Barcelona’s unbeaten run ends as Veszprem claim second world title

Barcelona suffered their first defeat in more than a year as Veszprem won the World Club Championship final 42-33 in Egypt on Thursday.

The Hungarian side controlled the contest from the outset and led 22-16 at half-time, taking advantage of an unusually poor performance from Barcelona at both ends of the court.

Carlos Ortega’s team struggled to contain Veszprem defensively and wasted too many opportunities in attack. Their opponents, managed by former Barcelona coach Xavi Pascual, produced a commanding display across every area of the game to take the title away from the Catalan club.

The result ended Barcelona’s run of 65 consecutive victories. Their previous defeat had come against German side Magdeburg, who won 22-21 in the Champions League on 18 September 2025.

It was also the biggest loss Barcelona have suffered since Ortega took charge in 2021, replacing Pascual. Veszprem’s authority throughout the final left the Spanish club unable to find a response, with almost every key aspect of the match going in the Hungarian side’s favour.

Veszprem secured their second World Club Championship crown, having previously won the competition in 2024.

Their goalkeeper Nielsen was central to the victory. The Denmark international made 12 saves, a success rate of 29%, and was named player of the match after helping Veszprem restrict Barcelona’s attack and maintain their advantage.

The award carried added significance because Nielsen had been Barcelona’s goalkeeper when the teams met in the 2025 final. On that occasion, he made 27 saves at a success rate of 49% and played a decisive role as Barcelona defeated Veszprem 31-30 after two periods of extra time.

A year later, Nielsen was on the other side of the result. The Danish goalkeeper, regarded as one of the world’s leading players in his position, had become an important part of Veszprem’s team and helped them regain the trophy in Egypt.

For Barcelona, the defeat brought an abrupt end to a remarkable sequence under Ortega. After more than a year without losing, they were unable to reproduce their usual level in the final, while Veszprem turned their superiority into a convincing nine-goal victory.