After the disappointment of their defeat to Spain two days earlier (36-32), Les Bleus were determined to bounce back against Germany on the final day of the main round. The equation was simple for the defending champions: victory would guarantee them a place in the semi-finals. However, from the very first minutes, the tactical gap between Guillaume Gille's men and Alfred Gislason's team was striking.
After a neck-and-neck first quarter of an hour, the Germans stepped up the pace and pulled away, thanks in particular to the enthusiasm of Juri Knorr, who scored ten goals. Despite Karl Konan's defensive efforts, France ultimately failed to take the close the gap or even tak the lead, losing 38-34 in a match where where victory was essential for qualification (38-34).
Knocked out of the top three in Group I following Portugal's comfortable victory over Spain (27-35), Les Bleus have missed out on direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup and will now have to go through a play-off round next May.
Already eliminated from the semi-finals before throw-off in this clash against the reigning world champions, Norway managed to hold out for almost half the game against Nikolaj Jakobsen's men. However, Mathias Gidsel's attacking exploits (seven goals, four assists) finally got the better of Norway in a one-sided second half (38-24). Simen Lyse, who was decisive on three occasions (two goals, one assist), ended the competition on a high note before heading to the capital to meet his new teammates. He will make his debut with Paris Saint-Germain Handball when the competition resumes in less than two weeks.
Les Bleus will therefore not face Sebastian Karlsson's Sweden in the placement match. At home, the Swedes suffered a cruel fate, eliminated from the semi-finals before even playing their last match against Switzerland - due to Iceland's victory over Slovenia earlier in the day. Assured of remaining third at the start of this final match of the main round, Michael Apelgren's men were nevertheless keen to put on a show in Malmö.
After a shaky start to the match, the Scandinavians finished the first half in style, putting six unanswered goals past the Swiss to take the lead at the break (30': 12-14). From then on, it was a real festival for the Swedish fans, whose heroes refused to let their opponents back into the game (21-34). Sebastian Karlsson, who scored four goals, was once again decisive in the victory and will be looking to end the tournament on a high note against Portugal on Friday (15:00).
