Group F of the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship will see two of the most decorated teams in handball’s history – Sweden and Spain – collide in the Unity Arena in Bærum, with the runners-up of the 2024 AHF Asian Men's Handball Championship, Japan, and South American side Chile will aim to spring a surprise or two.

Over the last years, Sweden have been a perennial contender in major international competitions, making the semi-finals of the IHF Men’s World Championship in the last two editions. While at Egypt 2021, they secured the silver medal, at Poland/Sweden 2023, on their home court, they ended up on the fourth place, conceding the bronze medal match against Spain.

They were also crowned European champions at the EHF EURO 2022, following up with a bronze medal at the EHF EURO 2024, but made a step backwards at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, when they ended up on the seventh place, being eliminated in the quarter-finals by champions Denmark.

At Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, Sweden will start a new era, after coach Glenn Solberg left the side, being replaced by Michael Apelgren, his former assistant, considered one of the brightest new coaches in men’s handball. Apelgren has already revealed the players selected for Sweden for Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025 and the mix of youth and experience is exciting.

First, Sweden will rely again on right wing Niclas Ekberg, who scored 841 goals for the national team, as the core of the team is retained, with Jim Gottfridsson, Andreas Palicka and Hampus Wanne, with all of these players trialed and tested in difficult competitions.

Sweden will face a familiar foe in Spain in the preliminary round, with the two sides usually facing off in the later stages of major international competitions. While Sweden might have won 15 of the 23 matches played at the World Championship, the EHF EURO and the Olympic Games, at the IHF Men’s World Championship, “Los Hispanos” have a positive balance against the Scandinavian side.

The first meeting took place in 1958, when Sweden dominated Spain, 31:11, but in the last two meetings in the world handball flagship competition, Spain took the wins, 24:23 in 2011 and 39:36 in the bronze medal matches of the IHF Men’s World Championship, with both competitions hosted by Sweden.

The two sides also met in three EHF EURO finals, in 1998, 2018 and 2022, when Sweden took two wins and Spain sealed one continental title in 2018. The latest mutual meeting came at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, when Sweden secured a 29:26 win over Spain in the preliminary round.

“Los Hispanos” are in the middle of a rebuild, after some tough moments in 2024. An early exit at the EHF EURO 2024, where they failed to make the main round, were erased by a fantastic comeback at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where Spain secured the bronze medal, albeit with an underpar performance, which saw Jordi Ribera’s side struggle at times.

However, a main round spot should be out of the question at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, despite Spain seeing a big rebuild undergone for this Olympic cycle. Petar Cikusa, Víctor Romero, Ferrán Castillo, Djordje Cikusa and Ian Barrufet, members of the squad which won the title at the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, were all selected by Ribera in the 19-player squad which will start the preparations for the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship.

Spain have an immaculate head-to-head record against both Chile and Japan, securing two wins in two matches at the IHF Men’s World Championship against the South American side, 37:16 in 2015 and 34:26 in 2023, both matches being played in the preliminary round.

Against Japan, Spain have won four matches out of the four played, with a 26:22 win at the 2019 IHF Men’s World Championship and a 37:33 win in the preliminary round of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in August 2024.

While Japan are definitely on the up, they are already at their third coach in 2024, with Dagur Sigurdsson leading the team at the 2024 AHF Asian Men’s Handball Championship, where they finished second, before leaving to take up Croatia’s offer. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Japan were coached by Antonio Carlos Ortega and now they are led by Toni Gerona, Serbia and Tunisia’s former coach.

Japan have lost their matches against Sweden – two at the World Championship and two at the Olympic Games – more recently at Tokyo 2020, 26:28, and at Paris 2024, 27:40, while having a split balance against Chile, one win in two matches.

Chile have secured a 35:29 win in the Placement Match 21/22 against Japan at France 2017, but will be the underdog in the group, as more and more players have been retiring from international handball in the past years, with Marco Oneto or Emil Feuchtmann missing now from the South American side.

Still, with Erwin Feuchtmann and the Salinas brothers – Rodrigo and Esteban – Chile will be as plucky as ever, aiming to disrupt the competition and secure a main round berth for the first time in their history.