Veszprem end Barcelona’s 65-match unbeaten run to win world club title

Veszprem defeated Barcelona 42-33 in the final of the Club World Championship in Egypt on Thursday, ending the Catalan side’s unbeaten run of more than a year.

The result was Barcelona’s first defeat under coach Carlos Ortega since they lost 22-21 to German side Magdeburg in the EHF Champions League on 18 September 2025. It also brought an end to a sequence of 65 consecutive victories.

Barcelona produced an unusually poor performance at both ends of the court. They struggled to contain Veszprem defensively and were wasteful when chances came their way in attack, leaving them six goals behind at half-time at 22-16.

Veszprem, coached by former Barcelona manager Xavi Pascual, controlled the match across all areas and never allowed their opponents to recover. Their victory saw them take the world title away from Barcelona and secure their second triumph in the competition, following their first success in 2024.

Goalkeeper Nielsen was central to Veszprem’s success. He made 12 saves, recording a success rate of 29%, and was named player of the match in the final.

The Danish goalkeeper had been the outstanding figure in the 2025 final while still playing for Barcelona. On that occasion, he made 27 saves at a success rate of 49% as the Catalan club beat Veszprem 31-30 after a match that required two gruelling periods of extra time.

A year later, Nielsen, regarded as one of the world’s leading goalkeepers, played a key role in helping Veszprem reclaim the trophy in Egypt.

Virtually everything went in Veszprem’s favour, while Barcelona were unable to find solutions in either attack or defence. The 42-33 scoreline represented Barcelona’s heaviest defeat since Ortega became head coach in 2021, when he succeeded Pascual.

The loss ended a remarkable run for Ortega’s team, but Veszprem’s performance ensured the final was decided by a clear margin rather than another tightly contested meeting between the two sides.