The second round of 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship main round action in Norway is likely to see both the current European and Olympic champions qualify through to the quarter-finals, barring any shocks or upsets at the Trondheim Spektrum in Norway.

If Olympic champions France (vs Korea) and Norway (vs Slovenia) both win their matches they are through to the last eight, however, a draw for France will be enough if Norway beat Slovenia in the last match of the day.

Austria, who play Angola in their opener, are clinging onto hope that their own win coupled with other results and maths will help them get through.

Both Angola and Republic of Korea – the African and Asian champions respectively – are out of contention for the quarter-finals already, but with both directly qualified through to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games they will be using the rest of their time in Norway to develop, practice and fine tune.

The same scenario is on the cards in Group IV, where the Netherlands and Spain can seal quarter-finals berths with wins over Ukraine and Czechia respectively, as they are aiming for their fifth win in a row at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023.

Main Round, Group II
15:30 CET Austria vs Angola

The series between these two teams stretches back to 1997 and includes four IHF Women’s World Championship meetings, three of which were won by the Europeans.

Most recently, the two teams met last year in Angola with each team winning once, but it is the Austrians who have the most to play for as they seek their second, successive victory over a continental champion, following their 30:29 defeat of Asian champions Korea in the preliminary round.

More important than that is the mathematical possibility of a spot in the top two of their main round group and a place in the quarter-finals of a championship they were originally given a wildcard for, and with it, a likely, guaranteed Olympic Qualification Tournament spot. 

The Austrians will need to win this one and their final match against neighbours Slovenia (plus rely on other results) to achieve that, but if not, then third place is still possible for a coveted shot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“Motivation is high. These are two games that we can and want to win,” said Austria goalkeeper Lena Ivancok to oehb.at, with her coach also dreaming big too.

“The thought that with the two points we brought from the preliminary round we could jump to third place in this group with the next two wins, that must push you so much that you say, ‘I feel it now. I have the strength again and I can put everything into these 120 minutes’,” said Herbert Müller.

“In terms of strength, they are superior to us, so we have to compensate for that with speed and agility,” he added about their opponents. “We have to be very compact. Angola plays extremely through the middle and they have two very tall, wide, strong pivots who have to be covered well.”

18:00 CET Republic of Korea vs France

The Asian champions vs reigning Olympic champions promises to be a match full of energy and speed.

Both sides have still not shown their full potential over 60 minutes after four games each in Norway so far, but in their first half against Austria last time out, France showed just what they were capable of, scoring 25 goals in a scorching-host first 30 minutes. 

Their total haul of 41 in the match was their joint second-best at an IHF Women’s World Championship, when they beat Japan at the 2011 edition.

Korea, like France already qualified for Paris 2024, have been using this world championship to prepare for next summer, with coach Henrik Signell sharing duties around younger players in the squad.

But they have looked disjointed and only shown glimpses of what we know they can achieve. They are led by the influential Ryu Eun Hee, who, ahead of the games on Thursday, was second in the goalscoring charts with 26 goals in four games.

This will be the sixth IHF Women’s World Championship meeting between the two teams, with both teams winning two each and drawing once. Their most recent win was two weeks ago in France, with the home side taking a clear 36:19 friendly match victory.

Laura Flippes sat out for France against Austria after the right back picked up an injury in the preliminary stage and they will hope to welcome her back for this one.

20:30 CET Slovenia vs Norway

Just pipping Korea’s Ryu to the top of the striking tables is Norway’s Camilla Herrem, lying on 27 goals. 

Her age belies the sheered cheetah-like nature of her sprints down the opposite end of the court to convert Norwegian fastbreaks, most recently against Austria, a match in which she registered her 850th national team goal.

“At my age, I'm quite happy with it,” said the 37-year-old to Norwegian national broadcaster NRK after her speed was compared to that of the animal.

“I feel fit and feel that that explosiveness has really returned to where it was. You never quite know what it's like after pregnancy, and especially after number two, what the resilience is like, what the explosiveness is like. It is something I have worked extremely hard on.”

Slovenia will do well to stop the Norwegian juggernaut – a side which have impressed the most so far in the Norwegian slice of the triple pie that is the three co-hosts of the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship.

Dragan Adzic’s side have already beaten the African and Asian champions in this competition and will be hoping to cause a major upset and beat the European champions.

“Undeniably, Norway is the favourite,” said Adzic about Norway to rokomentna-zveza.si. “It will be a good test for us. We will try to present it in the best possible light. I believe we will be composed in front of the full stands, offer a good resistance, and enjoy a handball festival.”

Norway will be hoping to reinforce their squad with Kari Brattset Dale hoping to return to match action after missing the previous two games due to some pain in her foot.

Main Round, Group IV
15:30 CET Brazil vs Argentina

Both sides are coming into the clash after a tough defeat at the start of the main round and without a clear path to the quarter-finals. Yet, Brazil, the South and Central American champions, aim to return to the winning track and secure the best possible finish at this edition of the world handball flagship competition. 

After a second place in the preliminary round group, with two straightforward wins against Ukraine and Kazakhstan, Brazil have conceded another loss against the Netherlands, which cancelled their chances of progression almost entirely.

Argentina, on the other hand, squeezed into the main round with only one win over Congo and are still, alongside Ukraine, the underdog of main Round Group IV. Argentina scored 102 goals in four games while conceding 128, trailing by eight goals per game on average behind their next opponent. The difference in quality was seen already in the friendly game before the start of Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 when Brazil won 30:18, their 13th consecutive win against their South American counterparts. 

However, despite their rich history, these two sides met only twice at the World Championship - in the 2015 group phase game (23:19) and the 2021 main round clash (24:19).

18:00 CET Czechia vs Spain

Three years after their exciting duel at the Women's EHF EURO 2020, when Spain won 27:24, the two European sides meet for the first time in World Championship history. And there is a lot at stake.

Spain are flawless at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, winning four out of four and another win would seal a quarter-finals berth, meaning Spain will finish among the top eight teams in the world for the fifth time since 2003.

Throughout their four matches played in Frederikshavn, it looked like Spain was taking it slow in the first half but stepped up a gear in the second half, made a decisive run and sealed an important win, morphing into strong contenders for a medal.

“They have very good nine-metre shooters, they love to run and we have to be prepared, above all, on a defensive level,” said line player Kaba Gassama for rfebm.com while Soledad López added: “Defend, run, bring out the 'Guerreras' gene and show our courage. That has to be our DNA, fighting and suffering with every ball.”

Only once in their seven previous participations in the World Championship have Czechia managed to get among eight teams - in 2017 quarterfinals where they were defeated by the Netherlands 26:30. To keep their dream alive they need to win against Spain and hope for the Netherlands to be victorious to the end of the Main Round. Their upper hand could be impeccable Veronika Mala and Charlotte Cholevova, both with six goals per game on average with Mala giving a twist in defence.

“I'm happy for the win and the fact that we're still in the game, that's the most important thing. We will go all in against Spain on Friday. We have a chance to win, it's up to us,” said Czechia's head coach Bent Dahl.

This will be their fourth mutual match, but the first time when Spain and Czechia face off at the IHF Women’s World Championship.

20:30 CET Ukraine vs Netherlands

The Netherlands are the favourites in this clash and if they prove their status, they will seal their quarter-final ticket. After missing the cut at Spain 2021, when they finished ninth, securing it at Denmark/Norway/Spain 2023 would be a big step forward to fulfilling the dream for the 2019 World Champions.

Key for the Netherlands were their effective fast breaks after a good defensive display, forcing their opponents into mistakes. Goalkeeper Yara Ten Holte  also shone for her side, with 37 saves in three games at 38 per cent save efficiency.

Ten Holte's biggest threat will be Alba Fehervar's centre back Tamara Smbatian, who netted 20 times so far and leads the Ukrainian attack. Being back at the world flagship competition after a 14-year hiatus is already great achievement and despite their final ranking, Ukraine can be proud of their performance.

“We want to show everything we can. I think the match against the Netherlands will be one of the most difficult ones. But we don't have to give up. They are a strong opponent that like to run. We also need to run back to defence. That was our main problem with the Czech Republic, that we didn't go back, we didn't close the centre. It is important to be tougher, and aggressive in defence,” said Ukrainian line player Andrivana Naumenko.

The 28:28 draw at the World Championship in 2001 was the only time these two teams met at the world flagship competition. Apart from that, they were on opposite sides on four more occasions and the Netherlands won only once - at the Women's EHF EURO 2010 in the preliminary round, claiming a 25:13 win.