German handball team | Photo: Quelle/Sascha Klahn
The men’s handball teams of Germany, Norway and Egypt secured their places in the quarter-finals of the world championship in Sweden and Poland on Saturday.
In Group III of the second stage, the Netherlands lost to Germany with 26:33 (12:15), Yuri Knorr scored nine goals for the winners, and Kai Smits scored six goals for the losers. In Norway’s 30-17 (14-9) victory over Qatar, Kristian Bjørnsen and Goran Johannesen scored six goals each, while Abdelrahman Tarek Abdalla scored five goals for the opponents. In another game, Serbia beat Argentina 28:22 (12:10).
Therefore, in this group, after four out of five games, the two national teams that got out of the subgroup and will play in the quarter-finals are known – they are Germany and Norway, who have accumulated eight points. Serbia and the Netherlands have four points, while Qatar and Argentina are tied for the second stage.
Meanwhile, in Group IV, Egypt defeated Bahrain 26:22 (13:9). Yehia Eldera scored five goals for Egypt, while Ali Merza Ali scored six goals for the opponents. Croatia also beat Belgium with 34:26 (21:13), while world champion Denmark beat the USA with 33:24 (18:10).
In subgroup IV, Egypt scored eight points in four games and reached the quarter-finals. Denmark (seven points) and Croatia (five points) also claim a place in the top eight, but Bahrain with four points and Belgium with the USA without points will not enter the quarterfinals.
In the fight for the President’s Cup, or 25th-32nd place in Group II, Morocco beat Algeria with 28:27 (13:15), while Tunisia beat North Macedonia with 33:28 (16:14). Tunisia secured the fight for 25th place with four points, but Algeria has already remained last and will fight for 31st place.
In the first stage of the main tournament, 32 teams were divided into eight subgroups of four each. The three best teams of each group reached the second stage, while the other national teams will fight for the 25th place. In the second stage of the master competition, the 24 best teams are divided into four subgroups of six units each, and only the first two places in each group will enter the quarterfinals.
The World Handball Championship will take place from January 11 to 29 in four cities in Poland and five cities in Sweden. The final will take place in Stockholm. Danish handball players won the last two world championships in 2021 and 2019.
