USA claim historic third win to reach President's Cup final; Japan take win against Cuba

Japan earned their second victory at the World Championships 2025 after a convincing 32:23 win against Cuba in the last game of the group. Toni Geroan's team are currently second with four points and will eye the United States of America win against Bahrain, while Cuba confirmed their last place and the Placement Match 31/32 battle.

The United States of America secured their third straight win in the President's Cup, and with their 30:28 cwin onfirmed their first place in the group and the final of the consolation round against Poland. Bahrain will in turn play in the Placement Match 29/30.

PRESIDENT'S CUP - GROUP II
Japan vs Cuba 32:23 (14:11)

Cuba were determined to deliver a solid performance, with goalkeeper Magnol Suarez Fis providing a crucial boost. Within 12 minutes they established a 7:4 lead, while Japan struggled to break through in the attack. However, the momentum shifted dramatically when Japan adjusted their defence and Toni Gerona's new instructions set the ground for a comeback.

Japan delivered a 7:0 goal run, leaving Cuba goalless for 11 minutes and completely turning the game over to their side. Takumi Nakamura's stellar performance between the posts, with seven saves at 47% save efficiency further sent Cuba into trailing. By halftime, Japan had built an 11:7 lead, forcing Cuba to slow down their tempo in search of a way back into the match,

However, the second half brought more of the same frustrations for Cuba, as they threw off with another six-minute scoring draught. Japan capitalised on that, extending their lead first to six goals, and then to eight. With all but assured victory, Japan also fell down the rabbit's hole alongside Cuba as the nets were left empty for another span of six minutes, from the 39th to the 44th minute.

Once again Japan was the one who emerged from the negative run first, reaffirming their dominance and left Cuba helpless. By the 50th minute, Japan hit their first double-digit lead (26:16) with the help of left back Tatsuki Yoshino. Nothing changed until the end of the game as Japan used almost all players in their rotation, with 12 out of 14 outfield players scoring at least once. Cuba's top scorer was Hanser Michel Rodriguez with eight goals.

With the second-straight win in the President's Cup, Japan took secured the second place in the group which sends them to the Placement Match 27/28 against Kuwait. Cuba, who are riding the six-game losing streak will pit sides against Guinea in the Placement Match 31/32.

hummel Player of the Match: Ren Arase (Japan)

PRESIDENT'S CUP - GROUP II
Bahrain vs United States of America 28:30 (14:15)

The United States of America had a slow start to the game, going scoreless for the first eight minutes. However, Bahrain did not capitalise on the opportunity, thanks to an outstanding performance by Douglas Otterstorm, who stopped 50% of their shots on goal. On the other end, Mohamed Ali matched his counterpart with the same percentage of saves, with both goalkeepers stealing the spotlight in the opening moments.

Once the USA found their groove in the attack, they quickly caught up with Bahrain and claimed their first lead midway through the first half, stretching it to 6:4. Despite Bahrain's attempts to make a comeback, the USA maintained their composure and entered their last five minutes of the first half with a 14:10 lead. However, a late two-minute suspension allowed the Asian side to close the gap, and go on a break at 14:15.

Bahrain threw off the second half with a 3-0 unanswered run and took their first lead in the game since 3:2 at the start, forcing the USA to think about a different approach to the game. Robert Hedin's new tactics seemed to work as the USA went from trailing by one to being three goals up in a matter of minutes.

However, Hesham Isa gave new impetus to Bahrain with his saves and kept the game tight right until the end. But the USA had more focus in the closing stages, and led by their wing players managed to celebrate their third narrow win in the President's Cup.

The hummel Player of the Match Sean Corning and Samuel Hoddersen with seven goals scored, pushed the United States of America to the top of the group and secured them the President's Cup final against Poland. Bahrain, with their second defeat, stayed in third place and will play in the Placement Match 29/30 against Algeria.

USA have secured their third win and have a three-match winning streak for the first time at the IHF Men’s World Championship. They have also won three matches at a single edition for the first time, improving their overall total to five wins.

hummel Player of the Match: Sean Corning (United States of America)