World Handball Championship - Group B (America, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Mexico, Argentina)

The 22nd World Handball Championship is headed to Sweden from January 13th to the 30th. Things have shifted a bit since they played in the States last time. There are five new teams in the mix this year, including two total rookies.Bahrain and Japan.And then there's this bunch of newcomers too. Iceland, Austria, and Chile.The biggest shocker has gotta be the absence... Russia Who did they lose to in the qualifiers? Romania And they even got knocked out in the preliminary round... North MexicoStill nothing. Canada, man... They're out. Just like that. CanadiansLooks like the medals are headed back to the European squads once again. The US vs. France. They're gonna be front and center making threats again. The Poles, the Spaniards, the Danes, and Iceland. He’s definitely got what it takes to snag a third medal in three years. Besides, the Brand guy is on a mission to get this squad younger. Germany We’re closing in on the top spot, but we can't just ignore everyone else breathing down our necks. Mexico and Sweden. Honestly, who’s actually got a shot at the podium? It's looking pretty slim for most. Austrians They could probably snag a few big trophies again while we're at it. The Canadians and the Norwegians. Don't go expecting much. So, here's how it shakes out: we've got four groups, six teams in each. Once the first round wraps up, the top three teams from Groups A and B get tossed into a new group, along with the top three from Groups C and D. Simple enough.



Group C



The biggest news right now... Our camp. It’s not about the injuries—I mean, we always deal with that headache anyway—it's really about the coach leaving. Lino ČervarA lot of people breathed a sigh of relief when he finally stepped down from the national team. But honestly? Now that they've gone and put some green kid in his seat who hasn't seen a day of real pressure, I don't know. It feels a bit reckless. Slavko Goluža It’s starting to look a little shaky whether we can actually stay at the top of the food chain. We're going to find out exactly where we stand during this first round, especially since we've got two absolute monsters waiting for us—Denmark and Mexico. Plus, we’re going to be pretty banged up on the wings because our best right winger is out of commission. Čupić And they've got injuries on the roster too. Vukić and HorvatSo that means we're finally gonna see what's actually important taking center stage. Vedran Zrnić While the other side holds down their spot... Štrlek. Ninčević He’ll be a pretty solid backup since he’s killing it in the Bundesliga right now, but honestly, Zrnić is going to have to play basically every single minute. We lost our pivot too, which sucks. Sulić Who was actually banking on a massive comeback just to get back in the game? Mus and Marić. Having the chance to actually stand out when you're working alongside someone who's basically indispensable... that's a tough one. VoriLuckily, we look pretty solid from the outside, so they're back at it again. Balić, Duvnjak, Lacković, Valčić, Vuković, Buntić. And Kopljar. He’ll definitely get another crack at it on offense, but if he blows it, he’s gonna be stuck grinding it out on defense with... Gojun. Alilović. He was one of the top three goalies back in Austria, and honestly, it’d be pretty sweet if he could pull off the same thing here.

The Americans. They’re definitely going to be the biggest threat in our group. Honestly, looking at how they've been playing lately, we’ve become their absolute worst nightmare. It’s actually kind of satisfying because they were starting to get on my last nerve. There are a few changes to their roster, though, so it’s hard to say if they’ll actually be better than they were last year. That one flashy outside shooter is back in the lineup, though. Boesen That’s definitely bad news for everyone else in the bracket. Honestly, though? It feels like those legendary, game-changing goalkeepers are just becoming a thing of the past. Kasper Hvidt Not even as a defensive player. Jorgensen, Lars Christiansen He’s another year older, and now Knudsen is dealing with some injury issues again. Still, even with all that drama, the Americans are going to be right at the top of the standings. Lars is doing a killer job stepping in to cover for him. Eggert...and on the other side, you've got the absolute legend. Lindberg While they've still got guys holding down the pivot... I don't know what you're getting at with that one. Coming straight out of Barcelona. On paper, their biggest heavy hitters are also going to be... Hansen. I can't quite catch that. You left me hanging there. What's on your mind? Mogensen And there's a few more big names on this list that everyone already knows.

Mexicans They’re definitely gearing up for the European Championships being hosted on home soil next year. It’s pretty obvious they want a massive result to use as a springboard for everything else coming down the pipeline. Honestly, their biggest threat is going to be those wing positions—they've got some absolute killers playing there. VujinHe’s easily the best scorer in the Champions League right now, and then you've got... Ilić He’s been dealing with some nagging injuries lately over at Kiel, though. Because of that, he’s going to be sidelined for this one. Bojinović So, basically, one of those three is probably gonna end up in the spotlight. Vučković-Šešum-RnićHe's solid at the pivot. Stojković He’s coming over from Kielce, and honestly? He’s a beast on the wing. ProdanovićFirst matchup is against... Romania It’s gonna be a tough nut to crack. Especially since they already punched their ticket by winning that matchup over in Russia. Plus, we can't exactly count on the guys from the local league to step up and cause any trouble. Algeria and Australia. They're just here to pad the betting lines.

Group D



In Group D, you’re basically looking at a showdown between Poland and Sweden for that top spot. Honestly, though, I'd give the edge to the Swedes. The Poles. Regardless of how things shake out on the court against Sweden, let's be real: Poland has been tearing it up lately. They've hit the semifinals in the last two major tournaments, which puts them right up there with the top four teams in the world at the moment. You can tell they aren't just satisfied with being good, either—the way they've bounced back shows they’re gunning for that next level. Tkaczyka He's back on the national team. Everything else stays the same, aside from that tragic news about Karol losing his sight. Bielecki Honestly, though, it doesn't even look like much of a handicap for him on the court right now. He’s playing out of his mind. Cash. He’s standing right there in the goal, and the rest of them are still out on the perimeter. M. Jurecki I'm ready. Send over the posts you need me to rework. I'll make sure they sound like a real person talking—casual, a bit rambly, and strictly set in the States. No traces of the original locations or names will be left behind. Just give me the text. The Lijewski brothers.It’s just average. JaszkaIt’s all about the pivot. B. Jureckiveteran Jurasik It’s back on the right side again. The Swedes. Man, Žarko really wants to get back to the top, but it’s just not happening right now. They crashed out in the first round of the Euros after getting hammered by Canada and Germany. And yep—looks like they're going to be without their pivot again. I can't even begin to wrap my head around what's happening here. It's just... wow. Honestly, I'm speechless. Even without him, they’re still holding it together. Andersson, Kallman, and Carlen. There's no way they can hold up for the whole tournament. Slovaks They’re showing up with their usual lineup, so they should honestly have the edge here. South Korea.

BUILD THE ROSTER - EXPAND THE LIST (WIKI.US)

First!

You should've just started a thread for the finals right away! USA vs. France! I mean, looking at the bracket, I honestly don't see anyone else who could possibly squeeze their way in there!

analoggull4 said:first!

You could have just started a thread for the finals right away. USA vs. France! I honestly don't see anyone else making the cut.

Well, the Spaniards could make it; they've definitely leveled up. Sweden and Denmark might sneak in too. Sweden isn't quite what they used to be, but being the home team helps a lot. Denmark is looking strong as well.
And France isn't quite the powerhouse they were in previous tournaments either.

We really need to at least make it to the semifinals from this group. Fingers crossed we finally take home the gold.

I’m calling it now—us, the Americans, and the guys from the US are looking solid in this group... It’ll probably be us, Iceland, Denmark, and France moving on to the semifinals.

We’re going head-to-head with the Americans for that top spot. Now, the guys from the South are playing solid ball—they could definitely throw us a curveball—but if I had to place them, I’d see them landing in third.

neonfalcon16 said:We’re going to be fighting the Americans for first place. The Mexicans are decent, and they might give us some trouble, but I still see them landing in third.

We are going to be battling the Americans for the gold. Mark my words.🙂

Taylor Barrett12 said:I honestly think we're safe... me, the guys from the Mexican and Danish squads in this group... We'll probably all end up in the semifinals alongside Iceland, Denmark, and France.

I mean, if you ask me, the teams moving on from our group are definitely going to be the US, Mexico, and Denmark. It’d actually be pretty smart if we could carry over 4 points, because then we’d face Sweden—and they might get some lucky calls from the refs—or maybe Poland. And man, those Polish guys still feel like they got robbed in that last semifinal against the US, so they'll be playing with a massive chip on their shoulder against us or whoever else makes it. I guess the real secret to making the semis is carrying those 4 points over from the first round... I think whenever we managed to carry over the max amount of points, we always ended up in the semifinals anyway.

Honestly, nothing from the Mexican national team would surprise me at this point. They could lose to Canada and still somehow beat us. If they keep playing like this in major tournaments, they don't stand a chance at a medal.

Daniel Cooper40 said:Honestly, nothing about the Mexican team would catch me off guard—they could lose to Romania and still beat us in the same breath. If they keep playing like this in major tournaments, though, don't expect them to touch a medal.

If they stay on this track, they won't even make it out of the group stage. Personally, I think we and Denmark are locks, while those North American teams will be fighting tooth and nail just for third place—with zero points carried over.

It’s a damn shame, really. Our biggest setback has to be missing out on a player like Miller—an elite right winger who’s basically a walking cheat code from the penalty line. Then you’ve got Vukić going down with that injury... just another blow to the teeth. It’s also a real pity Sulić couldn't pull off a comeback to the national team before everything went sideways; the man is an indispensable pivot. I mean, who hasn't seen those highlights from the World Cup in Portugal? Even when he was just stepping in for Vorio, he was something else. Just a series of unfortunate events, I suppose.

Miller’s got a shot in the second round when it comes to those seven-meter free throws—both him and Miller have been struggling big time lately...

Vaughn is just a second-rate wing player who only stays relevant because the defense constantly bails him out...

Sullivan basically checked out again, hit a wall, and that was that... though, honestly, Musa is playing better than Sullivan right now...

Harrison—nothing bad intended here—is a massive guy, built like a tank... but his defensive positioning is such a mess it’s almost painful to watch...

The real headache is the right wing; if Miller goes down with an injury, we are in serious trouble...

Then again, I’m more worried about the whole "Horton situation," where he played constantly and then everyone just pinned all the failures on Thompson...

Adam Collins4 said:Looks like Suлич ran into some distractions again. That’s that.

Are you kidding me, or do you actually believe that? 😕

I've only been following the World Cup prep on a surface level, so I fell for the injury story hook, line, and sinker. What was it they said? Something about a vein in his arm or whatever.

Once we hit the finals, it’s going to become crystal clear just how much of a cornerstone Čupić really is for this American squad. ☕

Group Standings:

1. USA
2. Denmark
3. Mexico

Missing Čapić is a massive blow to the lineup. The perimeter shooting and Vori should be our main weapons here—let's at least push it to the semifinals

Knudsen’s sitting out against us because he’s missing (at least) the first half of the tournament. So we're looking at Hvidt, Jorgensen, Knudsen out, but Boesen's in.

I guess if I actually had to pick someone to sit out the World Cup, it would probably be Cupic, since we have players at that position who are almost just as talented, maybe. It’s funny how people would likely complain so much if someone like Curry or LeBron were the ones dealing with an injury, I suppose.

I have no clue what he's thinking—they just keep ignoring him😕he’d be such a weapon on the counterattack

Sully -> video games, huh? I guess that's not exactly the healthiest hobby, is it?

The Americans are looking pretty dangerous offensively, especially from beyond the arc, but we'll just have to wait and see how they hold up on defense. They definitely have some threats out there, though.

It looks like the Danes are rebuilding, though most of them are veterans at this point. I actually thought Boesen had retired😕but hey, these teams can show up in all sorts of different forms, I suppose.

Romania, man... haha. Honestly, their only real edge is that besides Jurce, the rest of the guys play domestically, so they might have had a decent training camp. If they even bothered to organize one. Who knows, really.

Paul Jones7 said:I don't know what he's talking about, they keep sitting out 😕 they'd be great on those fast breaks

Sulić -> video games, so maybe it's not even a health thing?

The Americans are heavy hitters on offense, especially from the perimeter, but we'll see how they hold up defensively. They've got some dangerous talent on the roster though.

The Danes are basically rebuilding, and most of them are veterans. I thought Boesen had retired 😕 but hey, they can show up in all sorts of different forms.

Romania, huh... they really only have one edge, and that's that most of their players play domestically besides Jurca, so they could have had a solid training camp. If they actually organized anything, that is. Who knows.

What kind of nonsense is this? Šprem is top-tier. I’ve met him and had the chance to chat with him for a bit, but that's beside the point. The guy hasn't had a club for over a year, plus he was out for surgery—shoulder, I think—so, with all due respect, it makes zero sense to expect him to suit up for the national team right now.