Two fiery finals decided the champions at the 2025 IHF Men's Inter-Continental Trophy, in both the junior and youth categories, as the United States of America and Kosovo were crowned champions in Prishtina, Kosovo, after five days of intense handball.

USA finished second in their preliminary round group, conceding a loss against Bulgaria in the first match, but emerged as a contender with a three-match winning streak in the business end of the competition, qualifying to the final with a 32:28 win over Rwanda.

The final against Uzbekistan was a see-saw match, as Uzbekistan took an early 6:4 lead. Two 3:0 unanswered runs from the USA saw the match turned on its head, with the American side taking an 18:13 lead at the break.

Uzbekistan never relented and continued to give everything, tying the score after only nine minutes in the second half, 20:20. Another 3:0 run spurred by three goals from Rodrigo Campos Menendez, who scored 12 goals in the match, gave USA the lead again, a lead which they never gave back until the end of the match.

Uzbekistan finished the match with a 4:1 run, but could not muster a comeback, as USA emerged victorious, 33:32, clinching the title. 

In the bronze medal match, Rwanda took a 48:31 win against Bulgaria to seal the last place on the podium.

The three top scorers of the junior category in the 2025 IHF Men's Inter-Continental Trophy were Rwanda players – Yves Kayijamahe scored 41 goals, Jean Pierre Ndayishimiye had 38 goals, while Samuel Mbesutunguwe had 36 goals.

As the United States of America were already qualified for the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship via the 2024 North America and the Caribbean Men’s Junior Championship, the next team in line from the continental competition will take their place, with that team being the bronze medallists, Cuba.

In the youth competition, Kosovo and Nigeria were headed to the final, a rematch of the preliminary round encounter of the two sides, when the hosts took a 30:27 win.

This time around, the match was even more balanced, with the lead changing hands four times in the first half, until the two teams enter the break into a deadlock, 13:13.

Nigeria had a two-goal lead, 21:19, in the 44th minute and a three-goal lead, 25:22, with five minutes to go, as Christian Foloki and Mustapha Mohammed combined for 13 goals. But Kosovo mounted a spirited comeback, ending the match with a 4:1 run, where Amar Muqolli scored three times.

That meant the European side pushed the match into extra-time, where they dominated, scoring eight times, on their way to a 34:30 win, which handed them the title.

USA finished third, with a 36:34 win in the bronze medal match against Uzbekistan.

Nigeria’s Mustapha Mohammed was the top scorer of the competition, with 43 goals, followed by two Kosovo players, Amar Muqolli (30 goals) and Granit Kadiri (29 goals).

With the 34:30 extra-time win, Kosovo ensured that they will play for the first time at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, having punched their ticket by winning the 2025 IHF Men's Inter-Continental Trophy.

Credit Photo: Rikard Quni / Kosovo Handball Federation