Category: Preview

29 January 2017

France ready to defend world title on home soil

Just as at the 2015 IHF World Championship in Qatar, two teams with very different histories will meet to contest the title in the ultimate match at France 2017. France are one of the most successful national teams in the history of handball, with five IHF World Championship trophies (1995, 2001, 2009, 2011 and 2015),...

28 January 2017

Bronze-medal battle stirs memories of Spain 2013

Slovenia and Croatia meet in the biggest test of team psychology – the game to decide the 25th IHF Men’s World Championship bronze medal. Bronze-medal match: Slovenia vs Croatia, 20:45 CET After the bronze-medal game at the 2016 Olympic Games, Germany coach Dagur Sigurdsson described the match as the hardest one to play: “This is the...

27 January 2017

Norway hungry to outrun Croatia for spot in first ever final

Norway and Croatia take to the court for the second France 2017 semi-final with intense motivation to reach the ultimate match. Head to head: After beginning to compete under the independent banner in the mid-1990s, Croatia qualified for their first IHF Men’s World Championship in 1995 – and made an immediate statement by winning the...

25 January 2017

Slovenia dreaming of toppling French hosts

Head-to-head: France and Slovenia take to the court on Thursday 26 January in the AccorHotels Arena in Paris at 21:00 (CET) for their semi-final of the 2017 IHF Men’s Handball World Championship. However, it won’t be a first for both sides as they have met a total of nine times in major competitions in the...

24 January 2017

Capote and Kavticnik dream of Paris semi-final

Will Qatar, surprising winner against Germany (21:20), be able to make it to the semi-finals? The answer will come on tonight at 20:45 against Slovenia, at Paris’ AccorHotels Arena. Head-to-heads: Since their first appearance at a World Championship in 2003, Qatar have faced Slovenia only once. It was in January 2015, during the first round...

24 January 2017

Surprising Hungarians aim at another upset against Norway

After upsetting Denmark (27:25) in the eighth-finals, Hungary will again be the underdog against Norway, who have only been beaten by France since the beginning of the tournament. Very impressive against FYR Macedonia (34:24), Sander Sagosen and his teammates aspire to reach another semi-final, after finishing 4th of the 2016 EURO in Poland. Quarter-final: Norway...

24 January 2017

France face Swedish youth in Lille

It’s a remake of the 2001 final won by France against Sweden that will be played tomorrow night in front of 28,000 spectators at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Lille. Quarter-final: France vs Sweden, 19:00, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille  The so-far undefeated French side will have their work cut out against a young but hungry Sweden team....

24 January 2017

Two former World Champions with room for improvement

On the paper, it is the top match of the quarter-finals at France 2017. The 2003 World Champions Croatia face the 2005 and 2013 World Champions Spain for a spot in the semi-final and the ticket to Paris. Both sides had big problems in their eighth-finals, but now both have a 50/50 match ahead of...

22 January 2017

Young guns clash in Lille eighth-final

Eighth-final: 16:00 in Lille, Belarus vs Sweden Head-to-head: At the highest level, the two teams have met twice in the history of the IHF Men’s World Championship and EHF Men’s European Championship finals while they have never met in an Olympic Games. In May 1995 in Akureyri, Iceland at the IHF Men’s World Championships, a...

22 January 2017

Hungary take on the Olympic champions

Hungary have not beat Denmark in a major international competition since 2007, but hope to beat the odds on Sunday. Denmark entered the 25th IHF Men’s World Championship as one of the favourites for the trophy, and showed they are ready to chase the one title missing from their mantelpiece. Now the business end of...