The Argentine handball team, known as "Los Gladiadores", concluded their participation in the World Cup with a 30-21 defeat to Iceland at the Arena Zagreb in Croatia. In the third round of Group IV in the Main Round, Argentina had a good start, leading 6-5 after 15 minutes of the first half. However, as the game progressed, "Los Gladiadores" experienced a dip in their performance and went into halftime trailing 15-10.
In the second half, Iceland took advantage of this situation and began to extend their lead. With solid play, the Icelanders secured victory at 30-21. This result gives Iceland the opportunity to qualify for the quarter-finals, having achieved four wins and only one loss in the Main Round.
In the tournament, Argentina had a disappointing performance. In the first stage, they only managed to defeat Bahrain while losing to Egypt and Croatia. In the Main Round, they suffered defeats against Slovenia and Iceland, achieving only one victory against Cape Verde. Unless there is a significant change in the outcome of the match between Cape Verde and Egypt, it is likely that "Los Gladiadores" will finish in fifth place in Group IV.
With this result, Argentina will not be able to surpass their best historical performance in the World Cups, which was the eleventh position in Egypt 2021. For Iceland to advance among the top eight in the world, they must hope for a series of favorable outcomes in other matches, including that of Cape Verde and Egypt, as well as Croatia and Slovenia.
