The preliminary round of the IHF Men's Inter-Continental Trophy, in both the junior and the youth categories, have concluded on Friday, 14 March, with four teams progressing to the semi-finals in each of the two competitions.

In the junior competition, Bulgaria, the United States, Rwanda and Uzbekistan progressed to the knockout phase, after finishing on the first two places in each group.

In Group A, Bulgaria delivered two excellent performances, first taking a 36:25 win against New Caledonia, then following suit with a 24:21 win over the United States of America. Mario Marev was Bulgaria’s top scorer in the two matches, with 16 goals, while Yordan Nikolov added 12 goals in the two matches.

The last match between the USA and New Caledonia was decisive for the second place and it was the American side which dominated, with a clear 34:21 win, with Rodrigo Campos Menendez and Csaba Darvas each scoring six goals.

In Group B, Rwanda showed huge potential in attack, winning the group with two lopsided wins, 50:27 against Nicaragua and 40:32 against Uzbekistan. In the first match, Yves Kayijamahae scored 11 goals, while Jean Pierre Ndayishimiye scoring nine goals, while in the second, Ndayishimiye had 12 goals and Kayijahamae added 10 goals.

Uzbekistan delivered a 39:30 against Nicaragua to secure the second place in the group, as they will face Group A winners Bulgaria in the semi-finals, while the USA meet Rwanda in a crunch clash for the final spot.

The winner of the competition will advance to the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship.

In the youth competition, hosts Kosovo edged closer to their objective, winning the trophy, clinching the first place in Group B, after two wins, 30:27 against Nigeria and 36:15 against New Caledonia.

Granit Kadiri was his team’s top scorer, with 20 goals, 14 of which came in the match against New Caledonia. 

The second semi-finals spot in the group went to Nigeria, which won their maiden match against New Caledonia, 37:29, with 14 goals scored by Mohammed Mustapha, who also had 20 goals for his side in the preliminary round.

Group A provided an entertaining showdown, with the winner coming after a hard-fought battle between the United States of America and Uzbekistan. The Asian side led throughout the first half, but the USA bounced back and opened a two-goal lead, 24:22, after 47 minutes.

A 4:0 unanswered run from Uzbekistan turned the match on its head, but the USA tied again, 32:32, only for the Asian side to score the last goal of the match at the buzzer, taking a 33:32 win and the first place in the group.

Both sides had won their previous matches, with Uzbekistan taking a 36:23 win over Nicaragua, while USA had to sweat against the same opponent, 34:31.

USA will face Kosovo in the semi-finals on Saturday, while Uzbekistan meet Nigeria, with the winner of the competition qualifying for the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship. 

Credit Photo: Rikard Quni / Kosovo Handball Federation