Japan, Denmark, People’s Republic of China, Germany and Romania are through to the next phase of the 2026 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, but the team which stole the show was Japan, with a stunning 26:24 win against Norway.

Group C
Romania vs Brazil 30:28 (16:14)

After a much easier task against Canada on the opening day, Romania faced a far more demanding challenge against Brazil, who were eager to bounce back from their defeat to Germany. Although the Europeans opened with a slender lead, Brazil drew level in the 11th minute through their key player Raquel Ladeia, 5:5. From that point on, the South Americans refused to let Romania pull away.

Romania looked as though they were still searching for their rhythm, but goalkeeper Iona Niță made sure they headed into the break in front. Her timely saves, six from 15 shots in the first half, helped Romania withstand Brazil’s pressure and preserve a narrow two-goal advantage.

The opening minutes of the second half suggested everything was going Romania’s way. By the 40th minute, they had stretched the lead to five, 24:19, with Teodora-Lavinia Damian leading the charge. But Brazil refused to let go, and their aggressive defence forced Romania into a series of mistakes, fuelling a 7:0 unanswered run that turned a five-goal deficit into a 26:24 lead with 10 minutes remaining.

The Brazilian comeback stunned the Europeans, but Romania quickly regained their composure. They stepped up on both ends of the court and grabbed an equaliser, 27:27, only three minutes later, once again through Damian. Another dramatic finish followed, with goalkeeper Florentina-Anastasia Roșu playing a crucial role through several key saves, while Maria-Alexandra Voicu and Damian then delivered the decisive blows to secure Romania’s second win at China 2026 and a place in the main round.

hummel Player of the Match: Teodora-Lavinia Damian (Romania)

Group H
Japan vs Norway 26:24 (13:8)

After an evenly contested opening, with Japan holding a narrow 5:4 lead in the 11th minute, the Asian side shifted into a higher gear. Strong defensive pressure forced Norway into a series of mistakes, allowing Japan to capitalise through Futaba Ikeda and Haruhi Sano and open a four-goal cushion by the 20th minute, 9:5.

Norway struggled to find their attacking rhythm and had to wait seven minutes for their next goal. They were unable to recover the deficit before half-time, as Japan comfortably maintained their five-goal advantage going into the break.

Japan remained in control until the 45th minute, when Norway slowly started to fight their way back in an attempt to turn the match around. The closest they came was in the 54th minute, when Ada Aalstad, Norway’s top scorer with eight goals, made it 22:24.

However, the real hero was goalkeeper and hummel Player of the Match Hana Osaki, who came up with crucial saves when Japan needed them most. She halted Norway’s comeback, allowing her side to restore a three-goal cushion with two minutes remaining before eventually sealing a 26:24 victory. With their second win at China 2026, Japan secured a place in the main round and will face Croatia in their final group match. Norway will have to battle the Faroe Islands in a direct showdown for the remaining main round spot.

hummel Player of the Match: Hana Osaki (Japan)

Group A
Egypt vs Sweden 22:25 (12:15)

In a match that may prove crucial for both sides, Sweden opened their account in the competition and greatly improved their chances for a main round berth. Both rivals are level on two points following this result, but the Swedes will be heavily favoured to beat India in their last group match on Saturday, while Egypt will be challenged by defending champions France.

It was a close game in the opening 15 minutes, and the teams were tied at 6:6 before Klara Bergling’s goals fuelled Sweden’s 4:0 run. Nearly four minutes before the break, the Europeans boasted their biggest lead of the first half, 15:9, but a few turnovers and Egypt’s counterattacks saw that gap shrink to just three goals.

After the restart, the Africans further cut the deficit to 13:15, but a 4:0 run gave Sweden more confidence. However, Egypt refused to surrender and started to catch up again, closing the gap to just one goal, 21:22, with six and a half minutes to go. Their goalkeeper Gihad Sayed, who was named Player of the Match, recorded 15 saves for a 38% save rate in this game.

But Sweden held their nerve, hitting back with a 3:0 run to seal the deal. Hanna Lundvall and Klara Bergling contributed to their win with seven and six goals, respectively, while Basmala Ahmed Abdelmoezz netted seven times for Egypt.

Player of the Match: Gihad Sayed (Egypt)

Group E
People’s Republic of China vs Guinea 27:18 (17:8)

Home team People’s Republic of China took their second straight win at China 2026, which handed them a main round berth alongside Denmark, who had beaten Algeria earlier today. In turn, Guinea are now certain to go to the Presidents’ Cup, having lost both their games.

It was the African team’s Yarie Mansare who opened the scoring, and China scored their first goal only in the fifth minute. But then it did not take long for the Asians to gain momentum, and, cheered by their loyal crowd, they pulled clear at 6:1 10 minutes into the match.

They never looked back, forcing Guinea into turnovers and capitalising on their mistakes. As a result, China’s lead reached double digits in the 22nd minute, 14:4, before getting just a little smaller at half-time.

In the second half, improved goalkeeping on both sides kept the score at 21:10 unchanged for as many as 10 minutes before Guinea’s Maellie Racine Diallo broke that deadlock in the 45th minute. However, China’s lead was never in danger, and they cruised to a nine-goal victory.

Player of the Match: Xiaoyan Wang (People's Republic of China)