The race for the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship 2025 crown is down to four nations, as Sweden, Spain, Germany, and Denmark prepare for Friday’s semi-finals in Cairo.
Sweden enter their first-ever U19 World Championship semi-final with a flawless 6–0 record, but face their biggest challenge yet against defending champions Spain. The Swedes overcame Norway in a thrilling quarter-final, holding on for a narrow 35–34 victory.
With 224 goals in six matches (37.3 per game), Sweden boast the tournament’s second-best attack but also the weakest defence among the semi-finalists, conceding 181 goals. Spain, meanwhile, top the scoring charts with 228 goals (38 per game) and have shown strong defensive form with just 159 conceded. Their quarter-final was a record-breaking spectacle, as they eliminated hosts Egypt 31–29 in front of 22,150 fans — the highest attendance in the competition’s history.
The other semi-final is a heavyweight European clash as Germany face Denmark for a place in the final. Germany booked their spot in dramatic fashion, with Jan Grüner scoring at the buzzer to seal a 32–31 win over Hungary.
Defence has been Germany’s hallmark, conceding only 150 goals (25 per game) — the second-best record in the tournament. Offensively, they rank just 18th with 182 goals (30.3 per game), but their structure and discipline have made up for the lower scoring output. Denmark also advanced via a comeback, overturning a five-goal halftime deficit to beat Iceland 32–30. The Danes have scored 206 goals (10th in attack) and conceded 168 (9th in defence), and are making their fourth consecutive semi-final appearance after similar runs in 2017, 2019, and 2023.
Semi-finals:
(17:15 Local Time) Sweden–Spain
(19:30 Local Time) Germany–Denmark