The capital club are set to begin the second phase of their pre-season preparations. After a tour of Japan focused primarily on getting back into the swing of competitive action, with two victories over Zeekstar Tokyo (41-31) and Japan's U21 side (37-29), Les Rouge et Bleu will need to step up the intensity over the coming days. Next stop is Germany, where they will compete in the HSG Premium Cup, a high-level friendly tournament.
Hosted at the home of German second-tier side HSG Nordhorn, who take part as the host club, this season's competition brings together three of Europe's heavyweights, including Paris Saint-Germain. In the semi-finals, Stefan Madsen's men face a stern test against Füchse Berlin, last season's Champions League finalists and German Cup winners. Victory would set up a meeting with either reigning European champions FC Barcelona or Nordhorn. A third-place play-off will also be held between the losing semi-finalists.
German champions for the first time in the 2024-2025 season, Füchse Berlin have built a strong reputation in Europe in recent years. Three-time EHF European League winners (2015, 2018 and 2023), the German club have also established themselves as a force in the Champions League, reaching the final of Europe's most prestigious competition in each of the last two seasons. However, the Foxes have twice fallen short of lifting the coveted trophy, losing to Magdeburg in 2025 and Barcelona in 2026.
Powered by the impressive Mathias Gidsel, the team's driving force since his arrival in 2022 and named the world's best handball player in each of the last three seasons, Berlin are determined to finally achieve their goal. This meeting with Paris Saint-Germain will provide an interesting test after convincing pre-season wins over Werder (41-27) and HSV Insel Usedom (49-26) and two closely contested encounters with Aalborg (36-36 / 28-30).
Paris also managed to get back into the swing of things in their first two matches of the season in Japan. Despite the squad not being at full strength, Stefan Madsen was particularly pleased with the encouraging starts made by his new signings. In goal, Rodrigo Corrales shone, notably making ten saves against Zeekstar, six years after his last appearance in Rouge et Bleu.
The squad's other two new faces also hit the ground running, with Frederik Ladefoged finding the net in both matches. A constant threat on the wing, Bjarki Elisson was outstanding in attack, scoring 15 goals across the two games. They will now be looking to build on these promising signs as pre-season continues against top-class opposition.
The match will take place at the Euregium in Nordhorn at 14:00 on Saturday 15 August and will be broadcast on Paris Saint-Germain Handball's YouTube channel as well as on PSG TV.
