The 29th edition of the IHF Men’s Handball World Championship, which started on January 14, is the first to be hosted across three countries: Denmark, Croatia, and Norway. Denmark is hosting matches at Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, while Croatia has three venues: Arena Varaždin in Varaždin, Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, and Zatika Arena in Poreč. Games in Norway are taking place at the Unity Arena in Bærum, on the outskirts of Oslo.
The finals will take place in Norway at the Unity Arena on February 2.
Denmark Betting Favorites to Defend Title
Denmark kicked off their title defense in style, winning all three group matches against Algeria 47-22 in the tournament opener, Tunisia 32-21, and Italy 39-20. They extended their unbeaten run to 32 when they beat Germany 40-30 in the main round.
Denmark will be looking to secure a fourth consecutive world title after winning the 24th edition at Paris 2024. They were the first side to complete a men’s championship hat-trick when they won it two years ago in Stockholm, Sweden.
Now without retired talisman Mikkel Hansen, Denmark is banking on the likes of Mathias Gidsel, named the MVP in Paris, Simon Pytlick, and goalkeeper Niklas Landin to get the job done. Three-time world champions Germany, France, and Spain are also high on the SportyTrader betting tips for the favorites, but their prediction favors Denmark for Handball World Cup victory in 2025.
Facts about the IHF Men’s World Championship
- The first edition of the IHF Men’s Handball World Championship was held in Germany in 1938, with the hosts winning it. Their last win was in 2007.
- All past championships have been won by European teams.
- Qatar is the only side outside Europe to feature in the finals, doing so in 2015.
- France is the most successful nation in the championship with 6 titles.
The 2023 championship in Paris saw Egypt nearly break the tradition when they forced favorites Spain to extra time in the quarter-finals.
Other Teams to Watch
All eyes will be on the defending champions Denmark, but given how they were made to sweat for their last title in the hands of Sweden and Slovenia in the last tournament’s quarters and semis, there could be surprises on the cards.
Co-hosts Norway’s last best finish was in 2017 and 2019 when they finished as runners up, but they have not been able to replicate the same form in recent times. The tournament start was not what they had hoped for after falling to Brazil and Portugal, but they did redeem themselves against Spain. They have home support to count on and a good squad led by Tobias Grøndahl and Sander Sagosen. Playing in the finals in the Unity Arena would be a welcome dream.
Croatia, on their part, have made a decent start to the tournament, but this will be the last one for their 36-year-old captain Domagoj Duvnjak. They are heavily banking on the crowds to make it to the last four, which so far looks a reasonable ask.
Outsiders
African giant Egypt stunned hosts Croatia in the group stages and will want to do better this time after the painful quarter-finals exit against Spain in 2024. They have veterans Yahia Omar and Mohammad Sanad in their squad, and on paper, they can beat any kind of opposition.
Be the first to comment