Denmark will face a big test in the last match of the preliminary round, when they face Romania, while two other main round spots – the last ones at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 – will be sealed as this phase of the competition concludes on Tuesday in Gothenburg and Herning.

Group A
18:00 CET People’s Republic of China vs Senegal 

For both teams, it will be a crucial match in their quest for a main round spot. Even a draw will be enough for Senegal to go through, while People’s Republic of China only need a win to secure the third position in Group A.

After their strong performance in the matches against Croatia and Sweden, where they took a point in the maiden match and went toe-to-toe with Sweden for 50 minutes in the second, Senegal are one of the underdogs which impressed the most and look to be favourites in this match.

Playing only for the second time at the IHF Women’s World Championship in history, Senegal hope to take their third win at this level, after beating Kazakhstan and Democratic Republic of Congo at Japan 2019. And while the Africans finished 18th four years ago, reaching the main round will give them a chance to take a higher position this time.

So far, China have impressed less at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, conceding as many as 75 goals in two matches. However, their second half against Sweden was quite good, so the Asians also have a potential to fight for a main round spot. 

20:30 CET Sweden vs Croatia 

Both sides have already secured their main round spots, but their mutual encounter which decide which one will win the group and take the largest number of points in the main round. Croatia only need a win to do it, while a draw is enough for Sweden - but the co-hosts will try hard to take a victory and carry over four points to the next stage. 

On Sunday, the Scandinavian side struggled against Senegal for 50 minutes, but their depth lifted them to a 26:18 victory. Now, they want to claim their third straight win, this time against Croatia, knowing that a win would boost their chances for a quarter-finals spot.

Sweden have a mixed head-to-head record with Croatia - each side have claimed seven victories, but the co-hosts snapped the win in their last match at the EHF EURO 2022, 31:27. However, Croatia had the upper hand in their last meeting at the IHF Women’s World Championship, 27:26, at Brazil 2011.

Croatia lost points against Senegal in their first match, yet two days later, they showed solid attacking performance to down China 39:13. And now they are determined to build on their performance in the match against Sweden, even if they can hardly be called favourites.

"We know Sweden, they are a typical Scandinavian team. They are good, very solid, they punish every mistake in five seconds. We have a tough game waiting for us, we are playing in front of their audience, but I believe that we can play against anyone and beat anyone," goalkeeper Tea Pijevic said. 

Group E
18:00 CET Serbia vs Chile

With the last available main round spot at stake, Serbia and Chile will be all-in for this match. Both teams are still aiming for their first win at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 after two losses against the group favourites Denmark and Romania, with a do-or-die clash awaiting in the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning.

Serbia went through changes and rejuvenated the team but put up a great fight against Denmark at the opening of Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, losing only 21:25. After a high-intensity match against co-hosts, Serbia could not keep up with Romania in the second round, ending with a 28:37 defeat.

On the other hand, Chile did not have an easy start to their second-ever edition of the IHF Women’s World Championship. After losing by a 25-goal margin against Romania, they had an even tougher challenge against Denmark. 

The 2023 Central American Women's Handball Championship runners-up were defeated by 35 goals, their worst-ever loss in the competition. Still, Chile's right back Valeska Lovera Sala remains their most valuable player, netting 19 times at the world flagship competition. 

“In the second half against Romania, we changed our strategy, and narrowed the gap to three, but two two-minute suspensions threw us off track and we failed to come back. I'm sad about the defeat, especially after that match with Denmark, but Chile is next and the focus is on that match to reach our first objective," said Serbia's head coach Uros Bregar for rss.org.rs.

The last round match of group E will be the first time these two sides meet, as Chile are waiting for their first-ever win in World Championship history, while Serbia are hoping to make it to the main round, where they start with zero points, after the losses against Denmark and Romania.

20:30 CET Denmark vs Romania

Both co-hosts Denmark and Romania have maximum points from their two games so far at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 and have booked their main round ticket. However, the top-notch clash will decide the group winner and which team will progress further with four points, provided the match does not end in a draw.

Romania were dominating in both matches played and are coming to the game confident, despite still having their team captain Cristina Neagu sidelined due to an injury. But Florentin Pera’s side did deliver some magnificent attacking performances, boasting the largest average number of goals scored, 40.5, after two matches, while Denmark have the lowest number of goals conceded per match, 16, after the first two rounds.

“We know that this is going to be a hard match, but we will do everything to try and clinch the win and improve our chances for a quarter-final, a big objective for us,” says Romania’s centre back, Eliza Buceschi, who player at FC Midtjylland, close to Herning, in her career, and was elected the hummel Player of the Match in both wins – against Chile and Serbia.

Since 1957, the two sides met 25 times in different competitions. However, when it comes to the World Championship there were eight mutual encounters with Romania holding the upper hand with four wins, including the quarter-finals of the 2015 edition, played also in the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning.