The IHF Men’s World Championship is the biggest event in international handball. The world’s best nations compete for the title, yet in recent years one country has dominated the tournament: Denmark. The Danes have won the last four editions.

Younger handball fans may only know Denmark as world champions. Older supporters, however, will remember the years before their dominance, when the race for the title was wide open and several different nations reached the top of the podium.

Among them were Croatia and Spain. Croatia won the world title in 2003, while Spain lifted the trophy twice, in 2005 and 2013.

In less than six months, the two former champions will meet in the preliminary round of the 30th IHF Men’s World Championship 2027. Both teams are determined to return to the top of the podium. Time to take a closer look at the former champions and their opponents in Group C.

Croatian mentality meets spanish handball flair

Croatia currently appears to be the favourite to win Group C. Following a runner-up finish at the 2025 World Championship and bronze at the EHF EURO 2026, the team will travel to Germany full of confidence. Croatia’s recent resurgence is closely linked to one name: Dagur Sigurðsson.

The Icelander took over as head coach in 2024 and sparked a remarkable revival after several less successful years. Under his leadership, Croatia has returned to the world’s elite, and supporters are once again dreaming of the title.

The country last lifted the trophy in 2003, when legends such as Ivano Balić and Igor Vori led the team to glory. Today, the names on the shirts are no longer “Balić” and “Vori”, but “Martinović” and “Kuzmanović”.One Veszprém right back Ivan Martinović and SC Magdeburg goalkeeper Dominik Kuzmanović are among the leaders of a new and ambitious generation.The names may have changed, but Croatia’s defining qualities remain the same: fighting spirit, emotion and passion. Sigurðsson’s new generation will rely on those virtues in its pursuit of another world title.

Spain will certainly share that ambition.However, after the last two major tournaments, the team first needs a revival similar to the one Croatia has experienced under Sigurðsson. An 18th-place finish at the 2025 World Championship—the worst result in Spain’s history—was followed by a disappointing Main Round exit at the EHF EURO 2026.

The glory days of Joan Cañellas, Víctor Tomás and Raúl Entrerríos appear to be over. A new generation must now be carefully developed. The man responsible is head coach Jordi Ribera, who has already guided Spain to several podium finishes:

•    European champions in 2018 and 2020
•    European Championship runners-up in 2022
•    Olympic bronze medallists in 2021 and 2024
•    World Championship bronze medallists in 2021 and 2023

This winter, Ribera must create a cohesive unit combining experienced world-class players such as FC Barcelona’s Aleix Gómez and Sergey Hernández with emerging talents including Ian Barrufet, Marcos Fis and Jan Gurri.

If the chemistry is right, Spain will once again be a serious contender to reach the final weekend in Cologne from 29 to 31 January.Before then, however, they will face two teams with a distinctly Spanish handball influence.Both Türkiye and Chile are coached by Spaniards.

Chile is led by Aitor Etxaburu, a former world-class line player who earned 87 international caps for Spain before moving into coaching. He has been in charge of the Chilean national team since 2022.

Etxaburu will reunite with a familiar face: player Rodrigo Salinas Muñoz. The two know each other from their time together at Bidasoa Irún.
Alongside Salinas Muñoz, brothers Erwin and Emil Feuchtmann Pérez are key figures in the Chilean team. Emil is the country’s record appearance holder, while Erwin is its all-time leading scorer.

As their surname suggests, the Feuchtmann family has German roots, making the anticipation for the tournament particularly strong. Together with their coach, Chile hopes to trouble Spain and secure a place in the Main Round.

Türkiye will be pursuing the same objective.The national team is also coached by a Spaniard. Oliver Roy Camino has been in charge for around a year.Previously, he spent several seasons as an assistant coach at FC Barcelona and worked as head coach of Zamalek SC in Egypt before leading Turkish club Beşiktaş Istanbul from 2023 to 2026.

A large part of the national team squad also plays for Beşiktaş, meaning the players already know their coach and his tactical ideas extremely well.What is completely new, however, is the stage of a World Championship.Türkiye has never previously participated in the tournament. The federation received a wildcard for the 30th edition from the IHF, and the team hopes to celebrate its first-ever World Championship victory at the first attempt.A win would bring the Main Round within reach.
Will the group stage end with a battle for first place?

Camino’s team knows that the first two matchdays will be anything but easy. Türkiye begins its campaign against Spain on 14 January at 18:00. Croatia and Chile then meet at 8:30 pm.The challenge does not become any easier on matchday two. Türkiye faces Croatia at 8:30 pm inside Munich’s SAP Garden, after Spain and Chile have opened the evening at 6 pm.

Two days later, Türkiye concludes the preliminary round against Chile. The direct encounter could decide which team advances to the Main Round.At 8:30 pm, the two former world champions Spain and Croatia meet in the group’s headline fixture.In all likelihood, the match will decide first place in Group C.

Modern Arena Meets Olympic History

All six Group C matches will be played at the SAP Garden in Munich.Completed in 2024, the arena is one of the most modern sporting venues in Europe. It is located on historic ground inside Munich’s Olympic Park.

The city hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1972, with the Olympic Park serving as the centrepiece of the event. Venues such as the Olympic Stadium and the Olympic Hall remain in excellent condition and are surrounded by extensive green spaces.
The 1972 Olympic handball tournament was played inside that Olympic Hall.

Spain and Croatia were both represented at the competition. Spain was eliminated in the preliminary round, while Croatia—then competing as part of Yugoslavia—won the gold medal in front of 11,000 spectators. A good omen for next January?