The rematch second leg is scheduled for Saturday at the Kalev sports hall in Tallinn, when Estonia will have to try to make up for the 25-point deficit.

Estonia's men's handball team started their World Championship qualification strongly by beating Latvia 58-51 and then Ukraine 73-62 (aggregate scores).

At stake with the two legs against Iceland is a place in the finals.

The last encounter with Iceland, during the previous European Championship qualifiers in October 2022 and April last year, resulted Estonia losing 37:25 and 30:23 respectively.

Iceland is a formidable team with a history of strong performances in major tournaments. They won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a bronze at the 2010 European Championships.

The team's roster includes stars such as Omar Ingi Magnusson and Viggo Kristjansson, who are among the top scorers in the German handball Bundesliga.

Estonian team captain Karl Roosna said pre-match that the encounter was: "oing to be exciting. In some ways, this is a reality check for our young team. Until now, we've faced a rejuvenated Latvia and a troubled Ukraine. Now, we're up against the absolute world elite, both individually and as a team."

Estonia was also battling the long-ish journey to Iceland and the accompanying jet-lag.

The hosts dominated the first half, leading 26:12, and continued their formidable performance in the second half, ending with much the same points difference in winning 50:25.

Dener Jaanimaa was Estonia's top scorer with seven goals, followed by Karl Toom with five and Hendrik Koks with four.

Iceland's leading scorer was Omar Ingi Magnusson with 13, and Gisli Thorgeir Kristjansson with nine.

The second leg takes place in Tallinn at 6 p.m. this Saturday.

The IHF World Men's Handball Championships finals take place next year.

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