In January 2027, the entire handball world will be watching closely as Germany hosts the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship. From 13 to 31 January, the world's top handball nations will compete for the title of world champions. But who are the favorites? Who are the star players? And which coaches will be leading the top nations? Here is an overview. Today’s focus: Croatia.
Cindric and Martinovic – the heirs to Duvnjak
Croatian handball stands for pure fighting spirit, passion and emotion. In the Balkans, handball is not just played – it is lived. No one embodied this mentality more than Domagoj Duvnjak of THW Kiel. The playmaker is a legend in his home country, with 796 goals in 272 international matches – records for both appearances and goals for Croatia.
Following the 2025 World Championship, Duvnjak retired from international handball. His legacy is now carried forward by two players:
Luka Cindric has taken over as Croatia’s primary playmaker. The 33-year-old had already played a key role before Duvnjak’s retirement, but is now the undisputed leader in attack. His greatest strength is his experience, having played for numerous top clubs across Europe:
- 2012 – Jan 2014: HRK Karlovac (CRO)
- Jan 2014 – 2015: RK Metalurg Skopje (MKD)
- 2015 – 2018: RK Vardar Skopje (MKD)
- 2018 – 2019: Industria Kielce (POL)
- 2019 – 2023: FC Barcelona (ESP)
- 2023 – 2024: CS Dinamo București (ROU)
During this time, Cindric won the EHF Champions League three times. Since 2024, he has been playing for Hungarian powerhouse One Veszprém HC.
Joining him in Hungary since summer 2025 is Ivan Martinovic. The 28-year-old was born in Vienna but chose to represent Croatia internationally. He progressed through all youth levels and won silver with the U21 national team at the 2019 World Championship, where he was also named MVP. In recent years, the right back has become a key figure in the senior team. Following Duvnjak’s retirement, Martinovic was appointed team captain.
A new leader brings fresh energy
The nationality of Croatia’s head coach marks a new chapter in the country’s handball history: Dagur Sigurdsson is the first national team coach since Croatia’s independence in 1991 who was not born in the Balkan region. The 52-year-old Icelander took over the team after the EHF EURO 2024 – his fourth role as a national team coach.
Sigurdsson began his career as a player in Iceland with Valur Reykjavík before moving abroad. His playing career included stints at LTV Wuppertal in Germany, Wakunaga Hiroshima in Japan and A1 Bregenz in Austria. He also earned 215 caps for Iceland.
Early on, Sigurdsson transitioned into coaching, even serving as player-coach in Japan and Austria. From 2008 to 2010, he coached the Austrian national team while also joining Füchse Berlin, where he worked from 2009 to 2014.
From 2014 to 2017, he combined roles as head coach of both the German national team and Füchse Berlin. His greatest achievement came in 2016, when he led Germany to the European Championship title. He then coached Japan’s national team until 2024.
Now, Sigurdsson returns to Germany – the country of his greatest success – aiming to achieve major titles with Croatia, ideally the World Championship crown in 2027.
A new successful era has begun
Croatia’s handball history is closely linked to the country’s independence in the early 1990s. The Croatian Handball Federation was founded in 1990, and the national team made its debut at a major tournament at the EHF EURO 1994, winning bronze. Just one year later, Croatia claimed silver at the World Championship, followed by Olympic gold in 1996.
After a quieter period, success returned in the early 2000s: gold at the 2003 World Championship, gold at the 2004 Olympic Games and silver at the 2005 World Championship. Led by World Player of the Year Ivano Balić, Croatia was one of the dominant forces in world handball.
Another strong era followed between 2008 and 2013, when Croatia consistently competed for medals:
- EHF EURO 2008: Silver
- Olympic Games 2008: 4th place
- World Championship 2009: Silver
- EHF EURO 2010: Silver
- World Championship 2011: 5th place
- EHF EURO 2012: Bronze
- Olympic Games 2012: Bronze
- World Championship 2013: Bronze
After 2013, however, success became more limited, with only one additional medal – bronze at the EHF EURO 2016.
Now, a new era may already be underway. Since Sigurdsson took charge in February 2024, Croatia has returned to competing for medals. The team finished as runner-up at the IHF Men’s World Championship 2025, losing only to a dominant Danish side. They followed this with a bronze medal at the EHF EURO 2026, defeating Iceland in the third-place match.
One thing is clear: Croatia is back among the world’s elite.
Croatia aiming to continue its medal run
Croatia has already taken the first step toward another podium finish. Their third-place result at the EHF EURO 2026 secured qualification for the IHF Men’s World Championship 2027 in Germany.
The team will learn its preliminary round opponents at the draw on 10 June 2026 at the Hofbräuhaus in Munich.
What is already confirmed is the venue: Croatia will play its preliminary round matches at the SAP Garden in Munich as the top-seeded team in Group C. If they progress, the team would travel to Cologne for the main round.