Eight matches down, 100 more to go until we find out who will leave the 25th IHF Women’s World Championship with the big trophy and the gold medals around their necks.

After hosts Spain won the opening game in emphatic way against Argentina, it was the turn of another 14 teams to start their adventure at Spain 2021. By far, the most surprising result came in Castelló, where Brazil beat Croatia 30:25. Also in Group G, Japan enjoyed their biggest win since 2017, with a 40:17 drubbing of Paraguay. 

Meanwhile, Denmark’s clear 34:16 win against Tunisia was overshadowed by Mia Rej Bidstrup’s injury, with the Republic of Korea following suit in Group F with a commanding win against Congo. 

Austria,   Hungary and Germany also got big wins yesterday, but we are now looking forward.

Probably one of the highlights of Friday will be the debut of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the IHF Women’s World Championship, as the Asian side feature against Romania in the first match of Group C in Castelló. Favourites Norway are also throwing off their campaign in the group, against Kazakhstan.

Reigning champions the Netherlands are also back in business on Friday, as they face Puerto Rico in Group D, a team that will make only their second appearance on the biggest of stages. Sweden will be also heavily favoured against Uzbekistan, another side who will take the court at the IHF Women’s World Championship for only the second time. 

All eyes will be on the clash between Montenegro and Slovenia in Group A, where Slovenia’s coach Dragan Adzic will face the side he coached between 2010 and 2017, facing former player Bojana Popovic, who is now Montenegro’s coach. 

Another group featuring three European sides is Group B, where Serbia face Poland, while RHF meet Cameroon, in what could prove to be one of the most balanced groups in the competition. 

If you want to go and find out more about the teams at Spain 2021, we got you covered! We have in-depth pieces for Croatia and the Republic of Korea, whose players and coaches talked to our journalists before the start of the competition.

By the way, if you tuned in to the games played at Spain 2021, you have surely heard the anthem of the competition. Carlos Baute is a renowned Spanish musician, who has joined Spain 2021 to bring joy and excitement in the stands. “Lala Gol”? What more do you want? 

All the statistics, tailor-made for everyone, are just one click away, so you can follow your favourite player, see who’s the best scorer, the best assist provider and the best goalkeeper. We’ll just give you a spoiler: an Austrian player leads the way in the top goal scorer standings!

Curious where you can follow your team on TV? Don’t worry, we also got you covered – simply click here! 

The IHF is working hard to bring you the very best from what is sure to be an exciting competition and wherever you are, there are many ways to follow the action! Make sure to be always up-to-date!