World Handball Championship Finals

We finally know half the knockout bracket—the teams coming out of groups A and B. Among them is America, and we're set to face Brazil. Right now, the matchup between North Mexico and Canada looks like the most unpredictable one. Spain is a massive favorite against Tunis, while the hosts have a slight edge over Austria.



As for the wildcards, D1 is almost certainly going to be Germany. That only changes if they fail to beat Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, Denmark plays Poland; the winner moves to D2 and the loser drops to D3. D4 will be either Russia or Argentina. France and Sweden will split positions C1 and C2, while Egypt, Iceland, and the Czech Republic are still fighting for C3 and C4 . Egypt has already secured a spot, so it's just about where they land, whereas the Czech Republic is praying for an Icelandic slip-up to snag the C4 spot.

President's cup

C5 = Iceland/Czech Republic/Algeria, D5 = Argentina/Russia



C6 = Algeria/Czech Republic

The pair facing off will likely be the losers from the France-Sweden match (C2) and the losers from the Denmark-Poland matchup (D3).
If there's a draw in France-Sweden, Sweden takes first and France takes second (C2). If there's a draw in Denmark-Poland, Poland ends up third (D3).

I'm hoping for wins from France and Denmark tomorrow—or at least that neither of them loses—so we can set up a quarterfinals matchup between the winner of Sweden-Poland. (Fingers crossed we make it through, Brazil).

First we have to deal with those reliable Swedes, then those shaky Danes who look ready for a reality check, only to end up losing to the French in the final ☕
All jokes aside, I’m expecting a total dogfight against Brazil—they aren't some pushover you can just walk over.

Does anyone actually know what time we're playing tomorrow??

Peter Walker6 said:Anyone know what time we're playing tomorrow??

7:00 PM

The way this American team is playing right now... it just doesn't feel convincing. It definitely doesn't feel like they're ready to contend for medals. When I say "medals," I mean even making it to the semifinals feels like a massive question mark, yet everyone seems perfectly content just reaching that stage year after year. Even Ivan himself was talking about the semifinals, whereas in the past, the talk was always about going all the way to the top. I get the feeling they all know deep down that this squad isn't actually prepared for anything major, but hey, maybe I'm just being pessimistic...

On the flip side, looking at the rest of the field, nobody has really stepped up yet. Not even a powerhouse like Spain, who haven't lost a game. Honestly, I think the Americans would have the easiest time holding their own against them. The French weren't exactly spectacular either, and the Danes were absolutely nothing. I liked the Swedes, but they’re still a total enigma to me—I have no idea how far they can actually go...

The Germans have this incredible chance to finally break a seven-year drought and claw their way into a major semifinal, especially considering they shouldn't even be in the running at this tournament. They’re facing off against Egypt in the round of 16, and if things go their way, they'll run into whoever comes out on top of the Qatar-Austria matchup in the quarterfinals.

Seriously though, looking at this, they basically have a straight shot to the semifinals

George Ward7 said:Yeah, it's true—looking at the bracket, they basically have a clear shot straight to the semifinals.

Well, they earned it, honestly—finishing top of that absolute Group of Death. ☕

France and Germany are basically strolling their way into the semifinals, while we’re out here getting absolutely wrecked by the Swedes and the Danes are struggling against the Spaniards.

The easiest draw we've ever had. First, the easiest group possible, then the easiest opponent in the round of 16. Looking at the odds, it's Sweden-Poland in one bracket and Qatar-Austria-Germany-Egypt in the other 🙏

The Germans just had their path to the semifinals wide open—this is a historic opportunity. It’s Egypt first, then they face either Austria or Qatar.

Honestly, our team has zero excuses for not making the finals this year, unless some random flu wipes them out. We've already ruled out exhaustion as an excuse. ☕

France, Spain, and Denmark all landed in the second half of the draw 😁. Our only real threats seem to be the Swedes and the Germans. Hopefully, we're strong enough to handle Brazil.

We've never seen a draw quite like this in our history.

It’s basically a comedy routine.

Brazil? They aren't even in the same league as us.

Poland? We historically dominate them. The Swedes might be tougher, but we're definitely the stronger side.

Germany will be a headache, though deep down, those Germans can't shake the memory of losing two finals to us.

If we don't make the final, Goluža needs to be kicked out of the national team immediately.

The bottom half of this bracket is just pure carnage.

It looks like we’re headed to the semifinals against Qatar. ☕

I suppose we'll all be meeting up at Times Square this coming Monday 👋👋

Honestly, this whole obsession with forcing the President's Cup—you know, those play-in games—is a bigger joke than our actual draft. I mean, may God help you people, seriously, what are you even doing? 🙏 🙏

If our guys don't make the finals, leave Goluža in Qatar

USA-Brazil 100-0—honestly, there isn't much left to say besides acknowledging our win was a massive shocker...

USA-Tunisia 80-20—the Tunisians haven't really shown much grit yet, so the Americans should probably wrap this one up in their favor..

Qatar-Austria 60-40—the Qatar team has been playing brilliantly so far; they're a very pleasant surprise... though the home-court advantage gives them the edge..

North Mexico-Canada 50-50—North Mexico has looked solid thus far, whereas more was expected from Canada—but if you ask me, this game is anyone's to win..

France-Argentina 100-0—Argentina is definitely the most enjoyable underdog of the tournament, but I suspect France might still be too big of an obstacle..

Sweden-Poland 80-20—the Poles have been decent enough up to this point, but nothing special—so I’m expecting Sweden to move on...

Denmark-Iceland 65-35—Denmark is the clear favorite here, but then again, anything can happen when you're facing Iceland in a single game...

German-Egypt 70-30—the Germans have played exceptionally well so far and ought to advance, even if Egypt isn't entirely without a fighting chance..

The draw looks like we ordered it specifically. :klap:

We need to absolutely steamroll Brazil. A Poland/Sweden quarterfinal would be wild, but honestly, looking at how they've played, we should take them both down too. Actually, scratch that—the Swedes look like they might give us more trouble than the Poles. Then it’s Germany/Qatar in the semis. The Germans look dialed in, and there's no way I'm letting Qatar make it to the semifinals. Basically, rooting for a semifinal matchup against Germany just to see some real, high-level handball 😁

The other side of the bracket is way more interesting. Iceland vs. Denmark could be a total grind, depending on if the Icelanders actually decide to play disciplined or just wander around aimlessly like they usually do... you never know with those guys. Canada vs. Mexico is kind of a toss-up. Everything else seems pretty predictable. Denmark vs. Spain is likely the quarterfinal. As for the French? They basically have a VIP pass to the semifinals—they had an even easier run than we did.