With Brazil and Norway both on six points each at the top of main round, Group IV, the odds are stacked heavily in their favour of progressing into the last eight, quarter-finals, ahead of the chasing Angola (4) and Sweden (2).

Matchday two in the group is looking to provide some clear answers once the trio of games are completed on Friday (5 December) night, with both Czechia and the Republic of Korea playing for a ranking spot.

In Group I, Denmark and Hungary look to book their quarter-finals places before their final showdown on Sunday, with wins over Switzerland and Japan.

Main Round, Group I
15:30 CET Romania vs Senegal

Romania come into this match hoping to redeem themselves after their opening main round loss to Hungary (29:34), a result that has all but pushed their quarter-final hopes out of reach. With only two points carried over from the group phase, Ovidiu Mihăilă’s team knew they needed a strong performance against Hungary. They held their ground for long stretches but were undone by a series of careless mistakes at key moments — errors they cannot afford to repeat.

Their attack continues to rely heavily on Sorina Grozav, who already has 31 goals, being the second best scorer of the competition, followed by line player Lorena Ostase with 22. A positive sign for Romania is that, alongside Yuliya Dumanska, goalkeeper Bianca Curmenț delivered a strong performance, giving the team additional support they will surely need against Senegal.

Senegal enter the match with one win so far — a crucial victory against Iran that secured their main round berth. Their first outing in this phase brought a heavy 26:40 loss to Denmark, but the final score hides some bright spots. Senegal matched Denmark for a long period, playing with energy and resilience, before inexperience and limited rotation caught up with them in the second half.

With two previous World Championship appearances, both ending in 18th place, Senegal will try to surprise a European side and aim for a better ranking. Their hopes rest on standout players Gnonsiane Niombla and Raisa Dapina, who have been leading the way for the African team at Germany/Netherlands 2025.

18:00 CET Japan vs Hungary

Hungary, alongside Denmark, are one of only two teams in this group sitting on six points, and another main round win would already secure their quarter-final ticket. They hold a perfect record and, despite some ups and downs, Vladimir Golovin’s team have maintained composure and delivered when it mattered most.

Their victory over Romania at the start of the main round once again showed how dangerous they can be when their rhythm clicks. Petra Simon continues to orchestrate their play with 16 assists, while Katrin Klujber and Gréta Márton, both on 21 goals, carry the scoring load. With their pace and ability to punish every opponent’s mistake, Hungary look increasingly confident as they edge closer to another knockout-stage appearance after their bronze medal at the Women’s EHF EURO 2024.

Japan eliminated Croatia in their decisive group match to reach the main round with zero points but immediately shocked the competition with a superb performance against Switzerland, taking their second consecutive World Championship win.

Japan imposed their trademark fast rhythm, backed by a shifting defence that forced Switzerland into mistakes. Just as importantly, they kept their own turnovers to a minimum, while Natsuki Aizawa once again shone as their driving force.

This will be the fifth World Championship encounter between the two nations - Hungary have won all four previous meetings.

20:30 CET Switzerland vs Denmark

Switzerland enter this match carrying clear disappointment after their loss to Japan. The young debutants had already struggled against Hungary in the group phase, falling apart in the second half as nearly 20 turnovers proved their undoing, and the same issue resurfaced against Japan. Now, an even tougher test awaits as they face Denmark.

For Switzerland to stand a chance, they must steady their attack, cut unnecessary turnovers, and avoid gifting Denmark fast-break opportunities, as the Danes will punish every mistake without hesitation. Still, Mia Emmenegger and Tabea Schmid, both playing for Danish powerhouse Team Esbjerg, will try to carry their good individual form and perhaps surprise some very familiar faces on the other side.

Denmark come in confident, holding a perfect record and knowing that a win would likely seal their quarter-final spot before the potential final showdown with Hungary. Helle Thomsen’s team boast the second-most efficient attack of the tournament, averaging 37.2 goals per game, trailing only France. Interestingly, Switzerland hold slightly better defensive numbers so far, conceding 22.5 goals per match compared to Denmark’s 24.5, but the Danish game still revolves around their blistering pace and the support provided by goalkeepers Amalie Milling and Anna Kristensen.

These two sides last met at the Women’s EHF EURO 2024, where Denmark claimed a 35:30 victory.

Main Round, Group IV
15:30 CET Angola vs Brazil

The early game will see an intriguing contest with Brazil knowing a win can secure their quarter-final spot and Angola knowing a win for them will keep them in the hunt for that precious last eight place.

The match-up brings back memories of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games when the teams faced the same head-to-head battle for a quarter-finals berth, Brazil in the ‘must-win’ situation.

In the end, the South American side ran out 30:19 (14:6) winners https://www.ihf.info/media-center/news/paris-2024-brazil-reach-quarter-finals-impressive-win-over-angola to move about their fellow Portuguese-speaking nation with Brazil’s goalkeeper Gabriela Moreschi allowing just two Angola goals in the opening 20 minutes

18:00 CET Sweden vs Republic of Korea

After their 39:26 loss against Norway on the opening day of main round, group IV, Sweden can take some comfort with the fact that they are still in with a mathematical chance of a last eight place, unlike their opponents who are now out of contention.

“We have to make sure we do our job in the matches against Korea and Angola, then we'll see if it's enough to make it to the quarter-finals. There is a bit of frustration and disappointment in the group as we haven't reached the level we want to maintain in this championship,” said Sweden’s Nathalie Hagman to handbollslandslaget.se.

“We have faced Korea a few times over the years. From experience I know that you have to be on your feet. They have good duel players and are skilled at passing the ball. If we are ready with our footwork, we have won a lot in the defensive game.”

Asian silver medallists Republic of Korea have a solitary win to their name so far at Germany/Netherlands 2025, against Kazakhstan, but will take heart from the fact that their 34:19 loss to Norway in their opening game in Trier of their preliminary group was around the same difference, combined with their best performance at the event last time out, in their loss to Brazil.

20:30 CET Czechia vs Norway 

Like Korea, Czechia have no chance of progressing through to the quarter-finals with two games remaining so will use this game to test their level against one of the best teams to have ever played the game.

Current Olympic and European champions Norway blew away Sweden in their last game and are on a hot streak of four consecutive wins at Germany/Netherlands 2025.

In their loss last time out against Angola, Czechia’s goalkeeper Sabrina Novotna suffered a lower body injury and is replaced by Michaela Mala.

“We saw that Norway is currently an extremely dominant team, which was also shown against Sweden,” said Czechia coach Tomas Hlavaty to Handball.cz. “We will try to score as many goals as possible and focus on ourselves. It is clear that we will face the best attack and defence in the world, but it is simply the fate that has determined it. We have to prepare for the match and we will not change anything. We will prepare 100 percent.”

Czechia met Norway at a German World Championship back in 2017 with the Norwegians taking a 34:16 victory in the preliminary round.