Examining Group E: Two European sides rekindle rivalry, with Asia and Africa also represented

Group E announces to be one of the most passionate in the preliminary round of the 28th IHF Men’s World Championship in Poland and Sweden, with two European sides that have met frequently over the years facing off once again, as Qatar and Algeria complete the line up in a clash of different styles.

Germany have missed playing at the world handball flagship competition only two times, in 1990 and 1997, and are one of the most decorated teams, but lately, they have faltered; Egypt 2021 saw their worst finish ever in the championship when Germany ended up on the 12th place.

Ambitions will be high in the following years, as they are hosting both the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship and the EHF EURO 2024, but the first step will be at Poland/Sweden, where they start in a well-balanced group.

Germany have frequently met in competitive matches with the other Europeans in the group – Serbia – with the two sides rekindling a rivalry that saw many clashes between 1996 and 2004, when Serbia were either playing as FR Yugoslavia or Serbia and Montenegro.

In total, the two sides have met nine times in history, with the head-to-head record almost deadlock: four Germany wins, three Serbia wins and two draws. The latest meeting between the two sides was at the 2019 IHF Men’s World Championship when Germany took a 31:23 win on their home court, the most lopsided win against Serbia.

However, they have also lost against their European counterparts at the World Championship in 2005 (24:25) and also drew a match (35:35) at the 2009 IHF Men’s World Championship in Croatia.

With plenty of Serbia players featuring or having featured in the German Bundesliga, the two teams know each other well. They will set up for a tough clash in the Spodek in Katowice, promising an exciting battle, with the prize being a better position in the main round.

Germany will also be heavily favoured against Qatar, but their head-to-head record against the Asian side is mixed. When Qatar were an emerging side, taking part in their first editions of the IHF Men’s World Championship, Germany taught them a lesson in 2003, when they won 40:17 and two years later, with a 40:15 win.

Qatar have been getting better and better, and that was there to be seen in 2015, when they hosted the competition. They shocked everybody with a 26:24 win in the quarter-finals, enabling them to progress to the business end of the competition, eventually sealing the bronze medal with a loss in the final game against France.

Germany bounced back months later at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, taking a 34:22 win in the group phase. Still, the latest meeting between the two sides at the IHF Men’s World Championship in 2017 also concluded with an unexpected win for Qatar (21:20), as the Asian side eliminated Germany in the round of 16, one of the biggest surprises in the last decade of the competition.

Algeria are the only side in the group which did not win a single game against Germany, conceding four losses in four matches, with three of them coming at the World Championship, more recently in 2009, when Germany took a commanding 32:20 win in the preliminary round.

In fact, Algeria did not win a single match against the opponents in this group, also conceding four losses in major international competitions against Serbia, three of them coming at the IHF Men’s World Championship, with the latest at Sweden 2011 when Serbia mounted an impressive comeback to seal a 25:24 win.

As Qatar and Algeria will face off for the first time in history, the Asian side, which has always made it from the preliminary round since their emergence in 2015, will be a must-win game for them.

Qatar have mixed results against African sides, winning two of their eight matches at the IHF Men’s World Championship, once each against Egypt and Angola. Therefore they will need to prepare and pay attention, especially as they also lost their single match played until this moment against Serbia.

Playing as Serbia and Montenegro back then, the European side took a clear 34:26 win against Qatar at Tunisia 2005 in the preliminary round, something that Toni Gerona’s side will likely aim to do once again here, at Poland/Sweden 2023.