Norway are, undoubtedtly, the powerhouse in women’s handball, dominating the last 25 years at senior level, winning countless titles at the IHF Women’s World Championship, the Women’s EHF EURO and at the Olympic Games.

Generations have passed and gone, but Norway have remained strong, regardless of the retirement of all-time greats such as Karoline Dyhre Breivang, Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth Koren, Katrine Lunde, Tonje Larsen, Stine Bredal Oftedal or Camilla Herrem.

However, the pipeline of talent for Norway has constantly been producing fantastic talent, such as current stars like Henny Reistad, the recipient of the IHF Female World Player of the Year award in the previous three years.

It makes sense, however, Norway’s younger age category teams are focusing on honing the skills of young players, rather than accumulate medals and podiums. But at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, Norway have, once again, been one of the powerhouses.

Since 2003, Norway missed the competition only once, in 2008. They won two titles (2010 and 2022), two silver medals (2005 and 2018) and one bronze, in 2003. They never finished lower than the 10th place, in 2024, and now, at China 2026, they made a huge step forward after finishing as low as the 14th place at the W19 EHF EURO 2025.

 

“We have worked really hard on this. In the past championships we haven't succeeded the way we want to, so we are just happy to be in the quarter-finals,” said Norway’s Ada Aalstad after the Scandinavian side secured a place in the quarter-finals at the 2026 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship.

However, this performance was far from easy. In the preliminary round, the draw was not kind to Norway and they ended up in Group H, alongside two European teams – the Faroe Islands and Croatia – plus the Asian champions, Japan.

After a 27:21 win against Croatia, Norway lost against Japan, 24:26, finding themselves in a conundrum, and in a must-win situation against the Faroe Islands. They navigated that match expertly, winning 27:22, but started the main round on zero points, with must-win matches against Poland and Hungary following.

First, they ditched Poland, 29:23, before another do-or-die match, their third in a row, against a powerhouse like Hungary, which were established as one of the benchmarks at this age category over the last decade.

With Aalstad absolutely shining on the court, scoring five goals in the first 12 minutes, and finishing the match with 12 goals, Norway secured a 30:27 win in the topsy-turvy affair, to book their place in the quarter-finals and secure their eighth consecutive top-10 finish.

“This generation has never been in the top-8 of any major international competition and I really don’t know how I feel about that. It is just amazing,” says Aalstad. Indeed, they were 10th at the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship and 10th at the W17 EHF EURO 2023.

 

“Amazing, I really don’t know what else to say,” adds Aalstad, at a loss for words.

She was part of both Norway sides which played at the W17 EHF EURO 2023 and the W19 EHF EURO 2025, but not between the 16 players in the roster for China 2024. Yet now, she is Norway’s top scorer in the competition.

12 of Alstad’s 30 goals – which helped her break in the best 10 scorers at the 2026 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship – came against Hungary, which saw her take responsibility in crucial moments.

Aalstad was also Norway’s top scorer against Japan, with eight goals, having a penchant for providing good performances in high-profile matches. And her talent also helped her breakthrough for Storhamar Handball Elite, Norway’s champions in the past two seasons.

Since Aalstad was 16 years old, she started training with the first squad at Storhamar, with coach Kenneth Gabrielsen providing rave reviews for the young left back. Work ethic, passion for handball and a focus on improving daily were cited as key attributes for Aalstad.

In the current season, she scored 13 goals in the Norwegian league and also made her debut in the EHF Champions League Women, scoring one goal for Storhamar, with her development carefully managed.

“I was really just shocked because training with the first squad came so unexpectedly. I hadn't imagined it, but I know that Storhamar is a club that is good at scouting and giving young players the opportunity – so I thought it was really cool. I was actually mostly surprised,” said Aalstad in an interview with ToppHandball in 2023.

 

Citing Stine Oftedal and Nora Mørk as the players she watched as she was young, Aalstad is now aiming to go even higher at China 2026, where parents and some Norway fans have come to support the team. The rowing celebration, made famous by the football team at the FIFA World Cup this year, was on the menu each time after a win.

“It's very funny and I think that's a part of why we win and enjoy the game so much, because we have them here and it helps, we can hear them all the time,” says Aalstad.

Next, another clash against Germany, the reigning European champions, awaits. And it will be another do-or-die match for Norway, their fourth in a row. They won the previous three, so can they spring a surprise now?

“We’re definitely going to try,” says Aalstad.