Well, all 32 teams that have started the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship have played now, as the third day saw eight interesting clashes play out in Katowice, Krakow, Malmö and Jönköping.
One of the highlights of the day was surely the United States of America’s win against Morocco (28:27), the first win of the USA in the competition, in their 26th match in the world handball flagship tournament.
Slovenia sealed their third win in four matches at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship with proper domination of the Islamic Republic of Iran (38:21), throwing off the main round in Krakow in style.
Main Round Group I
Islamic Republic of Iran vs Slovenia 21:38 (9:20)
For the fourth time in a row at the IHF Men’s World Championship, France started the tournament with a three-match winning streak, as they totally outplayed Slovenia in the second half of their last match in the preliminary round in Katowice, clinching a 35:31 win. Both teams are going to the main round, but France, the group’s winner, will start with four points, while Slovenia will move to Krakow with two points.
Group B
Slovenia vs France 31:35 (14:16)
For the seventh edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship in a row, Slovenia opened the competition with a win (33:19), converting their chances in a game they dominated from start to finish against Saudi Arabia.
Group B
Saudi Arabia vs Slovenia 19:33 (8:16)
In June 2022, the IHF Council awarded Slovenia a wild card entry to Poland/Sweden 2023 in recognition of their investment in the future of handball, which includes hosting duties of the then-upcoming 2022 IHF Women's Junior (U20) World Championship and the 2025 IHF Men's Youth (U19) World Championship.