Austria and Czechia made big steps towards the main round of the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship with wins over Kuwait and USA respectively, while Saudi Arabia also enhanced their chances of progression thanks to a 23-goal win over Guinea, 48:25.
Group A
Kuwait vs Austria 26:32 (16:18)
Both sides opened the match with determination, producing a combative first half that kept the scoreboard tight. Austria held a slender edge, benefitting from another strong start by Sergej Novaković, but Kuwait proved equally resilient. With sharp outside shots, they found ways to break through Austria’s otherwise compact defence.
Austria’s attack had greater success with breakthroughs, slipping behind Kuwait’s defensive line inside the nine-metre zone, as long-range efforts were rarely effective. At times, head coach Sandra Zapletal appeared concerned on the sidelines but withheld from calling a time-out.
The teams stayed neck-and-neck until just before halftime, when Austria finally extended their lead to two goals. Kuwait responded with a time-out, yet the advantage remained the same at the break.
The momentum shifted decisively after the restart. Austria emerged from the dressing room with renewed energy, increasing the tempo and immediately putting Kuwait under pressure. They quickly extended their advantage to 22:18 and, with Matteo Etter scoring his first of the game, moved 30:23 ahead with ten minutes remaining — effectively sealing the victory.
Emanuel Tikvić, Lukas Fritsch, and Julian Wieder led the Austrian attack with six and five goals respectively, while Yosef Madwah once again stood out for Kuwait, netting seven.
With their second win at Egypt 2025, Austria move to four points and stand a strong chance of progressing to the main round. However, their fate remains linked to the Sweden–Portugal result — a Portuguese victory would see all three sides tied on four points, with goal difference determining the qualifiers. Kuwait, meanwhile, are confirmed for the President’s Cup Group I, starting with zero points.
Player of the Match: Emanuel Tikvić (Austria)
Group D
Guinea vs Saudi Arabia 25:48 (12:22)
A remarkable 18-goal performance from Player of the Match Ahmed Alobaidi powered Saudi Arabia to their first victory at Egypt 2025 and kept them in contention for a main round berth. This emphatic 23-goal win over debutants Guinea leaves the Asian side with a +7 goal difference—matching Brazil’s tally—which means they will advance to the next stage if Brazil is defeated by Iceland later today.
Understanding the significance of goal difference, Saudi Arabia started at full throttle, building a 7:3 lead by the 11th minute. Guinea attempted to apply pressure, but their 12 first-half turnovers allowed Saudi Arabia to widen the gap. With a 79% shot efficiency and nine goals from Alobaidi before halftime, the Saudis enjoyed a commanding double-digit lead at the break, 22:12.
Alobaidi was unstoppable, finishing with 18 goals from 19 attempts, including five from the seven-metre mark. Saudi Arabia began the second half with a 5:0 run. Although Alpha Oumar Diallo, one of Guinea’s three goalkeepers on the day, managed to slow their momentum with a series of saves, the Asian team regained their scoring rhythm in the final quarter. They closed out the match with a crucial 23-goal margin—the result they needed.
Guinea maintained a respectable 61% shooting efficiency but fell victim to 27 turnovers, ultimately suffering their largest defeat at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship. They now head to the President’s Cup still searching for their maiden win at this level.
Player of the Match: Ahmed Alobaidi (Saudi Arabia)
Group E
Uruguay vs Faroe Islands 17:33 (7:13)
Faroe Islands secured their first win at Egypt 2025, convincingly defeating Uruguay by 16 goals. The Nordic team now holds three points and a goal difference of +3, meaning their progression to the main round depends on Germany losing to Slovenia by at least 15 goals later today.
Faroe Islands took early control, jumping out to a 4:1 lead in the first six minutes. A flurry of missed shots, turnovers, and goalkeeper saves then led to a prolonged scoring drought for both teams. Energised by Franco Carpinelli, Uruguay improved their shooting efficiency, reducing the deficit to just one goal on several occasions, the last at 7:8 in the 22nd minute.
However, the Faroe Islands regained momentum late in the half, closing with a decisive 5:0 run. Goalkeeper Ingi Johannesen was instrumental in this surge, recording nine saves and a 56% save rate to help his team lead 13:7 at halftime.
After the break, Faroe Islands further asserted their dominance with a 6:0 run, pushing their lead to 21:9. The result was never in doubt as they sought to maximise their goal difference, led by Filip Haidansen and Runar Hammer who finished with eight and six goals, respectively.
Johannesen, named Player of the Match, made 11 saves before being replaced by Bjarni Jaconsen in the second half. Jaconsen added two saves as Faroe Islands cruised to victory. Uruguay, meanwhile, suffered their third consecutive defeat and will continue their campaign in the President’s Cup.
Player of the Match: Ingi Johannesen (Faroe Islands)
Group H
Czechia vs United States of America 42:31 (19:17)
After conceding double-digits losses against Denmark and Tunisia, the United States of America were probably hoping to limit the damage against Czechia, a team which faced a must-win situation against the USA, to improve their chances for a main round spot.
But for the first 30 minutes, the USA team really put up a fight, matching the European side almost goal-for-goal, surprising Czechia with a well-organised attack, which scored 17 times and had Simon Neumaier, Jorge Gomez De Santiago and Kaeden Kuhlmeyer combine for 10 goals.
After Czechia took a 11:7 lead, and the match was looking increasingly to be going the European side’s way, the USA used a 4:1 run to cut the gap to a single goal and then went on to tie the score, 15:15, leaving Czechia, which probably expected an easier match, scratching their heads.
However, the European side quickly woke up in the start of the second half and scored 10 goals in the first 11 minutes, outscoring their opponents 10:3, as Jáchym Novák and Martin Kakač combined for 13 goals by that point. With the USA losing steam, they dubled their number of turnovers in only 12 minutes, and Czechia punished their opponents on the fast breaks.
Therefore, with 18 minutes to go, Czechia, which started to deploy a fast-paced attack, boasted a 10-goal lead, 31:21, forcing the USA already to take their two team time-outs in the second half, in the hopes of saving something from the match.
The gap just grew bigger and bigger, with an entire collapse of the USA attack, with Czechia’s 78% attacking efficiency running riot and setting a new record for the number of goals scored in a single match at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, 42, beating their previous record of 36 set against Saudi Arabia at Croatia 2023.
Czechia’s win meant that they are now on four points, but will need to wait for the result between Tunisia and Denmark to confirm their main round spot. If Denmark do not lose, Czechia will be through, while a Tunisia win by more than 10 goals also ensure the safe passage of Czechia.
Player of the Match: Dominik Skopár (Czechia)
