For the eight time straight since 1995, Tunisia qualified for a Men’s World Championship – their biggest success dates back to 2005, when they made it to the semi-final on home ground. Since then, Tunisia were best African nation at World Championships many times, but did not make it among the Top 8 anymore. After becoming African Champions twice in 2010 and 2012, they didn't make it two times in the continental finals, once against Egypt, once against Algeria.

In almost two decades Spain has belonged in the top of world class handball. First, it were Spanish clubs which dominated European handball, then the national team grew and grew. In 2005 Spain won their first major title, the trophy of the World Championship, which they again rose in 2013. After an overall of four silver medals at European Championships, the team of new head coach Jordi Ribera won gold in 2018. First they dethroned defending EURO champions Germany by eliminating them from the final at Zagreb, followed by the victories against France in the semi and Sweden in the final.

Saudi Arabia qualified for their fourth World Championship in a row and their ninth in total. In 2013 in Spain they won the prestigious placement match 19/20 against their neighbours Qatar, but then those teams went separate ways. While Qatar strengthened their squad by naturalised players, the Saudis still count on players from their domestic league, mainly the top clubs Al-Noor and former Asian Champions League winners Mudhar.

When Qatar were awarded host of the 2017 Men’s World Championship in 2011, they started like a machine to build up a competitive team for the “home tournament”. Many players were added to the Qatar team, a whole administration was built around the team and the Qatar Handball Association (QHA). In April 2013 Qatar made the most important step towards a brilliant future, signing Valero Rivera as their coach, who had just steered Spain to the gold medal at the 2013 World Championship on home ground. With Rivera’s knowledge and experience they started their mission for 2015.

The history of Korean handball is long and successful: In 1988 on home ground at Seoul the Korean men’s team became the first ever non-European finalists at Olympic Games. Later on and until 2012, Korea had been the leading force of Asian handball, where especially world star Kyung Shin Yoon was noticed and still is an all-time top scorer of German Bundesliga. Currently Yoon is in the coaching staff of the team, which is in the state of transition. Korea missed to qualify for the 2015 and 2017 World Championships, but now they're back.

Rarely, a national bank holiday is given to a country from it’s government because of handball - this history happened in Iceland one day after the handball team won their first ever Olympic silver for their country in 2008 in Beijing. Some of those Olympic heroes are still in the current team, including Icelandic record player and scorer Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson and goalkeeper Björgvin Pal Gustavsson. Besides, both won the 2010 EURO bronze medal at Vienna with Iceland. Iceland re-engaged the mastermind behind the 2008 silver medal, former Danish national team coach Gudmundur Gudmundsson.