Top young talents impress at the IHF Men’s World Championship

Francisco Costa — Portugal

At only 19 and 22 years old, respectively, brothers and Respect Your Talent alumni Francisco (Kiko) and Martim Costa have already established themselves as some of the most skilled young handball players in Europe. The younger of the pair, Francisco, is playing alongside his brother at Sporting CP in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League, and in the last two years he has also become an important asset for the national team.

The latest proof of his unparalleled talent is the historic qualification of Portugal in the quarter-finals of the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, the first time the team has made it to this stage of the competition. Part of their current success is due to Kiko’s outstanding performance, as the right back has managed to score 36 goals in the six matches played so far — a significant improvement from the 17 goals he netted in the 2023 edition. With eight goals scored in the monumental 35:29 win against Spain and one well-deserved Player of the Match award in the main round game against Chile, all eyes will be on Francisco Costa as he prepares to enter the history books with Portugal.

Dominik Kuzmanovic — Croatia

Croatia’s previous success in international competitions can be intimidating for any young player, but 22-year-old Dominik Kuzmanovic has proven that his place is among the best in the world.

Despite not having any major titles or medals under his belt, Kuzmanovic is now one of the brightest talents in Croatia’s squad, two years after his debut for the team. The young goalkeeper played his first major competition in 2023, at the IHF Men’s World Championship, where he stayed between the posts for only 98 minutes.

His improvement over the years cannot be denied, which is why Kuzmanovic has now made an appearance on the court in all six matches played so far at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship. With 60 saves in total at a 40.8 per cent save efficiency, he rightfully earned second place in the goalkeeper standings after the main round, just below Denmark’s Emil Nielsen. His best performance was in the match against Iceland, when Kuzmanovic stopped 17 shots to secure Croatia’s 32:26 win.

But the brilliant goalkeeper does not stop here, as he is heading into the quarter-finals ready to show off his skills in the fight for the trophy.

Petar Cikusa i Jelicic — Spain

19-year-old Petar Cikusa i Jelicic has repeatedly made the headlines in the past two years, as the young player added a few notable results to his name: gold medals at the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship and the M20 EHF EURO 2024, the Machineseeker EHF Champions League trophy with Barça in June 2024 and bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

It was only natural that the right back would make an appearance on the court for Spain at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, where both he and his twin brother Djordje scored a few crucial goals for the team. Petar missed the first match in the preliminary round, against Chile, but he quickly made up for lost time and netted 11 goals in the following five games. The skilful Spanish player stood out in the decisive 39:20 victory over Japan, when he scored six times and received the Player of the Match award.

His journey with Spain at the World Championship disappointingly stopped after the main round, but Petar Cikusa i Jelicic still has more to prove on the court.

Diogo Rêma Marques — Portugal

Alongside Francisco and Martim Costa, Diogo Rêma Marques is among the Portuguese players at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship who have been part of the ‘Respect Your Talent’ programme.

After stealing the spotlight at the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 and making it among the top goalkeepers of the competition, 20-year-old Rêma Marques is once again the centre of attention following an impressive performance at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship. The Portuguese goalkeeper has blocked 31 shots in total in the six games he has played so far, with an outstanding performance in the pivotal win against Spain. Rêma Marques was named Player of the Match with 12 saves to his name, a record that secured Portugal a memorable quarter-final berth.

Thomas Arnoldsen — Denmark

Undoubtedly, Denmark have one of the most impressive rosters at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, as the team has been counting on a star-studded squad over the years to clinch some of the biggest international trophies. It is hard to stand out in a roster with big names such as Mathias Gidsel and Simon Pytlick, but 23-year-old Thomas Arnoldsen managed to do so.

The talented centre back made his debut for the national team in 2023 and has been working on making his way to the top. His first trophy arrived in 2024, when he scored 19 goals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to help Denmark secure gold. The summer of 2024 also marked another important milestone for him, making it to the final of Europe’s premier competition with Aalborg.

Denmark hope to defend their 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship trophy and they can count on young Arnoldsen to step up when needed. In five matches played so far, the Danish star has scored 11 times, but is now looking forward to more minutes on court as the team awaits their quarter-final clash against Brazil.

David Späth — Germany

Sharing goalkeeping duties with a legendary player such as Andreas Wolff is no easy job, but David Späth has risen to the occasion.

The ‘Respect Your Talent’ alumnus made his way through the junior and youth teams to finally debut for Germany’s senior team in 2023. At only 22 years old, the bright goalkeeper has plenty of experience on the international stage, with two gold medals under his belt — at the M19 EHF EURO 2021 and the 2023 U21 World Championship — a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and third place at the EHF Finals 2024 with Rhein-Neckar Löwen.

Späth helped Germany reach the quarter-finals at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship with 41 saves and is aiming for another medal with the team. The young player stole the spotlight with a stellar performance against Czechia, when he reached a 47 per cent save efficiency with 14 blocked shots to clinch the win for Germany (29:22) and receive the Player of the Match award.

With the quarter-final match against Portugal as the next challenge for Späth, it remains to be seen how far he and Germany can go in the competition.

Bence Imre — Hungary

The past year has been an incredible one for Bence Imre, as the Hungarian player participated at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, transferred to THW Kiel and is now taking part in the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, heading into the quarter-finals.

The 22-year-old is used to the pressure due to being part of a successful sporting family. His experience at the junior and youth levels has also helped Imre make his way to the top, as he won silver at the 2023 U21 World Championship with Hungary.

In the summer, the right wing scored 26 goals in four games at the Olympics and has continued to perform at a high level, netting 24 goals for Hungary in the battle for the world title.

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