Toni Gerona after WCh 2027 draw: “Japan must be at our highest level”

Posted on 11. June 2026.

Japan will have to get past Iceland, Bahrain and North Macedonia if they are to reach the main round of the 2027 World Championship. It will be a demanding task for the team led by Spanish coach Toni Gerona, who guided Japan to fourth place at the previous Asian Championship, finishing ahead of sides such as South Korea and Saudi Arabia.

Japan finished 28th at the 2025 World Championship, ending their campaign in the President’s Cup, where they defeated only Bahrain and Cuba. As fate would have it, they will meet Bahrain again, the team that beat them 35:25 in the semi-finals of the Asian Championship.

“I believe the draw has produced several groups in which the teams expected to progress to the main round are fairly clear, while others, such as Group D and our own group, look extremely balanced. We expect a very demanding battle for the three places that lead into the second phase of the competition.

“When it comes to the race for the quarter-finals, I am sure we all already have certain national teams in mind for those positions. At the same time, I hope other teams will emerge with real chances, because I believe this draw gives several nations the right to dream about that goal,” Gerona told Balkan-Handball.com, before adding:

“For us, facing the current Asian champions and two European teams of the quality of Iceland and North Macedonia represents a major challenge. We know we will have to perform at our highest level if we want to win any of those matches.

“Still, the development of the team has been more than encouraging, and I hope we will be able to count on the right players, without injuries or other factors that could affect the quality of the group.

“Playing at a World Championship is always a special experience. After the disappointing results we had in 2025, everyone in the team is highly motivated to improve both our image and our level of performance in this competition,” concluded the former head coach of Serbia and Tunisia, who in the previous period could not count on several Europe-based players who would have made a difference.

Japan were without Kosuke Yasuhira of GRK Ohrid and pivot Shuichi Yoshida, the new signing of GRK Ohrid, while Yuga Enomoto, Vojvodina’s right back this season, was also missing through injury in the final stages of the Asian Championship.

If they arrive at full strength, Japan could be far more competitive.

“Of course, the team would become much more competitive, because those players are used to strong matches. In Japan, you maybe play eight to ten serious games during a season,” Gerona made clear.