Croatia Draws Egypt, Argentina, and Bahrain in 2025 World Handball Championship

The draw for the 2025 IHF Men's World Championship has placed Croatia's national handball team in Group H, where they will face Egypt, Argentina, and Bahrain. The tournament, co-hosted by Croatia, Denmark, and Norway, will take place from January 14 to February 2, 2025.

The draw, held at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb, Croatia, saw 32 teams divided into eight groups for the preliminary round. The event marks the first time the championship will be hosted by three countries.

Croatia's coach, Dagur Sigurdsson, expressed mixed feelings about the draw. *'I am not sure about luck, both Egypt and France were tough opponents from the first pot. We played Argentina a few weeks ago, I know Bahrain from my previous job being the Japan national team head coach, therefore I think it will be a tough group,' Sigurdsson said.

The full draw for the group stage is as follows: Group A: Germany, Czechia, Poland, Switzerland; Group B: Denmark, Italy, Algeria, Tunisia; Group C: France, Austria, Qatar, Kuwait; Group D: Hungary, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Guinea; Group E: Norway, Portugal, Brazil, United States of America; Group F: Sweden, Spain, Japan, Chile; Group G: Slovenia, Iceland, Cuba, Cape Verde; Group H: Egypt, Croatia, Argentina, Bahrain.

The top three teams from each group will advance to the main round, while the team finishing last in each group will compete in the President's Cup. This format ensures that every match in the preliminary round carries significant weight.

Reigning champions Denmark, who have won the last three editions of the World Handball Championship, will play in Group B alongside Italy, Algeria, and Tunisia. Co-hosts Norway will headline Group E in Baerum, Oslo, facing Portugal, Brazil, and the United States of America.

Germany, Czechia, Poland, and Switzerland will compete in Group A, which is expected to be highly competitive. Group F will feature a mix of styles with Sweden, Spain, Japan, and Chile.

Egypt, one of Croatia's opponents in Group H, has shown consistent performance, finishing 7th in the last two editions of the tournament. The team aims to improve on its best achievement of 4th place in the 2001 World Championship held in France.

Tournament preparations are underway, with teams intensively preparing to secure their spots in the main round. The 2025 IHF Men's World Championship promises to be a thrilling competition with high stakes for all participating nations.

Key Takeaways

• Croatia's handball team is in Group H with Egypt, Argentina, and Bahrain for the 2025 IHF Men's World Championship.
• The tournament will take place from January 14 to February 2, 2025, in Croatia, Denmark, and Norway.
• 32 teams are divided into 8 groups for the preliminary round, with the top 3 teams advancing to the main round.
• Reigning champions Denmark will play in Group B, while co-hosts Norway will headline Group E.
• The tournament promises to be a thrilling competition with high stakes for all participating nations.