January 15, 2023 - After losing to Egypt on Friday, Croatia found their rhythm and beat the USA 40:22 in the second match of the 2023 World Handball Championship.

Croatia was after their first victory against the USA in Group G of the World Handball Championship on Sunday in Sweden. Recall Croatia lost to Egypt in the first round on Friday 22:31. 

The USA defeated Morocco 28:27 on Friday to earn its first World Championship win, breaking their 25-game losing streak.

Before tonight's game, Croatia played one match against the USA at the World Championship, in 2001 in France, when they won (41:12).

Losing to Egypt did not threaten Croatia's chance for a spot in the second round of this competition, but it made the path to the quarter-finals a bit more difficult, which was the first goal of this new Croatia team.

Josip Šarac was in the lineup for tonight's match, while Zvonimir Srna watched the match from the stands. 

Match recap

The USA did not take advantage of their first attack, but Croatia did. Karačić scored for 1:0. Blanco leveled the score for 1:1 in the 3rd minute. 

Musa scored after a nice assist from Šarac. Ian Hueter scored, but Šarac quickly countered. The USA took the lead at 4:3 in the 6th minute. 

Musa made it 4:4 two minutes later. After goals from Jelinić, Šarac, Glavaš, and Karačić, it was 9:5 for Croatia in the 12th minute. And it was 12:5 for Croatia in the 14th minute. 

After a few goals from the USA, it was 13:7 for Croatia in the 17th minute. Glavaš scored a penalty for 14:7 in the 19th minute. 

Jelinić scored for 15:7 in the 22nd minute. In the 26th minute, Šarac made it 17:8. Cindrić scored his first goal of the game in the 29th minute. 

The first half ended 20:10 for Croatia. 

A nice play and goal by Karačić opened the second half. Šarac scored his 5th goal of the game in the 34th minute and scored again for 25:12 in the 36th minute. 

Mihićev scored his first goal of the game one minute later. Karačić scored his 5th goal in the 43rd minute for +15 - 30:15.

With 10 minutes to go, Croatia was up 32:18. 

Karačić scored for 33:18 in the 52nd minute. With this result, Croatia has mathematically secured their spot in the second round. 

With five minutes to go, Croatia led 37:20. 

And with a minute left, it was 39:22 for Croatia. Mihić scored the final goal for the game for 40:22. 

Croatia's next game is against Morocco on Tuesday, January 17, at 20:30. 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

January 3, 2023 - The 2023 World Handball Championship will be held in Poland and Sweden from January 11 to 29.

The 2023 World Handball Championship will be played in Poland and Sweden from January 11 to 29. This means the Croatia men's handball team is finally back in action!

Croatia gathered on New Year's Eve and began final preparations for the World Championship. As part of their final preparations in Poreč, the Croatian Handball Federation traditionally organizes the Croatia Cup. Croatia will thus face North Macedonia in Poreč on January 6 and Israel on January 8. Tickets for all Croatia Cup matches can be purchased at www.ulaznice.hr. The price of a single ticket is 8 euros (60.28 kn). 

At the 2023 World Handball Championships, Croatia will play in Group G, hosted at Husqvarna Garden in Jönköping, Sweden. Croatia will play against Egypt, the United States of America, and Morocco.

The format of the competition is the same as in the last World Championship, so a total of 32 national teams will be divided into eight groups of four teams. 

The three best national teams from each group advance to the second round, which brings crossover groups (A-B, C-D, E-F, G-H). From these newly formed second-round groups, the two best teams will advance to the quarterfinals, where the knockout phase of the tournament begins. 

Group G meets Group H, which includes current world champions Denmark, Belgium, Bahrain, and Tunisia. That second round will be played in Malmö, in the Malmö Arena.

Group G (Jönköping)

1st round, January 13
18:00 Morocco - United States of America
20:30 Egypt - CROATIA

2nd round, January 15
18:00 Egypt - Morocco
20:30 CROATIA - United States of America

3rd round, January 17
18:00 United States of America - Egypt
20:30 CROATIA - Morocco

Group IV (Malmö)

1st round, January 19
G1 - H3
H1 - G2
G3 - H2

2nd round, January 21
G2 - H3
H2 - G1
G3 - H1

3rd round, January 23
G1 - H1
G2 - H2
G3 - H3

Quarterfinals
January 25
? - ? (Gdansk)
? - ? (Stockholm)
? - ? (Gdansk)
? - ? (Stockholm)

Semi-final (Stockholm)
January 27
18:00? - ?
23:00? - ?

Match for third place (Stockholm)
January 29
18:00? - ?

Final (Stockholm)
January 29
? - ?

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April 17, 2022 - Although Croatia practically qualified for the 2023 World Handball Championships after beating Finland earlier in the week, they confirmed their spot in Sweden and Poland next year with another victory in the return match in Varaždin on Saturday night. 

Croatia defeated Finland 21:34 in the first match of the 2nd round of qualifications for the 2023 World Championships and played the return match in Varaždin on Saturday, winning 36:22. The most efficient player was Marino Marić with 7 goals. Filip Glavaš added 6, Marin Jelinić 4, Halil Jaganjac and Tin Lučin 3 each, and Domagoj Duvnjak, Igor Karačić, Veron Načinović, Luka Cindrić, Davor Ćavar and Luka Lovre Klarica 2 each. Leon Šušnja scored one goal. Matej Mandić recorded 8 saves and Marin Šego recorded 5 in goal. 

With another convincing victory, Croatia sends a message to the handball world that it is back on track and ready for new challenges. Coach Hrvoje Horvat had another opportunity to test out some of the young forces that have had to jump in after a series of injuries. Thus, Luka Lovre Klarica, Mateo Maraš, Veron Načinović, Dominik Kuzmanović, or Matej Mandić will get playing time with Croatia again.

Croatia has never missed the World Championships. Croatia's first appearance was 22 years ago in Iceland in 1995, when they won the silver medal. Croatia went on to win four medals after that - one gold (Portugal 2003), two silver (Tunisia 2005, Croatia 2009), and one bronze (Spain 2013). The 2023 World Championships in Sweden and Poland will be their 15th appearance, and as Croatia, Denmark, and Norway will host the 2025 World Championships, Croatia has already qualified for their 16th tournament. 

Interestingly, Croatia has also never lost at the Varaždin Arena. They played in the 2012 Olympic qualifiers there for the first time and recorded three victories: Japan 36:22, Chile 35:15, Iceland 31:28. The last performance was in the qualifications for the European Championship 2016 against Norway when Željko Babić was on the bench. Croatia celebrated 31:25. 

The World Championships are scheduled for January 11 to 29, 2023, and will feature 32 national teams. Hosts Poland and Sweden, world champions Denmark and France, Spain, Norway, Belgium, Bahrain, Qatar. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, and South Korea have already qualified. 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 29, 2022 - The Croatia handball squad for the upcoming 2023 World Championship qualifiers against Finland has been named. Croatia will play the first match away on April 13 and in Varaždin on April 16. 

After the recent national team gathering in March, the Croatia men's senior national team will get together again in April. During the upcoming EHF week from April 11 to 17, 2022, the second round of qualifications for next year's World Championships will be played. Croatia is also participating in the second round of qualifications.

Croatia will meet Finland in the 2023 World Championship qualifiers. The first match will be hosted in Vantaa, on April 13, 2022, at 18:00. The return match will be played at Arena Varaždin, on April 16, also at 18:00.

Coach Hrvoje Horvat announced the list of players for the upcoming matches. There are 21 players on Horvat's list and nine more on the reserve list.

Croatia handball player list

MARIN ŠEGO – MONTPELLIER HB
MATEJ MANDIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
DOMINIK KUZMANOVIĆ – RK NEXE
DAVID MANDIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
MARIN JELINIĆ – RK NEXE
IVAN ČUPIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
FILIP GLAVAŠ -HC TRIMO TREBNJE
VERON NAČINOVIĆ – MONTPELLIER HB
ŽELJKO MUSA – RK PPD ZAGREB
MARINO MARIĆ – MT MELSUNGEN
MARIN ŠIPIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
DOMAGOJ DUVNJAK – THW KIEL
LUKA CINDRIĆ – BARCA
IGOR KARAČIĆ – LOMZA VIVE KIELCE
ZVONIMIR SRNA – RK PPD ZAGREB
MARKO MAMIĆ – SC DHfK LEIPZIG
TIN LUČIN – ORLEN WISLA PLOCK
IVAN MARTINOVIĆ – TSV HANNOVER-BURGDORF
LUKA LOVRE KLARICA – RK PPD ZAGREB
HALIL JAGANJAC – RK NEXE
LUKA ŠEBETIĆ – CB NAVA

RESERVE PLAYERS:
JOSIP ŠARAC - FRISCH AUF GöPPINGEN

JAKOV GOJUN - RK PPD ZAGREB
MATEO MARAŠ - HC EUROFARM PELISTER
LEON ŠUŠNJA - ORLEN WISLA PLOCK
IVAN PESIC - TVB 1898 STUTTGART
KRISTIAN PILIPOVIĆ - CADET SCHAUFFHAUSEN
DAVOR ĆAVAR - RK PPD ZAGREB
VLADO MATANOVIĆ - RK PPD ZAGREB
ANTE GADŽA - RK VARDAR 1961

COACHING STAFF:

HRVOJE HORVAT, COACH
IVANO BALIĆ, COACH
IVAN STEVANOVIĆ, GOALKEEPER COACH
ŠIME TOMAŠEVIĆ, CONDITIONING COACH
ŽELJKO KERCEL, PHYSIOTHERAPIST
FILIP ŠIMUNOVIĆ, PHYSIOTHERAPIST
KREŠIMIR ROTIM, DOCTOR
DOMAGOJ GAJSKI, DOCTOR
IVICA UDOVIČIĆ, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL TEAM
IVICA MARAŠ, SPEAKER AND TEAM MANAGER
ZDRAVKO MIRILOVIĆ, TECHNICIAN
ZORAN ČULK, VIDEO (from April 13, 2022, Varaždin)

Source: HRS

To read more about sports in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 27, 2022 - After finishing 8th place at the EHF Euro 2022, the Croatia men's handball team will play the 2023 World Handball Championship qualifiers this April. 

The Croatia men's handball team ended their performance in the last round of the EHF Euro 2022 main round with a draw against the Netherlands.

After last year’s World Championship in Egypt and missing out on the Olympics, this is another handball competition to forget. The Cowboys finished in eighth place.

While the coronavirus disrupted coach Hrvoje Horvat's plans, we were fortunate to witness new handball talent, with players like Tin Ličin, who was not originally part of the team. 

So, what's next? 

There will be a new World Championship organized jointly by Sweden and Poland in a year. These two national teams, as well as the current champion Denmark, have a spot already secured. Europe will add at least 12 more national teams, three of which will qualify directly as the best at the current Euros, while nine national teams will play in the qualifiers.

As Denmark and Sweden reached the semifinals, the European Championship fifth-place leads directly to the World Championship. Spain also won a spot because they reached the semifinals.

Croatia will thus have to qualify for the World Championship, for which a draw will be held already on Saturday. After that, they will be included in the second round, which will be played in two matches between April 11 and 17 this year. Their opponents will be some of the national teams that will play the first round between March 14 and 20.

Slovenia, Portugal, North Macedonia, Slovakia, BiH, and other possible opponents are not harmless rivals, so Croatia hopes for a good draw. 

Who coach Horvat will choose to join the national team then remains to be seen.

First round:

Seeded teams: Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Northern Macedonia, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine

Unseeded: Belgium, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Israel, Greece, Italy, Romania, Switzerland

Second round:

Seeded: Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Germany, Russia, Montenegro, Netherlands

Unseeded: nine first-round winners

Source: Gol.hr

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 23, 2022 - Losing to Denmark on Saturday night in Budapest came with even more consequences outside of the Euros - Croatia will likely have to play in the 2023 World Handball Championship qualifiers this spring. 

Not only did losing to Denmark in Budapest eliminate the last theoretical possibility for Croatia to reach the European Handball Championship semifinals, but it almost certainly left Croatia without a direct spot in the next big competition - the World Championships, to be played in Poland and Sweden in January 2023, reports Gol.hr.

In addition to the hosts Poland and Sweden and the current world champion Denmark, Europe will grant at least 12 national teams the chance to participate in the World Champs, three of which will qualify directly as the best at the current Euro held in Hungary and Slovakia, while nine will play in the qualifiers.

Thus, the three best national teams in this European Championship besides Denmark, Poland, and Sweden will qualify for the World Champs, which means that, in case Denmark and Sweden reach the Euro semifinals, then the fifth place will lead to a spot at the World Champs. The national teams that are third in the groups of the second round will play for fifth place, for which Croatia, which is currently at zero points, has a very small chance. 

Even if Hrvoje Horvat's team wins against Iceland and the Netherlands, many other factors would have to coincide again for Croatia to finish third in this group, on Friday, January 28, play the game for fifth place, and only then, if Denmark and Sweden are in semifinals, win direct placement at the World Champs.

A far more realistic scenario is that this will not happen and that Croatia will have to play qualifiers. They will be included in the second round, for which the draw will be held this weekend in Budapest, at the end of the Euro. It is played in two games between April 11 and 17 this year, and the opponent will be some of the national teams that will play the first round between March 14 and 20.

2023 Handball World Cup Qualifiers:
First round:

Seeded teams: Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Northern Macedonia, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine

Unseeded: Belgium, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Israel, Greece, Italy, Romania, Switzerland

Second round:

Seeded: Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia + six national teams from the European Championship (potentially Croatia)

Unseeded: nine first-round winners

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.