The train derails: Barcelona lose the handball World Championship gold with a painful defeat

Barcelona lost the final of the Club World Championship, held in Egypt, 33-42 to Hungary's Veszprem on Thursday evening.

Mundo Deportivo reported that Veszprem had handed the Catalans their first defeat in more than a year.

Rarely do Barcelona look like this. They were fragile in defence and wasteful in attack, trailing 16-22 at the break.

Carlos Ortega's side had gone 65 games unbeaten, a run stretching back more than a year to their 21-22 loss to Germany's Magdeburg in the EHF Champions League on 18 September 2025.

Xavi Pascual's Veszprem produced a big performance and outclassed Barcelona in every department. They snatched the world champion title from the Catalans to claim their second crown in the tournament after winning it in 2024.

Goalkeeper Nielsen shone with 12 saves at a success rate of 29%, earning the award for best player in the final.

Nielsen knows the fixture well. Still a Barcelona goalkeeper back then, he was the standout star of the 2025 final, making 27 saves at a 49% success rate to lead the Catalans past Veszprem in a match settled only after two gruelling periods of extra time by a 31-30 scoreline.

A year on, the Dane rated among the best in the world turned into one of Veszprem's key pillars as they reclaimed the title in Egypt. Everything went Veszprem's way. Barcelona succeeded in almost nothing, and that lethal mix handed the Catalans their heaviest defeat since Ortega took charge in 2021, succeeding Xavi Pascual.