Since 1993, when they won their first medal at the IHF Men’s World Championship, France have failed to reach the podium only four times. They raked up 11 medals in the process, becoming the most decorated team in the competition’s history with six titles, one silver medal and four bronze medals.

Generations come and go, but France have always been steady, continuously unearthing new talent and ushering in new players to fill the gaps. Even when top stars have retired, the team has always remained one of the best in the competition.

Starting from Czechoslovakia 1964, Egypt have participated in 16 IHF Men's World Championships. The fourth place in France 2001 still remains their all-time best result, and while it was followed by a certain crisis, the Pharaohs have shown a lot of signs of improvement in recent years and are again a force to be reckoned with.

There were scenes of joy and elation as Belgium sealed their first IHF Men’s World Championship berth in March 2022, winning 57:54 on aggregate against Slovakia in the Qualification Europe – Phase 2.

It was a totally unexpected win, especially after Belgium lost the first game of the doubleheader in Slovakia 28:26. However, they bounced back superbly to clinch a 31:26 win in the second match, as goalkeeper Jef Lettens shut down the goal with an amazing outing, saving 18 shots for a 40.9% saving efficiency.

There is a famous saying in sports: "You are only as good as your last result'". For Croatia, at IHF Men's World Championships, that result is their worst ranking in 14 appearances – 15th.
 
Those appearances have seen them as ever-present since 1995, and they collected five medals – one gold (2003), three silvers (1995, 2005, 2009) and one bronze (2013).
 

No team in history have won the IHF Men’s World Championship three consecutive times, with Sweden, Romania, France and Denmark coming the closest, each securing the title two times in a row.

Out of the four teams, it is Denmark who can write history in Poland and Sweden. The Scandinavian team have undoubtedly built a golden generation – a generation that won the previous two editions of the men’s flagship event without dropping a single game at Germany/Denmark 2019 and Egypt 2021.

Handball is certainly on the rise in Cape Verde. The island country of about 500,000 people, lying west of continental Africa, boasts a national team who have qualified for their second straight IHF Men's World Championship and hope to make a good impression at Poland/Sweden 2023.

Brazil have featured in every edition of the IHF Men's World Championship since 1995. However, their results have been mixed, with only one top-10 placement at Germany/Denmark 2019, where the South American side finished ninth after winning five of their eight games.

They definitely took a step back at Egypt 2021, where they only snatched one win, drew two matches and lost three. However, their draw against Spain to start the competition surely offered a glimpse of the South American side's potential.

Since 1997, when they made their debut at the IHF Men's World Championship, Argentina have been a mainstay in the competition, never missing any other edition of the tournament,
qualifying for the 14th time in a row at Poland/Sweden 2023.

They have navigated through thick and thin, from the 22nd place in 1997 to the 12th place in 2011 and back to the 18th place in 2017, before securing their best-ever finish at Egypt 2021, when this golden generation ended up on the 11th place.

After departing in 2018 for the Iceland job, Guðmundur Guðmundsson was replaced by Aron Kristjánsson, who ensured that the Icelandic influence continued at all levels, bringing in fellow Icelander Halldór Jóhann Sigfússon as youth and junior coach to ensure smooth progression between the teams.

In 2022, Sydney Uni will take the court at the IHF Men’s Super Globe for the 10th time, a record for the competition, with Qatari side Al-Sadd (nine times) and Barça (eight times) featuring just behind the Australian side.