Tunisia and Egypt clinch first place in friendly tournaments before Poland/Sweden 2023

The last days of 2022 were full of handball, as several teams taking part in the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship fine-tuned their form before the start of the competition, which begins on 11 January in Katowice, Poland.

Two tournaments took place in Krakow, Poland and Oradea, Romania, with six teams qualified for Poland/Sweden 2023 entering the fray. The Four Nations Cup in Krakow saw tough battles for the trophy between 28 and 30 December, while Egypt confirmed their excellent form to clinch the Carpathian Trophy in Oradea.

In fact, it was a sweep for the African teams, as Tunisia produced a huge surprise to win the Four Nations Cup by beating Brazil, Poland and the Republic of Korea in an excellent display, just two weeks before the start of the world handball flagship competition.

Despite being a friendly tournament, Tunisia displayed excellent handball, shocking their opponents, including Poland, with a strong attack. Tunisia were unstoppable at times, with their highest-profile win coming against the co-hosts of the 28th IHF Men’s World Championship, Poland (32:31), in a match in which Abdelhak Ben Salah and Oussama Boughanmi combined for 13 goals.

Tunisia added another two wins, 29:24 against Brazil and 35:32 against the Republic of Korea, to clinch the trophy, leaving Poland and coach Patryk Rombel scratching their heads. The co-hosts open the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship with a tie against France on 11 January.

“This is a stage of preparation to practice all the things that we have trained so far, but we are still after a long break without playing. On the other hand, it is a selection phase after which we will have to decide which of them will be in the squad for the World Championship. We will feel the real atmosphere of the competition in only a few days and we have to be prepared,” said Rombel after the end of the tournament.

Poland finished second with wins over Brazil (31:23) and the Republic of Korea (31:27). The South American side, which will be missing key back Haniel Langaro, ended in last place after losing all their matches, including a 22:28 loss against the Republic of Korea.

Egypt have no rival in the Carpathian Trophy

The Carpathian trophy, played in Oradea, Romania, featured two African sides, Egypt and Algeria, both qualified for Poland/Sweden 2023, competing for the trophy in the four-team lineup along with two other European sides – Romania and Slovakia.

The tournament was played in a Final-4 format, with two semi-finals scheduled on 28 December and the big final on 29 December, with Egypt facing Algeria while Romania faced Slovakia in the semi-finals.

It was an excellent preparation for Egypt, who will be facing Morocco and Croatia in their group at the IHF Men’s World Championship and Roberto Garcia Parrondo’s side delivered an excellent performance to clinch the trophy in impressive style.

With the focus being on helping each player in the squad get meaningful minutes, Egypt first took a 38:27 win against Algeria in the semi-final before taking another win (33:29) against Slovakia in two matches they thoroughly dominated.

The Pharaohs did not have right back Yahia Omar – who will miss Poland/Sweden 2023 due to injury – and goalkeeper Karim Hendawy in their roster. Still, they were excellent, with coach Garcia Parrondo rolling out his entire team throughout the two matches.

In the match for third place, Romania beat Algeria (33:25), with the African side dropping two matches before they will face Germany, Serbia and Qatar in a very tough group at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship.

Slovakia’s goalkeeper, Michal Konecny, was selected as the MVP of the tournament, while 23-year-old Slovakia centre back, Martin Potisk, was the top goal scorer of the competition with 14 goals in two matches.

Photo: Paweł Bejnarowicz