Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025 will be the 16th consecutive edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship when Tunisia enter the fray, one of the longest active streaks in the competition, with the African side delivering some fantastic performances over the years.

Their best result was the fourth place sealed in 2005, when Tunisia hosted the competition, but over the last editions, the African side has somewhat faltered, after ending up on the 12th place at Germany/Denmark 2019.

At both Egypt 2021 and Poland/Sweden 2023, Tunisia won the President’s Cup, but finished on the 25th place, with the same performance – four wins, one draw and two losses – failing to make the main round each time, finishing each time on the fourth place in their preliminary round group.

But how will they cope this time? One clue might be their performance at the 2024 CAHB African Men's Handball Championship, where they secured their berth for the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship.

There, Tunisia secured their 25th medal in 26 editions of the continental competition, by finishing third, but it was far from a walk in the park. First, Tunisia secured the first place in their preliminary round group, with wins over Angola, Nigeria and Kenya, doubling down with a 37:24 win over Guinea in the quarter-finals.

But in the semi-finals, Tunisia had no chance against Egypt in the end, being clearly outplayed by the African champions, conceding a 25:30 loss. Eventually, Tunisia cleared their path to a medal, the bronze, with a 35:28 win over Cape Verde, clinching the third place.

But here, at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, they will be without their most influential player, centre back Mohamed Amine Darmoul, who suffered a season-ending injury in September, while featuring for his club, GWD Minden, as Tunisia will lose their attacking fulcrum, the player which dictated the tempo.

Nevertheless, the African side still some experience on their side, with right backs Anouar Ben Abdallah and Achraf Margheli boasting plenty of experience, while left wing Ghassen Toumi and goalkeeper Mehdi Harbaoui also featuring prominently in Tunisia’s squad.

The main question will be, though, whether Tunisia have what it takes to finally reach the main round after a six-year wait. On paper, they will be fighting against fellow African side, Algeria, for the coveted spot, as well as European side Italy, which are returning after a 28-year wait.

Of course, Tunisia will be underdogs in the match against the reigning world champions, Denmark, in Herning, but the African side will rely on they never-say-die attitude to try and fulfil their objective, despite the steps back taken over the last years in terms of results in the world handball flagship competition.

Key players: Ghassen Toumi (left wing), Anouar Ben Abdallah (right back), Mehdi Harbaoui (goalkeeper)

Qualification: 2024 CAHB African Men's Handball Championship: 3rd place

History in the competition: 1967: 15th, 1995: 15th, 1997: 16th, 1999: 12th, 2001: 10th, 2003: 14th, 2005: 4th, 2007: 11th, 2009: 17th, 2011: 20th, 2013: 11th, 2015: 15th, 2017: 19th, 2019: 12th, 2021: 25th, 2023: 25th

Group at CRO/DEN/NOR 2025: Group B (Denmark, Italy, Algeria, Tunisia)