# 1981 Men's Junior World Handball Championship

The 1981 Men's Junior World Handball Championship was the third edition of the IHF Men's Junior World Championship, held in Portugal from 4 to 13 December 1981.

## Preliminary round
### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Yugoslavia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 51 | +27 | 6 | 1st–8th place classification |
| 2 | East Germany | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 81 | 72 | +9 | 4 | 1st–8th place classification |
| 3 | Switzerland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 72 | 65 | +7 | 2 | 9–16th place classification |
| 4 | Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 58 | 101 | −43 | 0 | 9–16th place classification |
| 1981 | Yugoslavia | 23–16 | Switzerland |
| 1981 | East Germany | 38–24 | Japan |
| 1981 | Yugoslavia | 30–16 | Japan |
| 1981 | East Germany | 24–23 | Switzerland |
| 1981 | Yugoslavia | 25–19 | East Germany |
| 1981 | Switzerland | 33–18 | Japan |

### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Czechoslovakia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 79 | 60 | +19 | 4 | 1st–8th place classification |
| 2 | Denmark | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66 | 52 | +14 | 4 | 1st–8th place classification |
| 3 | Spain | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 70 | 66 | +4 | 4 | 9–16th place classification |
| 4 | Nigeria | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 97 | −37 | 0 | 9–16th place classification |
| 1981 | Czechoslovakia | 35–25 | Nigeria |
| 1981 | Spain | 20–19 | Denmark |
| 1981 | Denmark | 29–17 | Nigeria |
| 1981 | Czechoslovakia | 29–17 | Spain |
| 1981 | Denmark | 18–15 | Czechoslovakia |
| 1981 | Spain | 33–18 | Nigeria |

### Group C

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 44 | +41 | 6 | 1st–8th place classification |
| 2 | Iceland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 65 | −4 | 4 | 1st–8th place classification |
| 3 | Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 2 | 9–16th place classification |
| 4 | Portugal (H) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 51 | 91 | −40 | 0 | 9–16th place classification |
| 1981 | Netherlands | 20–15 | Portugal |
| 1981 | Soviet Union | 23–12 | Iceland |
| 1981 | Soviet Union | 22–21 | Netherlands |
| 1981 | Iceland | 31–25 | Portugal |
| 1981 | Soviet Union | 40–11 | Portugal |
| 1981 | Iceland | 18–17 | Netherlands |

### Group D

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sweden | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 44 | +6 | 4 | 1st–8th place classification |
| 2 | France | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 51 | −1 | 3 | 1st–8th place classification |
| 3 | West Germany | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 39 | 42 | −3 | 3 | 9–16th place classification |
| 4 | Italy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 51 | 53 | −2 | 2 | 9–16th place classification |
| 1981 | Sweden | 15–10 | West Germany |
| 1981 | Italy | 21–19 | France |
| 1981 | Sweden | 20–18 | Italy |
| 1981 | France | 15–15 | West Germany |
| 1981 | West Germany | 14–12 | Italy |
| 1981 | France | 16–15 | Sweden |

## Main round

All points and goals against the team from the same preliminary round were carried over.

### 9–16th place classification
#### Group III

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Spain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 57 | +19 | 5 | Ninth place game |
| 2 | Switzerland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 73 | +14 | 4 | Eleventh place game |
| 3 | Nigeria | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 70 | 87 | −17 | 2 | 13th place game |
| 4 | Japan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 57 | 73 | −16 | 1 | 15th place game |
| 1981 | Switzerland | 32–29 | Nigeria |
| 1981 | Spain | 17–17 | Japan |
| 1981 | Spain | 26–22 | Switzerland |
| 1981 | Nigeria | 23–22 | Japan |

#### Group IV

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | West Germany | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 52 | +10 | 6 | Ninth place game |
| 2 | Italy | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 56 | +5 | 4 | Eleventh place game |
| 3 | Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 57 | 55 | +2 | 2 | 13th place game |
| 4 | Portugal (H) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 77 | −17 | 0 | 15th place game |
| 1981 | Italy | 21–19 | Netherlands |
| 1981 | West Germany | 29–22 | Portugal |
| 1981 | West Germany | 19–18 | Netherlands |
| 1981 | Italy | 28–23 | Portugal |

### 1st–8th place classification
#### Group I

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Yugoslavia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 53 | +7 | 5 | Final |
| 2 | Czechoslovakia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 54 | 56 | −2 | 3 | Third place game |
| 3 | East Germany | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 66 | −2 | 2 | Fifth place game |
| 4 | Denmark | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 57 | −3 | 2 | Seventh place game |
| 1981 | Yugoslavia | 19–18 | Denmark |
| 1981 | Czechoslovakia | 23–22 | East Germany |
| 1981 | Yugoslavia | 16–16 | Czechoslovakia |
| 1981 | East Germany | 23–18 | Denmark |

#### Group II

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 49 | +35 | 6 | Final |
| 2 | Sweden | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 60 | 64 | −4 | 2 | Third place game |
| 3 | Iceland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 63 | 68 | −5 | 2 | Fifth place game |
| 4 | France | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 53 | 79 | −26 | 2 | Seventh place game |
| 1981 | Soviet Union | 35–16 | France |
| 1981 | Sweden | 24–22 | Iceland |
| 1981 | Soviet Union | 26–21 | Sweden |
| 1981 | Iceland | 29–21 | France |

## Placement games
### 15th place game

| 1981 | Portugal | 37–34 (ET) | Japan |

### 13th place game

| 1981 | Netherlands | 32–24 | Nigeria |

### Eleventh place game

| 1981 | Switzerland | 29–22 | Italy |

### Ninth place game

| 1981 | West Germany | 20–15 | Spain |

### Seventh place game

| 1981 | Denmark | 21–20 | France |

### Fifth place game

| 1981 | East Germany | 23–18 | Iceland |

### Third place game

| 1981 | Czechoslovakia | 32–26 | Sweden |

### Final

| 1981 | Yugoslavia | 28–21 | Soviet Union |

## Final ranking

| Rank | Team |
| | Yugoslavia |
| | Soviet Union |
| | Czechoslovakia |
| 4 | Sweden |
| 5 | East Germany |
| 6 | Iceland |
| 7 | Denmark |
| 8 | France |
| 9 | West Germany |
| 10 | Spain |
| 11 | Switzerland |
| 12 | Italy |
| 13 | Netherlands |
| 14 | Nigeria |
| 15 | Portugal |
| 16 | Japan |