Group H: Debutants to be tested by reigning champions

Title-holders Denmark, who won the two most recent editions of the IHF Men's World Championship in 2019 and 2021, will begin their title defence with the match against debutants from Belgium. But before that, Bahrain will meet Tunisia in another exciting duel. 

• 18:00 CET: Bahrain vs Tunisia

The two teams had met at the World Championship just once – in 2011, when Bahrain made their debut at this level. Tunisia then won 28:21, but in a friendly match in January 2018, Bahrain took a 25:24 revenge.

Both sides are looking for an opening win that would boost their chances of progressing to the main round. Tunisia boast more experience, having qualified for the 15th straight World Championship. But after finishing fourth on home court in 2005, they have never made it to the top 10 and placed only 25th at Egypt 2021.

However, the African team has shown some good results in recent friendly matches. They won a tournament before the New Year, beating Poland, Brazil and the Republic of Korea. And already in 2023, the team coached by Patrick Cazal defeated Algeria twice, showing that they are well-prepared for the World Championship. 

Bahrain also have something to boast, as they have become runners-up in the Men's Asian Championship five times since 2010 and surprisingly reached the quarter-final at the 2020 Olympics. And at the World Championship, they reached the main round for the first time at Egypt 2021, ultimately finishing 21st.

Unlike Tunisia, the Asian side did not shine in recent friendlies, losing against Argentina, Spain and Romania. Bahrain are hardly favourites against Tunisia, but Aron Kristjánsson's team will try to snatch some points from this match. 

• 20:30 CET: Denmark vs Belgium

Both participants in this match are European teams, but they have completely different backgrounds. While Denmark have been a powerhouse in world handball in recent years, Belgium are heading into their first major championship. And although the two countries are not too far from each other geographically, their men's national teams have never faced each other.

However, now they are scheduled to meet at the start of the World Championship and the title-holders will be obvious favourites. With the likes of Niklas Landin in goal, Mikkel Hansen and Mathias Gidsel, they are capable of beating not only Belgium but also any other possible rival. 

In fact, Denmark won all their 18 matches at the World Championship in 2019 and 2021, even though they needed a penalty shootout in the dramatic quarter-final against Egypt two years ago. And now nothing suggests that this impressive streak should end on Friday.

Playing at this level is already a big achievement for Belgium, who beat Slovakia in a doubleheader in the Qualification Europe Phase 1 to qualify for the World Championship. But even when you face a top team, there is always a chance for a miracle.

"We have to enter the court with the right attitude, as a match always starts with 0:0. At the football World Cup, Saudi Arabia beat future champions Argentina. Why shouldn't we be able to do that?" the technical director of the Royal Belgian Handball Federation Michel Kranzen says.