Tournament Preview: Cadet MNT Heads to Morocco for Inaugural IHF U17 World Championship

MOROCCO | OCTOBER 24 - NOVEMBER 2

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The 2025 IHF U17 Men's World Championship starts today, Oct. 24, and the United States Cadet Men’s National Team’s journey at the inaugural tournament for the age level begins against the hosts Morocco, followed by matchups against Egypt (Oct. 26) and Brazil (Oct. 28). A smaller tournament - by number of teams - will see 12 teams compete in Casablanca, Morocco.


"We are very excited to see what this group can accomplish," said Head Coach Martin Bilello. "We have been identifying, recruiting and developing this group for a couple of years now and are thrilled to see them in action at the first ever U17 World Championship."


Three players from the recent IHF U19 World Championship campaign - Jorge Gomez de Santiago, Alexander Kraft, Wolf Simianer - were selected to the Morocco-bound squad. Gomez de Santiago scored 23 goals over the course of that tournament while Kraft added 2 goals on the offensive end. Simianer, a goalkeeper, was solid between the posts with 49 saves.

"For most of the players this is their very first time representing Team USA, but they have been playing together in our system for a couple of seasons and so we are confident they will show that chemistry from the first game," Bilello added.


Bay area-based club San Francisco CalHeat will see five athletes represented on the roster in Jackson Blackwell, Jacob Effertz, Luke Effertz, Kaden Moisei, and Alejandro Morales.


Several new rules and systems will be put into place for the first edition of the tournament. Regarding qualification into the knockout stages, group winners and the top-ranked second place finisher will advance to the semifinals. While the standard 30-minute halves will be played, a resin-free, size 2 ball will be used with three referees on the floor during the match. Additionally, field players can only be replaced when their team has possession of the ball and 7-on-6 will not be allowed.


"We have a rare chance to try and secure a good spot for our continent in the qualification for future tournaments and we will do our best to do so."


All tournament matches will be streamed on the International Handball Federation (IHF) YouTube Channel.

We have been identifying, recruiting and developing this group for a couple of years now and are thrilled to see them in action at the first ever U17 World Championship.
Martin BilelloHead Coach

Schedule - Group A 

  • USA vs Morocco

    October 24 | 3:45pm ET

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  • USA vs Egypt

    October 26 | 1:00pm ET

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  • USA vs Brazil

    October 28 | 1:00pm ET

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