Since the former FC Barcelona player and Champions League winner Matteo Garralda took over the Chilean team, they have developed a lot. Under his leadership, they took their biggest success on continental level by making it to the final of the Pan American Championship on home ground in 2016. At the World Championship in France 2017, they made history by their first ever group phase win, beating Belarus. Three brothers imprinted the Chilean team in the previous years – the Feuchtmanns.

Four times they made it to the finals of the Asian Championships, but unfortunately lost all four times until they became silver medallists in 2010. Bahrain got on the map of international handball, when they had their first continental final, that they lost against Korea. Later on in 2014, 2016 and 2018, they were defeated three times in a row in the gold match by their neighbours Qatar – including two finals on home ground in Manama in 2014 and 2016.

Argentina took their seventh trophy at Pan American Championships end of June 2018 at Greenland – and mainly their coach made history: After Jordi Ribera (Spain), Valero Rivera (Qatar) and Toni Gerona (Tunisia), Manuel Cadenas steered the “Gladiators” to the gold medals – therefore all four current continental champions are coached by Spaniards.

The golden era of the so-called Bengan Boys is long gone, but now Sweden have build another top generation. They made it to the 2018 EHF EURO final in Zagreb, though beaten by Spain - after the “Tre Kronors” had won the EURO title four times between 1994 and 2002. Now the Icelandic Kristjan Andresson is the head coach, following on the duo Ola Lindgren/Staffan Olsson, who had steered Sweden to the 2012 Olympic final.

During the EURO 2012 Serbia, also nicknamed the Eagles, had extra wings and took the silver medal after losing the final against Denmark. Serbia didn’t qualify for the 2015 and 2017 World Championships, but now with interim coach Ljubomir Obradovic steering the rejuvenated team, Serbia qualified for the 2019 event by leaving the surprise team of Portugal behind, which before had eliminated 2015 bronze medallists, Poland.

They were Olympic Champions, World Champions and European Champions - since the 2004 Olympic bronze medal, Russia haven’t made it to the semi-final at major events. After missing the EURO qualification for Croatia, former Olympic, World and European Champion (as a player) Eduard Koksharov took over the team and they made it from the pre-qualification through the playoffs against the Czechs to the 2019 World Championship. Parallel, Koksharov is sports director of 2017 Champions League winner HC Vardar - and it is the Russian plan to give talents playing time at this club.

With Christian Berge as Norway’s new head coach they’ve been rising like a Phoenix. After missing the 2015 World Championship, Norway made it to the EURO 2016 semi-final, where they unluckily were beaten by later-on champions Germany after extra time. By losing the bronze medal match against Croatia, they missed the direct qualification for the 2017 World Championship and then lost in the playoffs against Slovenia. Thanks to an IHF wildcard, they finally were part of the event in France - and made it to the final after leaving the Croats behind in the semi.

When the Olympic Games 2020 had been awarded to Tokyo in 2013, the Japanese Handball Federation immediately started their programme to have two competitive teams “on home ground”. They signed European coach Spaniard Carlos Antonio Ortega, but Japan changed their men’s coach after the 2017 World Championship and grabbed the chance to sign Dagur Sigurdsson for the “mission Olympic Games”. The Icelandic born had steered Germany to the European trophy in 2016 and German club Füchse Berlin to the EHF Cup trophy in 2015.

The men’s national team are still aiming for their second ever medal at major events since silver at the 1986 World Championship. In 2004 and 2012, they made it to the Olympic semi-finals, but finished fourth rank twice. At the 2017 World Championship in France, Hungary eliminated Olympic Champions Denmark. In 2017 Swedish Ljubomir Vranjes took over Veszprem and the national team after he had steered Flensburg to the 2014 Champions League title.

When talking about Macedonian handball, it is mostly about Kiril Lazarov. The 38 years old shooter is a national legend - and a record-breaking star: No player ever scored more goals during a single World Championship like Lazarov in 2009 (92) and at a single EURO event (2012). Still, he is the mastermind behind all success in the Macedonian team, though others such as goalkeeper Borko Ristovski, line player Stojanche Stoilov or left wing Dejan Manaskov take more and more responsibility.