The big favourites made a strong start to the 2026 IHF Men’s Club World Championship, with FC Barcelona, Veszprém HC and Füchse Berlin all securing convincing victories.
Reigning champions Barcelona opened their campaign with a 44–33 win over E.C. Pinheiros. Dika Mem was the standout performer with 11 goals, as the Spanish side showcased their attacking strength despite rotating their squad throughout the match.
Veszprém HC also continued their perfect start to the tournament, following up their 45–19 win over Sydney Uni with a 31–23 victory against Al Ahly. Mikael Appelgren played a key role with fourteen saves, while Hugo Descat led the Hungarian side’s scoring with 7 goals.
Füchse Berlin completed the trio of convincing victories with a 38–18 win against Burgan SC. Even with Mathias Gidsel rested after just fifteen minutes, Füchse had too much power, with Aymeric Zaepfel scoring 10 goals and Tim Freihofer adding 9 goals.