Saudi Arabia are appearing at their first-ever IHF Men’s Youth World Championship after finishing in fourth spot at the 8th AHF Men’s Asian Youth Championship in Amman, Jordan last September.

However, the competition had to be reconfigured after both Iraq and Republic of Korea were disqualified from the competition after their preliminary match was, according to the Asian Handball Federation, “suspended permanently due the fact that both the teams intentionally wanted to lose the match.”

Norway travel to North Macedonia determined to improve the ranking they recorded two years ago in Georgia, where they finished 17th. It was the lowest ranking in Norway’s history at the Men’s Youth World Championship, and the Scandinavian team will certainly hope to avoid such a result again. 

Norway’s previous history at the Youth World Championship was more successful. At the two editions immediately prior to 2017, they finished fifth and sixth. On their one other participation, in 2009, Norway placed eighth. 

Like the hosts (and fellow group C side) North Macedonia, Nigeria are appearing in their first-ever IHF Men’s Youth World Championship.

The west African nation qualified through a top four finish at the 2018 CAHB Men’s African Youth Championship held in Morocco last September claiming bronze in the round-robin tournament, but it was a nervy end for Emeka Joseph Nnanami’s side who, going into the final round of matches, were third on six points with Algeria and Guinea on four. 

Aside from one anomaly in 2017, Germany have consistently ranked among the top 10 teams at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship – and this year, they appear to have a strong chance of not only continuing that tradition but reaching the final stages. 

The current generation of youth players have already had a taste of major international success, as they won the 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival. In 2018, Germany secured their place at North Macedonia 2019 by way of a sixth-place finish at the U18 EHF EURO. 

France arrive in Skopje for the 2019 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship as the back-to-back defending champions in this event, hoping to make their way to the podium once again. However, the task for France appears more difficult than in previous years – at least on paper.