A total of 23 of the 32 World Championship participants rely on quality "Made in Germany" - led by the team of the German Handball Association. 17 of the 18 players nominated by national team coach Alfred Gislason come from clubs in the LIQUI MOLY HBL, only goalkeeper Andreas Wolff plays for the top Polish club Lomza Kielce.

Germany is followed by a Scandinavian quartet: With twelve players from the LIQUI MOLY HBL, the defending World champions Denmark are in second place, while the European champions Sweden rely on nine players from German clubs. Iceland - opponents of the German team in the final World Championship test matches on 7./8. January in Bremen and Hanover - and Norway have eight HBL players in their World Cup squads. Netherlands count on five players from Germany’s 1st league and three from the 2. HBL, Croatia has seven HBL players in the provisional squad list, Slovenia and Montenegro five each, World Championship host Poland four and the current European runners-up Spain have three players from the HBL in their rosters.

Among the top nations, the HBL is only not represented in the French squad. For Serbia, the World Championship appearance of currently injured Berlin goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev is still in question.

Here is the overview of the World Championship squad as of 27 December:

Egypt (1): Mohamed El-Tayar (SC DHfK Leipzig)

Belgium (1): Nick Braun (HSG Krefeld)

Brazil (2): Guilherme de Souza (HBW Balingen-Weilstetten), Rogerio Moraes (MT Melsungen)

Chile (1): Simon Ignacio Aguilera (Schwarz-Rot Aachen)

Denmark (12): Niklas Landin, Magnus Landin (both THW Kiel), Lasse Møller, Kevin Møller, Emil Jakobsen, Johan Hansen, Mads Mensah Larsen. Simon Hald (all SG Flensburg-Handewitt), Hans Lindberg, Jakob Holm, Mattias Gidsel (all Füchse Berlin), Magnus Saugstrup (SC Magdeburg)

Germany (17): Joel Birlehm (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Lukas Mertens (SC Magdeburg), Rune Dahmke (THW Kiel), Paul Drux (Füchse Berlin), Philipp Weber (SC Magdeburg), Julian Köster (VfL Gummersbach), Juri Knorr (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Luca Witzke (SC DHfK Leipzig), Simon Ernst (SC DHfK Leipzig), Kai Häfner (MT Melsungen), Djibril M'Bengue (Bergischer HC), Christoph Steinert (HC Erlangen), Patrick Groetzki (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Lukas Zerbe (TBV Lemgo Lippe), Johannes Golla (SG Flensburg-Handewitt), Jannik Kohlbacher (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Tim Zechel (HC Erlangen)

Iran (1): Pouya Norouzinezhad (VfL Eintracht Hagen)

Iceland (8): Hakon Dadi Styrmisson (VfL Gummersbach), Elvar Örn Jonsson (MT Melsungen), Viggo Kristjansson (SC DHfK Leipzig), Omar Ingi Magnusson (SC Magdeburg), Ymir Örn Gislason (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Ellidi Snaer Vidarsson (VfL Gummersbach), Arnar Freyr Arnarsson (MT Melsungen), Gisli Thorgeir Kristjansson (SC Magdeburg)

Cape Verde (1): Ivo Santos (Bergischer HC II)

Croatia (7): Domagoj Duvnjak (THW Kiel), Sime Ivic, Marino Maric (both SC DHfK Leipzig), Ivan Martinovic (MT Melsungen), Luka Sebetic (GWD Minden), Josip Sarac, Marin Sego (both Frisch Auf Göppingen)

Montenegro (5): Radojica Cepic (HSG Wetzlar), Vasilje Kaludjerovic (1. VfL Potsdam), Nebojsa Simic (MT Melsungen), Milos Vujovic (Füchse Berlin), Branko Vujovic (TSV Hannover-Burgdorf)

Netherlands (8): Dani Baijens (HSV Hamburg), Tom Jansen (VfL Gummersbach), Bobby Schagen (TBV Lemgo Lippe), Kay Smits (SC Magdeburg), Niels Versteijnen (TBV Lemgo Lippe). Bart Ravensbergen (HSG Nordhorn-Lingen), Ivar Stavast (HC Elbflorenz), Rutger ten Velde (TuS N-Lübbecke)

North Macedonia (1): Filip Kuzmanovski (TSV Hannover-Burgdorf)

Norway (8): Kristian Sæverås (SC DHfK Leipzig), Sander Sagosen, Harald Reinkind, Petter Överby (all THW Kiel), Göran Sögard Johannessen, Magnus Röd (both SG Flensburg-Handewitt), Christian O'Sullivan (SC Magdeburg), Kevin Gulliksen (Frisch Auf Göppingen)

Poland (4): Bartlomiej Bis (HSC Coburg), Piotr Chrapkowski (SC Magdeburg), Maciej Gebala (SC DHfK Leipzig), Adam Morawski (MT Melsungen)

Portugal (1): Andre Gomes (MT Melsungen)

Serbia (3): Dejan Milosavljev, Mijailo Marsenic (both Füchse Berlin), Jovica Nikolic (HSG Wetzlar)

Sweden (9): Albin Lagergren, Mikael Appelgren, Olle Forsell Schevfert (all Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Jim Gottfridsson (SG Flensburg-Handewitt), Niclas Ekberg, Eric Johansson (all THW Kiel), Max Darj (Füchse Berlin), Oscar Bergendahl (TVB Stuttgart), Daniel Pettersson (SC Magdeburg)

Slovenia (5): Blaz Blagotinsek (FRISCH AUF! Göppingen), Klemen Ferlin (HC Erlangen), Kristjan Horzen (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Tilen Kodrin (VfL Gummersbach), Domen Novak (HSG Wetzlar)

Spain (3): Agustin Casado (MT Melsungen), Gedeon Guardiola (TBV Lemgo Lippe), Daniel Fernandez (TVB Stuttgart)

Hungary (1): Egon Hanusz (TVB Stuttgart)

Tunisia (1): Mohamed Amine Darmoul (GWD Minden)

USA (6): Gerry Hines (SG Langenfeld), Samuel Hoddersen (HSG Rodgau Nieder-Roden), Ian Hueter, Patrick Hueter (both TSV Bayer Dormagen), Rene Ingram (TGT Landshut), Paul Skorupa (HSG Krefeld)

Photo: Klahn