The first four quarter-finalists for the 2026 IHF Women's Junior World Championship have been decided, after Montenegro and Denmark in Group III and Spain and Germany in Group II of the main round secured their fourth wins in a row, to mathematically advance to the next phase of the competition.

Main Round, Group II
Spain vs Romania 32:25 (14:15)

Romania were eager to bounce back after their defeat to Germany and made an excellent start. After nine minutes, they had opened a 6:2 lead, forcing Spain into an early team timeout. However, a four-minute scoring drought hampered their progress, allowing Spain to erase the deficit and level the score at 6:6.

Judging by the spell between the 15th and 25th minutes, Romania looked to have regained full control. Goalkeeper Florentina-Anastasia Roșu was once again in outstanding form, producing a string of important saves and helping her side build a four-goal cushion.

Romania then tried to stretch the gap further by switching to seven-against-six, but the tactic did not pay off. They failed to make use of the numerical superiority, and a series of turnovers allowed Spain to mount another comeback and trail by only one goal at halftime.

Spain carried that momentum into the second half, while Romania continued to struggle at both ends of the court. In the 37th minute, the Spaniards grabbed their first lead of the match, 18:17, and never looked back.

Romania tried to break the cycle, but nothing seemed to work, and playing without a goalkeeper once again proved costly. Only Anamaria Serban and Teodora-Lavinia Damian scored more than three goals, netting four and five respectively. On the other side, Player of the Match Belén Rodríguez Lario led Spain with 10 goals, sealing an important victory that sends the European side into the quarter-finals of the IHF Women's Junior World Championship for the first time since 2008.

Before then, Spain will face Germany in a direct battle for first place in the group, while Romania will meet the Republic of Korea to determine their placement matches.

Player of the Match: Belén Rodríguez Lario (Spain)

Main Round, Group III
Montenegro vs People's Republic of China 31:25 (13:14)

A win would send both Montenegro and Denmark through to the quarter-finals from Main Round Group III, but the People's Republic of China made sure to keep the race wide open for 40 minutes.

After Montenegro's stronger start, which saw them race into a 6:2 lead courtesy of Natalija Lekić, poor ball control between the seventh and 14th minute opened the door for the hosts to turn the momentum around. China levelled the score in the 17th minute, with Yihan Sun making her mark at both ends of the court through key saves and a goal, and just a minute later, the hosts completed the turnaround to move 9:7 in front.

Jing Liang then led the way for China, who survived a late Montenegro push in the closing minutes of the first half to take a narrow one-goal advantage into the break. Montenegro completed the turnaround nine minutes into the second half. Goalkeeper Teodora Rončević emerged as the hero, producing save after save to help her side regain the lead at 20:18. That momentum soon translated into a 28:23 advantage as Montenegro entered the closing stages with a comfortable cushion.

China continued to play aggressive defence, but their attack failed to keep pace, allowing Montenegro to punish them through quick transitions and fast breaks. Maja Ceklić led Montenegro to a convincing 31:25 victory, sealing the team's return to the quarter-finals of the IHF Women's Junior World Championship for the first time since 2010, when they went on to claim the bronze medal.

China will now face Czechia in a decisive match for third place in the group, with a place in the Placement Matches 9-12 at stake, while Montenegro will battle Denmark for top spot in the group.

Player of the Match: Sanja Andrijasević (Montenegro)

Main round, Group IV
Japan vs Hungary 25:32 (13:15)

In an exciting battle, Hungary proved too strong for Japan and retained a chance to progress to the quarter-finals. Following this result, all four teams in Main Round Group IV are level on two points, so everything will be decided on Tuesday, when Japan will play Poland and Hungary are scheduled to face Norway.

A 75% shooting efficiency helped the Hungarians dominate for much of the opening half. Renáta Keceli-Mészáros had an early impact, propelling her team to a 5:2 lead after just five minutes. Then Virág Fazekas and Luca Vadkerti also stepped up, helping Hungary enjoy their biggest lead before the break, 11:7 in the 18th minute. However, Japan hit back with a 3:0 run, and the game looked open at half-time, with the rivals separated by only two goals.

Powered by Haruhi Samo, Japan continued to challenge their rivals after the break, and Hungary still led by two goals, 21:19, in the 43rd minute. However, the Europeans had more energy left in the last quarter of the encounter. With their compact defence working well and Greta Majoros delivering some crucial saves, Hungary extended the gap to seven goals, 34:21, with two minutes to play, ultimately clinching a well-deserved victory, as Keceli-Mészáros became their top scorer with six goals.

Player of the Match: Renáta Keceli-Mészáros (Hungary)