France qualified for the eighth time in history for the final in the IHF Men's World Championship, tying Sweden's record of appearances in the final act of the competition, breaking the hearts of co-hosts Sweden in a superb display (31:26).
"Les Experts" will face Denmark in the last act at Poland/Sweden 2023, trying to cement their legacy as the most decorated team in the history of the competition, in a superb decider that will feature the only two unbeaten teams still standing in the 28th IHF Men's World Championship.
It has been a remarkable last 30 years for France, as no team in history has made it to the quarter-finals of the IHF Men's World Championship so many times as "Les Experts". In fact, since Sweden 1993, France have never missed the top 8 in the world handball flagship competition, creating a streak of 16 consecutive editions with a quarter-finals berth sealed and making it 14 times to the semi-finals.
Co-hosts Sweden have a chance to secure a third consecutive appearance in the finals of the World Championship and EHF EURO against a familiar foe - France. European champions met with 'Les Experts' in the semi-finals of the 2021 IHF Men's World Championship and EHF EURO 2022, with history repeating itself in Stockholm on Friday (27 January) night.
Olympic champions France made it six wins from six going into the
quarter-finals of the International Handball Federation Men's World
Championship with an impressive victory over Spain, as Hungary sneaked
into the last eight.