2025 IHF Emerging Nations Championship

2025 IHF Emerging Nations Championship
Tournament details
Host country	Bulgaria
Venue	1 (in 1 host city)
Dates	11–16 March
Teams	8 (from 4 confederations)
Final positions
Champions	Great Britain (1st title)
Runners-up	Bulgaria
Third place	United States
Fourth place	Nigeria
Tournament statistics
Matches played	20
Goals scored	1,128 (56.4 per match)
Attendance	3,590 (180 per match)
Top scorers	Svetlin Dimitrov; (51 goals)
Awards
Best player	Svetlin Dimitrov
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Host country

Bulgaria

Venue1 (in 1 host city)

Dates11–16 March

Teams8 (from 4 confederations)

The 2025 IHF Emerging Nations Handball Championship was the fifth edition of the IHF Emerging Nations Championship held in Bulgaria under the aegis of International Handball Federation from 11 to 16 March 2025.^[1]

Great Britain defeated Bulgaria in the final to capture their first title.^[2]

[1]

[2]

Country	Previous appearances
Azerbaijan	3 (2017, 2019, 2023)
Bulgaria	4 (2015, 2017, 2019, 2023)
Cyprus	2 (2017, 2023)
Great Britain	4 (2015, 2017, 2019, 2023)
Moldova	3 (2015, 2017, 2023)
Nigeria	2 (2019, 2023)
Paraguay	0 (debut)
United States	1 (2019)

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Bulgaria (H)	3	3	0	104	59	+45	6	Semifinals
2	Great Britain	3	2	1	92	85	+7	4	Semifinals
3	Paraguay	3	1	2	75	91	−16	2	5–8th place semifinals
4	Cyprus	3	0	3	65	101	−36	0	5–8th place semifinals

11 March 2025 18:30	Bulgaria	35–18	Paraguay	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 350 Referees: Balvan, El-Saied, Cournil
	Sv. Dimitrov 12	(19–10)	Ríos, Viana 4
	3×	Report	3×

11 March 2025 20:45	Cyprus	23–37	Great Britain	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 80 Referees: Lončar, Pagh, Ismoilov
	Karkalatos, Paraskeva 6	(15–20)	Pereira, S. Vellenoweth 7
	1× 4×	Report	2×

12 March 2025 18:00	Bulgaria	35–22	Great Britain	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 400 Referees: Lončar, Thygesen, Fabryczny
	Sv. Dimitrov 16	(21–13)	Pereira 5
	1× 4×	Report	4×

2025 IHF Emerging Nations Championship

Draw

Seeding

Preliminary round

Group A

Group B

Knockout stage

Bracket

5–8th place semifinals

Semifinals

Seventh place game

Fifth place game

Third place game

Final

Final ranking

Statistics

Top goalscorers

Top goalkeepers

All-Star Team

References

External links

Related Articles

12 March 2025 20:15	Paraguay	30–23	Cyprus	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 20 Referees: Lončar, Pagh, Ismoilov
	Rojas 8	(14–12)	Tartios 6
	3× 1×	Report	4× 1×

13 March 2025 18:00	Cyprus	19–34	Bulgaria	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 400 Referees: Prastalo, Rawicki, Ismoilov
	Melissas, Tartios 5	(10–18)	Sv. Dimitrov 10
	2× 1×	Report	3×

13 March 2025 20:15	Great Britain	33–27	Paraguay	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 50 Referees: El-Saied, Lamour, Fabryczny
	Pereira 11	(17–14)	Martínez 8
	1× 2×	Report	3×

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	United States	3	2	1	0	118	79	+39	5^[a]	Semifinals
2	Nigeria	3	2	1	0	85	70	+15	5^[a]	Semifinals
3	Moldova	3	1	0	2	81	88	−7	2	5–8th place semifinals
4	Azerbaijan	3	0	0	3	60	107	−47	0	5–8th place semifinals

11 March 2025 13:30	Azerbaijan	21–33	Moldova	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 100 Referees: Doychinov, Fabryczny, Ismoilov
	Musayev 6	(8–14)	Ledeniov 7
	3×	Report	2×

11 March 2025 15:45	United States	31–31	Nigeria	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 50 Referees: Goretsov, Lončar, Thygesen
	Amitovic 10	(18–12)	Shagari 7
	1× 4×	Report	5×

12 March 2025 13:30	Moldova	26–42	United States	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 100 Referees: Cournil, Balvan, Rawicki
	Zacaciurin 8	(14–18)	Donlin 8
	1× 3×	Report	5×

12 March 2025 15:45	Azerbaijan	17–29	Nigeria	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 50 Referees: Prastalo, El-Saied, Lamour
	Guliyev 6	(8–9)	Shagari 7
	3×	Report	3×

13 March 2025 13:30	Nigeria	25–22	Moldova	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 60 Referees: Goretsov, Lončar, Thygesen
	Yusuf 8	(14–12)	Baltean 5
	5× 1×	Report	2×

13 March 2025 15:45	United States	45–25	Azerbaijan	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 40 Referees: Balvan, Doychinov, El-Saied
	Binderis 7	(19–11)	Mammadli, Mehdiyev 5
	1× 1×	Report	2× 9× 1×

Position	Player
Goalkeeper	Nikolay Petrov
Right wing	Gary Phillips
Right back	Francisco Pereira
Centre back	Kristian Vasilev
Left back	Sebastian Vellenoweth
Left wing	Louis Christy
Pivot	Andrew Donlin
Best defender	Andrew Donlin
Most valuable player	Svetlin Dimitrov

Semi-finals		Final

15 March

Bulgaria	30
		16 March
Nigeria	23
		Bulgaria	25
15 March
		Great Britain	29
United States	25

Great Britain	29
		Third place

		16 March

		Nigeria	28

		United States	31

15 March 2025 13:00	Paraguay	34–22	Azerbaijan	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 50 Referees: Goretsov, El-Saied, Cournil
	Rojas 8	(14–8)	Nazaraliyev 6
	1×	Report	4×

15 March 2025 15:15	Moldova	23–24	Cyprus	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 80 Referees: Doychinov, Lamour, Ismoilov
	Caraman 8	(11–11)	Karkalatos 7
	4× 1×	Report	2×

15 March 2025 17:30	Bulgaria	30–23	Nigeria	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 550 Referees: Lončar, El-Saied, Rawicki
	Sv. Dimitrov 13	(15–8)	Yusuf 8
	5×	Report	1× 6×

15 March 2025 20:15	United States	25–29	Great Britain	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 60 Referees: Prastalo, Pagh, Ismoilov
	Hansen 8	(14–13)	Pereira 8
	1× 6×	Report	1× 3×

16 March 2025 13:00	Azerbaijan	28–29	Moldova	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 20 Referees: Balvan, Pagh, Ismoilov
	Mammadli, Nazaraliyev 7	(14–20)	Ledeniov 9
	3×	Report	4×

16 March 2025 15:15	Paraguay	37–28	Cyprus	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 30 Referees: Goretsov, Lončar, El-Saied
	Rojas 8	(17–16)	Hadjipetrou 6
	4×	Report

16 March 2025 17:30	Nigeria	28–31	United States	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 100 Referees: Doychinov, Thygesen, Cournil
	Yusuf 13	(14–19)	Hansen, Stromberg 8
	1× 2×	Report	1×

16 March 2025 20:15	Bulgaria	25–29	Great Britain	Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 1,000 Referees: El-Saied, Fabryczny, Ismoilov
	Vasilev 7	(13–15)	Pereira 7
	2× 4× 1×	Report	2× 4×