Norway and Sweden sealed a main round berth at China 2026, with wins over the Faroe Islands and India, while Algeria and Brazil secured their maiden wins and will start the President's Cup with two points.

Group A
Sweden vs India 42:13 (21:6)

Following their second win at the tournament, Sweden booked their ticket to the main round. They will enter the next stage with two points, while India, who suffered heavy defeats in all their group matches, will try to improve their results in the Presidents' Cup.

Ten minutes into the match, Sweden's 3:2 advantage looked shaky, but the Scandinavians then enjoyed an impressive 13:0 run, as India failed to score a single goal for 13 minutes. Overall, the European side enjoyed a whopping 88% shot efficiency in the opening half, which allowed them to create a 15-goal gap at the break.

Sweden's goalkeepers made just two saves before half-time, but that was mostly because India rarely got a shot away. In the second half, Tyra Börjesson had more work between the posts, and her 10 saves helped the Nordic side further extend their lead.

As many as 13 of her teammates found their names on the scoresheet, as Sweden actively rotated their squad. Caroline Kallio and Ebba Börjesson stood out with six goals each, while Player of the Match Selma Hestner Olsson converted all five of her attempts.

Player of the Match: Selma Hestner Olsson (Sweden)

Group E
Guinea vs Algeria 21:24 (14:12)

Last year, the two teams met at the group stage of the 2025 African Women’s Junior Handball Championship, and Guinea won 25:19, ultimately becoming runners-up, while Algeria finished fifth. But this time Algeria took revenge to open their account at China 2026, while Guinea are still waiting for their maiden points at the tournament.

The fight was tight from the opening minutes, and Guinea were the first to establish a two-goal lead, 6:4 in the 13th minute. Meissa Zediri's goals helped Algeria draw level at 8:8 before Guinea pulled in front 11:10, but a 4:1 run powered by Yarie Mansare saw Guinea restore their lead by the interval.

Early in the second half, Guinea led by four goals at 17:13, but Algeria refused to give up. Player of the Match Zediri continued to score important goals — she recorded six in the entire game — while goalkeeper Louiza Djermouli made some key saves.

A 3:0 run powered by Zediri helped Algeria draw level midway through the second half, and another 3:0 surge, this time fueled by Kinda Mansouri's goals, saw them pull in front at 23:20 with one minute to go, so Algeria will start the Presidents' Cup with two points.

Player of the Match: Meissa Zediri (Algeria)

Group C
Brazil vs Canada 39:16 (18:9)

Brazil celebrated their first win at China 2026 after outplaying Canada in the final group-stage match. Both sides already knew their journey would continue in the Presidents' Cup, but two valuable points to carry into the next phase were still on the line. Canada made a solid start and managed to keep pace with the 2026 South and Central American Women’s Junior Handball Championship winners in the opening minutes.

However, once Brazil found their rhythm and raised the tempo, backed by a proactive defence, the gap gradually began to stretch. A combination of Sophia Ludwig Kieling's saves and another excellent attacking display from Raquel Ladeia, who both scored and created chances for her teammates, helped Brazil first open a 10:6 lead in the 16th minute before stretching it further to 13:6. It already suggested another difficult match for Canada in their return to the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship after 27 years.

Canada's difficult spell continued immediately after the restart. Following their first goal of the second half, Brazil produced a 7:0 unanswered run that confirmed the expected outcome. Brazil reached the 20-goal mark in the 56th minute and eventually celebrated a convincing victory. hummel Player of the Match Brenda Mendes led the charge for Brazil with nine goals, while Mahély Lemaire scored five for Canada.

Now both sides are turning their attention to the Presidents' Cup — Brazil will look to improve on their 19th-place finish from the previous edition. Canada will have the same opportunity after finishing last in 1999. In the Presidents' Cup, both Brazil and Canada will be joined by Argentina and Türkiye.

hummel Player of the Match: Brenda Mendes (Brazil)

Group H
Norway vs Faroe Islands 27:22 (12:10)

With Japan already through to the main round, the remaining spot from Group H was decided in this Nordic clash. Norway had the better start, opening up a four-goal lead after only eight minutes and keeping the debutants from the Faroe Islands to a single goal until the ninth minute.

The Norwegians could have built an even bigger advantage, but a seven-minute scoring drought between the 18th and 25th minute stalled their momentum. Fortunately for them, the Faroe Islands were unable to fully capitalise on that spell, leaving the gap at four goals.

The Faroese tried to create additional pressure by using the seven-on-six attack, and while it worked to an extent, the biggest boost came from goalkeeper Gylta Á Neystabø. Her string of late saves helped her teammates reduce the deficit to only two goals by half-time, leaving everything open for the second half.

Everything the Faroe Islands had built in the closing stages of the first half quickly fell apart after the restart. Norway stormed into the second half with a 3:0 run before adding another 4:0 burst to open a 20:13 lead and all but book their place in the main round.

There was a glimpse of hope for the Faroese around the 48th minute when their top scorer Joan Johannesen cut the deficit to 18:21, but missed chances and hasty attacks once again proved costly. Norway made one final run, restored their six-goal cushion and comfortably sealed the victory. Maja Leinan led the winners with six goals, while Ada Aalstad added five.

Norway progress to the main round without any points, joining Poland, Hungary and Japan in Group IV. The Faroe Islands head to the Presidents' Cup with two points, where they will face Tunisia, Croatia and Chinese Taipei.

Player of the Match: Maja Leinan (Norway)