up a notch after signing with the club in the summer of 2024, which proved to be an excellent preparation for this World Championship.

At Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, Rubin has basically taken the responsabilities of his current coach, Andy Schmid, becoming the top goal scorer of the team and the go-to guy whenever the team needs it, such as in the match against Czechia, when the two sides engaged in an old-school battle.

But how is it to be coached by Schmid, the former teammate, whom Rubin shared the court with plenty of times?

“I think that now, with Andy Schmid as a coach, we play much better. It feels very good to have him on the bench. I think Andy is a handball genius,” concludes Rubin.