Zagreb, 3 February 2025 (Hina/dpa/MIA) - Denmark beat Croatia (32-26) in the final of the 2025 IHF World Men’s Handball Championship in Oslo on Sunday to win the fourth consecutive title.

Croatia become the vice-champion and grabbed its second silver in world championships. It thus secured its sixth medal in World Championship history and its first in 12 years, since winning bronze in Spain.

Record six-time champions France finished third by edging surprise team Portugal, who had ousted former champions and Olympic silver medallists Germany in the quarter-finals, 35-34.

The 2003 champions Croatia tried an aggressive approach which rattled the Danes early on but the rough play, which saw tempers flare on several occasions, also led to a red card for Marko Mamic.

Denmark led 16-12 at the half and the game was effectively over as a contest when Denmark raised the lead to seven goals, as the tiring Croats found no way back into the game and the Danes lifted the trophy as in 2019, 2021 and 2023.

This was Croatia's fifth time reaching the final, having previously won one gold (in 2003 in Portugal) and three silver medals (in Iceland 1995, Tunisia 2005, and Croatia 2009).

Croatian Tourism and Sports Minister Tonči Glavina said Friday that Croatia would stage a victorious home-coming parade for the men's national handball team in Zagreb on Monday afternoon, calling on citizens to join in large numbers.