Portugal finish Egypt 2025 on a high with President's Cup win

Shrugging off their disappointment after seeing their chances for a main round berth evaporated early in the competition, Portugal clinched the President’s Cup with a 33:30 win over Croatia in the final, finishing Egypt 2025 with four wins in a row.

Brazil finished 21st, after they beat archrivals Argentina, 25:24, after a dramatic shoot-out, while Bahrain ended up 23rd, with a 33:31 win over Kosovo.

Placement Match 17–18 (President's Cup final)
Portugal vs Croatia 33:30 (19:14)  

While neither Portugal nor Croatia came to Egypt 2025 expecting to compete in the President’s Cup final, both were determined to end their campaigns on a winning note — and with a consolation trophy to take home.  

The opening 10 minutes were evenly balanced, with each side holding brief, narrow leads. The first major momentum shift came around the 20th minute when Portugal, backed by five saves from Rodrigo Miguel Geada out of eight attempts at that stage, pulled ahead by four goals (12:8), prompting a Croatian timeout.  

Croatia fought back briefly through Berislav Antonio Tokić and Matko Moslavac, but Geada continued his excellent form. By halftime, the Portuguese goalkeeper had amassed eight saves at a 50% efficiency, helping his side secure a 19:14 advantage.  

In the second half, Portugal maintained control and extended their lead to seven goals (25:18), keeping Croatia under pressure. Croatia’s switch in goal to Leo Branko Sunajko provided a spark, as he recorded a 38% save rate. His performance helped fuel a rally that cut the deficit to 28:30. However, just when Croatia seemed close to completing the comeback, a series of errors allowed Portugal to reclaim control and secure the victory.  

This match marked the lowest-ever finish for both teams at an IHF Men’s Youth World Championship — Portugal’s previous low was seventh place in 2017, while Croatia’s was 10th in 2019. Nevertheless, Portugal leave Egypt with the President’s Cup in hand. 

Placement Match 19–20
Faroe Islands vs Tunisia 32:28 (12:13)

A strong second-half display saw the Faroe Islands claim 19th place in their second IHF Men’s Youth World Championship. Tunisia, meanwhile, finished 20th — their lowest-ever ranking in the competition’s history.

Tunisia started brighter, building a 7:4 lead by the 11th minute. However, Faroe Islands quickly responded, with Jakup Egholm scoring twice to level the score. Egholm went on to play a decisive role, finishing as the game’s top scorer with 10 goals. Still, Tunisia held a narrow advantage at halftime, going into the break 13:12 ahead after Hamza Bahri’s late strike.

The teams remained evenly matched early in the second half, locked at 20:20 in the 40th minute. Then, Faroe Islands produced a decisive 8:0 run in the next eight minutes, with Egholm scoring three times during that stretch and goalkeeper Ingi Johannesen making key saves.

Tunisia fought back, reducing the gap to 26:29 with four minutes remaining, but their rally ended there. Pauli Rasmussen sealed the win for the Faroe Islands with a pair of late goals, ensuring a well-earned victory.

Player of the Match: Jakup Egholm (Faroe Islands)

Placement Match 21/22
Argentina vs Brazil 24:25 (5:8, 20:20)

A tense South American clash marked the final appearance for both teams at Egypt 2025. The opening half was characterised by strong defence and missed chances, with just 12 goals scored in the first 30 minutes. Both goalkeepers starred, as Simon Viera made 8 saves from 16 shots for Argentina and Brazil’s Guilherme Henrique Ferreira Carneiro stopped 7 from 12.  

Turnovers and attacking errors from Argentina allowed Brazil to establish a four-goal advantage, which they maintained until just before half-time. Argentina reduced the deficit to 5:8 at the break.  

In the second half, Argentina pushed hard to overturn the deficit. With Viera continuing his strong performance in goal, they increased the tempo and closed the gap. Midway through the half, Bautista Alejandro Torossian scored to bring the score to 16:17, and moments later Argentina drew level at 20:20.  

Neither team could find the winning goal in the final minutes, and the match went straight to penalties. Juan Jeremias Bus Saldana missed Argentina’s first shot, while Brazil converted all theirs to secure victory—just as they had in the final of the 2024 South and Central American Men’s Youth Championship.  

This result gives Brazil their second 21st-place finish in the history of the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, matching their 2019 result. Argentina’s 22nd place represents a slight improvement from their 23rd position at Croatia 2023.  

Player of the Match: Guilherme Henrique Ferreira Carneiro (Brazil)  

Placement Match 23/24
Kosovo vs Bahrain 31:33 (14:18, 29:29)

Bahrain ended their campaign at Egypt 2025 with a hard-fought win and secured 23rd place, an improvement on their 29th position in 2023. Tournament debutants Kosovo finished 24th, having claimed two victories during the competition, against Morocco and Kuwait.  

The match went to a penalty shootout after a 29:29 draw in regular time. Four of Bahrain’s five shooters converted their attempts, while Kosovo’s Edonis Hajra and Player of the Match Drijon Istrefi missed their shots.  

The first half was a close battle. Bahrain opened a 4:2 lead early, but Kosovo responded with a 3:0 run to move ahead. The teams exchanged goals for much of the half until the 23rd minute, when Kosovo suffered a major setback: Olsi Mulaj, who had already scored five goals, received a red card.  

Bahrain capitalised with three unanswered goals between the 24th and 26th minutes, creating a 15:12 lead and extending the gap to four goals by half-time.  

Kosovo came back strong after the restart, with Amar Muqolli and Drijon Istrefi leading a 4:0 run to level the score at 18:18. The match remained extremely tight from then on, with the teams trading goals until the closing moments.  

With 30 seconds left, Salman Alshowaikh gave Bahrain a 29:28 lead, but Kosovo earned a seven-metre throw in their final attack. Suad Pajaziti, Kosovo’s top scorer with eight goals, converted to tie the match just before the buzzer. In the shootout, Bahrain proved more clinical and claimed the win, leaving Egypt 2025 on a high note.  

Player of the Match: Drijon Istrefi (Kosovo)