Sweden are one of the two teams which have won 12 medals in the previous 28 editions of the IHF Men’s World Championship, securing the title four times. In fact, they have a perfectly balanced resume, with four gold medals, four silver medals and four bronze medals, with the last place on the podium coming at Egypt 2021, when they ended up on the second place.

The Scandinavian side made the semi-finals in each of the last two appearances, after a long draught, which spanned between 2001 and 2021, albeit with the exception of Sweden 2011, when they hosted the competition, and ended up on the fourth place.

Since that moment, Sweden have been slowly getting back into the groove, with podium placements at the EHF EURO, with the silver medal in 2018 and the bronze in 2024 being higlighted by the crown achievement, their fifth continental title, which came in 2022.

However, their last appearance in a major international competition saw Sweden finish only seventh at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, being eliminated by champions Denmark in the quarter-finals, after a topsy-turvy appearance, which saw the Scandinavian side win three matches and drop the other three.

Surprisingly, that seventh place saw a coaching change, after Glenn Solberg left the team this autumn, leaving the Swedish Handball Federation (SHF) to scramble for a replacement, found in the person of Solberg’s former assistant, Michael Apelgren, consider to be one of the brightest young coaches around in handball.

“After working as a coach for over ten years, it is something that has emerged as a dream. It will really be something extra to lead the national team. There have been very, very good things done in the national team in recent years and I will in many ways have a similar way of working with clear frameworks where we have an openness towards the players and involve them in what we do,” said Apelgren, according to the official website of the SHF.

Apelgren will make his debut in a major international competition at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship and the pressure will be on him to deliver a good outing, as Sweden aim to return between the top teams in the world, after rueing out a missed chance in the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm in 2023, when they conceded the bronze medal match against Spain, in a high-octane 36:39 loss.

Spain will be the first tough opponent for Apelgren here, as Sweden were assigned to Group F, after the draw for the preliminary round, where they face Japan, Chile and “Los Hispanos”, with the Scandinavian side’s mission being to secure three wins in the first three matches and head to the main round with the maximum number of available points.

After the Olympic Games, there have not been major changes in Sweden’s line-up under Apelgren, with the same mix of experience and youth being crucial for the team’s stability, chemistry and depth.

Crucial players like goalkeeper Andreas Palicka, centre back Jim Gottfridsson, left wing Hampus Wanne or left back Jonathan Carlsbogard are still in the team, but Sweden will rely on line player Felix Moller and left back Eric Johansson again, bringing more energy into the team.

One big absence will be line player Oscar Bergendahl, as Magdeburg’s defensive stalwart is injured and has already been replaced in the Sweden squad by Olle Forsell Schefvert.

Key players: Jim Gottfridsson (centre back), Andreas Palicka (goalkeeper), Hampus Wanne (left wing)

Qualification: EHF EURO 2024: Bronze medal

History in the competition: 1938: Bronze medal, 1954: Winners, 1958: Winners, 1961: Bronze medal, 1964: Silver medal, 1967: 5th, 1970: 6th, 1974: 10th, 1978: 8th, 1982: 11th, 1986: 4th, 1990: Winners, 1993: Bronze medal, 1995: Bronze medal, 1997: Silver medal, 1999: Winners, 2001: Silver medal, 2013: 13th, 2005: 11th, 2009: 7th, 2011: 4th, 2015: 10th, 2017: 6th, 2019: 5th, 2021: Silver medal, 2023: 4th

Group at CRO/DEN/NOR 2025: Group F (Sweden, Spain, Japan, Chile)