L’arrière droit Dika Mem aborde les championnats du monde avec une attitude vengeresse. MAXPPP – Julien Mattia/Le Pictorium
Il y a un immense échec à effacer pour des Bleus renouvelés et revanchards.
The French handball team begins the World Cup on Tuesday (6 p.m.) against Qatar in Porec (Croatia), five months after the Olympic snub, guided by a new captain and orphaned by three great veterans, including Nikola Karabatic. The icon, who hung up his boots this summer, had already won everything on multiple occasions when the Blues embroidered a sixth and final star on their jersey, in 2017.
Since then, they have seen the new great Danish rival adorn themselves with world gold three times in a row, an unprecedented series, the last time (2023) by beating them in the final in Stockholm (34-29). However, it was as soon as they entered the competition at the Olympics, at the end of July, that the team led by the best player in the world Mathias Gidsel gave them a lesson (37-29) which launched under bad auspices a tournament that ended in a damp squib.
Eternal scar
By a defeat after extra time in the quarter-finals against Germany (35-34 a.p.) when they were leading by a goal with possession of the ball six seconds from the end of regulation time. “A scar” eternal for Dika Mem, author of the blunder that gave the Mannchaft the extension, and on a collective level for the players, determined according to the new captain Ludovic Fabregas to “put the French team back in its rightful place”.
Either at the top, which would be a great way to celebrate, on February 2 in Oslo (venue of the final), the 30th anniversary of the first world title, won by the “Barjots” a little further north, in Reykjavik in Iceland.
Dashboard
The 2025 Men's Handball World Cup begins this Tuesday in Croatia, Norway and Denmark
The participants
Group A (Herning, Denmark): Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic Group B (Herning, Denmark): Denmark, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy
Group C (Porec, Croatia): France, Austria, Qatar, Kuwait
Group D (Varazdin, Croatia): Hungary, Netherlands, Guinea, North Macedonia
Group E (Baerum, Norway): Norway, Portugal, Brazil, United States
Group F (Baerum, Norway): Sweden, Spain, Japan, Chile
Group G (Zagreb, Croatia): Slovenia, Iceland, Cape Verde, Cuba
Group H (Zagreb, Croatia): Croatia, Egypt, Argentina, Bahrain
The formula
The teams are divided into eight groups of four in the preliminary round: the top three from each group advance to the main round, which is made up of four groups of six (nations from groups A and B meet in group I, those from groups C and D in group II, etc.).
Each team keeps the points acquired against the other qualified teams and faces the nations not met in the preliminary round (three matches). The first two of each group reach the quarter-finals.
The calendar
January 14-20: preliminary round in Porec, Varazdin, Zagreb, Herning and Baerum
January 21-26: main round in Varazdin, Zagreb, Herning and Baerum
January 28-29: quarter-finals & Zagreb and Baerum
January 30-31: semi-finals & Zagreb and Baerum
February 2: match for 3rd place and final at Baerum
The last ten Worlds
2023: 1. Denmark 2. France 3. Spain
2021: 1. Denmark 2. Sweden 3. Spain
2019: 1. Denmark 2. Norway 3. France
2017: 1. France 2. Norway 3. Slovenia
2015: 1. France 2. Qatar 3. Poland
2013: 1. Spain 2. Denmark 3. Croatia
2011: 1. France 2. Denmark 3. Spain
2009: 1. France 2. Croatia 3 . Poland
2007: 1. Germany 2. Poland 3. Denmark
2005: 1. Spain 2. Croatia 3. France
Palmarès
France: 6 titles
Sweden and Romania: 4 tracks
Denmark: 3 tracks
Reworked roster
After the Olympic disappointment, the Blues are not starting from so far away according to Mem:“There's not a lot to change either, in January (2024) we were European champions”. “We need to find fluidity in the game and team spirit. At the Olympics the ball was moving around less, and individuals” took precedence over the collective, added the right-back.
The squad, precisely, has evolved, with the retirements of Nikola Karabatic and Vincent Gérard, the end of the international career of Valentin Porte and even Timothey N'Guessan, and the change in status of Luka Karabatic, now a simple soldier after giving up the armband to Fabregas. “Yes, there is a team reconfiguration, a redefinition of the statutes, the idea of a new phase, a new dynamic”, declared coach Guillaume Gille.
Boulevard until the quarters
It was launched by four victories, two in November (37-31 against Sweden and 31-27 in Norway) and two last week in preparation (38-27 against the Czech Republic and 44-38 against Portugal). These last two trial runs allowed the two major injuries of the fall, Mem and Elohim Prandi, to return to competition. But not Hugo Descat (herniated disc), who was not selected for the squad for this World Cup, whose very affordable first round allows Les Bleus to gain momentum, with Kuwait and Austria on the programme after Qatar.
Does that mean a red carpet is being rolled out for us?
“We're playing teams that we very rarely encounter, with somewhat atypical playing styles, few references. Does that mean a red carpet is being rolled out for us? We'll need to make an effort, to perform well and this rise in power will only happen if we're able to lay the bricks one on top of the other to go further far”, replied Gille.
The draw for this 32-team World Cup, which is therefore not very dense, also spared France in the main round, where it will meet the group of Hungary, the Netherlands and North Macedonia. A boulevard presents itself to it until the quarter-finals, where its road had abruptly stopped a little over five months ago, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq.