Poland had to fight hard to secure their place among the world’s handball elite next January. Following their one-goal victory away to Austria (25–26), the team coached by Jesús González were not out of the woods, and they certainly seemed to be in for a return-leg nightmare after a dominant first half from the visitors (30': 13–17). However, Kamil Syprzak (who scored three goals) and his teammates subsequently pulled themselves together and secured a draw that proved just enough to qualify (30-30). Poland will be competing in their 19th World Championships, and their fourth in a row.
Luc Steins did not enjoy the same success with his national team, the Netherlands losing at home to Greece (33–38) following an away defeat four days earlier (29–27). Despite scoring five goals, the Rouge et Bleu playmaker was unable to prevent this disappointment - even though the Dutch had qualified for the previous two editions of the World Championships.