President's Cup Group I: Republic of Korea and Chile to clash for top position

Before the last matches on Sunday, the situation in Group I is quite straightforward. The Republic of Korea and Chile, who are both on four points, will fight for the first place in the group in a direct duel, while Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, who have no points, will compete for third place. 

• 13:00 CET: Republic of Korea vs Chile

So far, both teams have moved in unison during the current World Championship as they lost all three matches at the group stage before claiming two wins at the President's Cup. 

Now they will clash for the top spot in Group I and therefore for an opportunity to fight for the consolation trophy in the 25/26 Placement Match on Wednesday. 

The Koreans have a better goal difference (+18) compared to Chile's (+13), so the Asian side will stay on top of the group even in case of a draw.

On Friday, Korea were entirely dominant in an Asian derby against Saudi Arabia (34:23), as their left wing Jang Dong-hyun scored 11 goals and Kim Dong-wook did a great job between the posts.

In turn, Chile also beat their continental rivals Uruguay, nearly with the same score, 34:24. Once again, Erwin Feuchtmann became their top scorer, this time with six goals. 

"We already have two victories under our belt and our goal is to win the President's Cup. We are fighting for it," Chile's left back Aaron Codina said after the match. 

It will be the third meeting of the two sides at the World Championship. At Sweden 2011, Korea took a commanding 37:22 win, while ten years later, at Egypt 2021, Chile enjoyed a confident 44:33 revenge. So both matches were very one-sided, but now their clash is expected to be tighter. 

• 15:30 CET: Saudi Arabia and Uruguay

These teams have nothing to boast at Poland/Sweden 2022, as both have lost five straight matches. In a direct duel, they will fight for third place in Group I and a ticket to the 29/30 Placement Match. 
Saudi Arabia are in a slightly better position as they have a -14 goal difference compared to Uruguay's (-17). So in case of a draw, the Asian side will finish higher. 

On Friday, they put on a frustrating performance in a continental derby, losing to the Republic of Korea by as many as 11 goals. Saudi Arabia failed to keep up with their rivals' pace and made many mistakes, resulting in a 23:34 score. 

In turn, Uruguay were unable to hold back their fellow South American rivals Chile, suffering a 10-goal defeat. The team coached by Nicolás Guerra once again failed to solve their defensive problems, conceding 34 goals. Besides, they made too many technical errors.

On Sunday either Saudi Arabia or Uruguay – or both sides in case of a draw - will claim their maiden points at the competition. In the past, they have never even participated in the same World Championship, as the South Americans made their debut at Egypt 2021, the event which Saudi Arabia did not qualify for.