There is no room for mistake now in the main round of Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, with quarter-finals berths up for grabs in Gothenburg and Herning, where co-hosts Sweden and Germany could seal their tickets to the next phase, provided they win their matches on Saturday.

A full card – four matches – is also on the menu in the President’s Cup in Frederikshavn, as teams are gearing up to improve their chances for a better finish in the final standings at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship.

Main round, Group I
15:30 CET Senegal vs Montenegro 

Both sides lost their opening matches of the main round, and while Montenegro stayed on four points, Senegal have just one point, with only slim chances to dream about a quarter-finals berth.

After showing some quality handball in the preliminary round, the Senegalese came up short in their opening match of the main round against Hungary. Interestingly, they lost with exactly the same score as four years ago, when the teams also met at the IHF Women's World Championship, 20:30.
 
At Japan 2019, Senegal's opponent in their first-ever match at this level was actually Montenegro, and the European side then won 29:25. Now Bojana Popovic's team hope to repeat the trick and bounce back following a frustrating 25:26 defeat in the Balkan derby against Croatia, which ended their three-game winning run in the competition and saw their chances of progression reduce.

In that game, Montenegro also lost goalkeeper Marta Batinovic, who tore the crucial ligament of her knee and is out for a long time, as the European side will miss the player with the best saving efficiency so far in the competition between the keepers with at least 30 saves, 51.2%. 

"The bad luck with Marta certainly disturbed us. It seems that the World Championship is over for her, which also contributed to our nervousness. However, we still have the matches ahead of us, and we will fight," coach Bojana Popovic said.

On Monday, Marina Rajcic stepped up for Batinovic, ultimately boasting a decent 35% save rate. And on the following day, Anastasija Babovic from Buducnost was called up to the team. In the upcoming match, Montenegro's goalkeepers should be wary of Soukeina Sagna, who has scored 30 goals in four matches, but overall, the European side should be favoured to get back to their winning ways.

18:00 CET Croatia vs Cameroon 

Croatia's somewhat unexpected win against Montenegro stirred things up in Group I, and with three points in their tally, Ivica Obrvan's team stay in fight for the quarter-final spots.

With a crucial Monday match against Hungary in sight, now their goal is to beat Cameroon, which is the second African team they face at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, after a surprising 22:22 draw against Senegal early at the tournament. 

However, Obrvan is sure that the upcoming match will be quite different. "Cameroon is quite different from Senegal. Cameroon run more, which requires more energy consumption," he said.

"My desire is to deploy forces and safely take two points, with all due respect to Cameroon and without underestimation. I would like to rest Blažević and Mićević, as well as some players who had more playing time. It is important for us to spend as little energy as possible and be ready for the match against Hungary."

Croatia and Cameroon will meet for the first time at the IHF Women's World Championship, and while the Europeans are seen as strong favourites, Cameroon, who have a slim mathematical chance to reach the main round, hope to fight hard. 

20:30 CET Hungary vs Sweden 

Co-hosts Sweden have so far been flawless at the 26th IHF Women's World Championship, recording four wins in as many matches, and they may secure a quarter-spot already on Saturday with a victory in an all-European duel against Hungary.

In their opening main round encounter, Sweden eased past Cameroon, 37:13, but now they will face a much tougher opposition. At Germany 2017, when the rivals last met at the IHF Women's World Championship, Sweden won 25:22, yet Hungary avenged that loss at the 2020 Women's Olympic Qualificaiton Tournament, 26:23. However, the Scandinavians had the upper hand in their most recent encounter, at the Women's EHF EURO 2022, winning 30:25.

Hungary were devastated by a defeat against Montenegro in their last match of the group phase, but Vladimir Golovin's team bounced back in style, as a superb defence lifted them to a 30:20 win against Senegal. With four points, they stay in the fight for the quarter-final berths, and obviously taking some points from Sweden will only improve their chances. 

The Scandinavian side used three goalkeepers in previous games, with Johanna Bundsen, Evelina Eriksson and Irma Schjött all doing a great job. At Hungary, Blanka Biro and Zsofi Szemerey also showed their quality, but the latter injured her knee at the game against Senegal and is not expected to feature in the next matches. 

However, the Hungarians are looking forward for a successful game. "We don't want to make any more mistakes, we will do our best. Our defense is very well-organised, and if we can keep it up in the match against Sweden, then we might have a chance," right wing Viktória Győri-Lukács said. 

Main Round, Group III
15:30 CET Romania vs Japan

After two consecutive wins to start the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship, Romania’s level dropped and Florentin Pera’s side is now on a two-match losing streak, rendering their chances of progression to the quarter-finals virtually impossible, even if they win the last two matches against Poland and Japan.

Nor the dream for a ticket to the Olympic Qualification Tournament is much alive for Romania, who seem to be playing only for their pride, after a total collapse in the second half of their opening game in the main round phase, against Germany, where they conceded a 22:24 loss.

Cristina Neagu did come back, but she was not at 100% and scored only three goals, as Romania are expecting another hefty challenge from Japan, a team which produced the biggest shock so far at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, taking a last-gasp win against Denmark, 26:25, to complicate proceedings even further in this well-balanced group.

The left back will not be on the court, as she was replaced by young right back Alicia Gogîrlă, still facing fitness issues, after missing the first three matches in the preliminary round, as Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 looks to be finished for her.

The Asian side’s chances of progression are also slim, but they displayed an excellent performance both against Germany (30:31) and Poland (30:32) in the matches played against European opposition in the preliminary round, and are expected to do the same against Romania on Saturday.

In the past meetings between the two sides over the last 20 years, Romania won three, one match ended in a draw, while Japan delivered a clear win in the main round of the world handball flagship competition four years ago. It was the clearest-ever win against an European opponent for the Asian side, 37:20, while also serving as Romania’s second-worst loss in history.

With both teams standing on two points, qualification would be a miracle, but the winner here will have their hopes extended, but need plenty of help from other results to even start thinking about a quarter-finals berth.

Were Romania to lose, they will be very close of their worst-ever finish at the IHF Women’s World Championship, which is currently the 17th place, at Italy 2001.

18:00 CET Serbia vs Germany

Germany could open the IHF Women’s World Championship with five wins in a row for the second time in history, after sealing the feature at Serbia 2013, before being eliminated in the quarter-finals.

A win against Serbia would also see them progress to the main round, as Germany would soar to eight points, a total which cannot be tied by two teams in the group, with the team captained by Emily Bölk, who will earn her 100th cap in this match, being sure of one of the top two places in Group III.

Markus Gaugisch’s side has secured two clear wins against the Islamic Republic of Iran and Poland, but sweated against Japan (31:30) and against Romania (24:22), needing a comeback in the second half of the latter match to clinch a crucial win.

After the first matches of the main round in Herning, Germany are topping the standings, with six points, while Serbia are already eliminated, conceding three losses, with their last one against Poland, 21:22, sealing their fate.

Between the teams which are in the main round, only Angola (98 goals) and Cameroon (70 goals) have scored less than Serbia (100), with the slow pace of the attack and the lack of fast breaks (only six goals) being the main issues for Uros Bregar’s side.

On the other hand, Germany’s goalkeeper, Katharina Filter, ranks sixth in the number of saves after four rounds, with 33, an average of 8.2 per match, with a good saving efficiency in the competition, 33%.

The two sides met six times at major international competitions since 2008, with Germany taking four wins, as opposed to Serbia’s one, with another match ending in a stalemate. However, in the last two meetings at the IHF Women’s World Championship, Germany lost against Serbia, 28:29, at Japan 2019, and drew at Germany 2017, 22:22.

20:30 CET Poland vs Denmark

Denmark are certainly in uncharted territory after their 25:26 loss against Japan, which really rocked their confidence, after an unexpected evening last Thursday in the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning.

This was the first time Denmark lost against the Asian side and complicated their situation in Group III, but they can dig themselves out of that hole and seal the first place in the group, provided they win against Poland and Germany.

However, Denmark will need to work on their composure and focus, as they were down both against Serbia and Japan in Herning, in front of a full arena, which could also have acted as a big pressure.

On the other hand, Poland have won three and lost one, against Germany, and they are also in must-win mode, 

Denmark have won all the last six mutual meetings, including the ones at the IHF Women’s World Championship, 33:28 at Russia 2005, 23:16 at Brazil 2011 and 30:26 at Serbia 2013, with this match being the first one in the world handball flagship competition between the two European sides in 10 years.

President’s Cup
Group I

18:00 CET Paraguay vs Iceland

Paraguay are still waiting for their maiden win at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, after three straight defeats in the preliminary round and after a high-intensity match against the People's Republic of China, where they dropped their halftime lead and lost 20:23. 

They will face another tough challenge as they will face Iceland for the first time in their history. Conceding 125 goals in four matches, and scoring only 81 is not a good sign for the South American side and their only hope can be their goalkeeper Fatima Ocampos Morel, who is among top 20 goalkeepers of the competition, with 27 saves.

Iceland are eyeing the first place in the group, which would lead them in the battle for the 25th place. Having seven goals scored more per game on average while boasting a better defensive display than Paraguay, the Icelandic side are the clear favourites, especially after a strong 37:14 win against Greenland.

20:30 CET People's Republic of China vs Greenland

The last match of the day in Frederikshavn will bring the first-ever duel of these two teams. The People's Republic of China showed fighting spirit and made a comeback against Paraguay for their first two points at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, thus ending the seven-game losing streak they have been holding since the IHF Women's World Championships in 2019.

After finishing last at Spain 2021 and having the second-worst placement in 2019 when they ended in 23rd place, the People's Republic of China are eager to keep up with Iceland at the top of the group. With the performance so far at the competition, the Asian side looks to have a clear advantage over inexperienced Greenland who are still waiting for their first-ever win at the World Championship.

Unable to score more than 64 goals in four matches, Greenland are the least effective attack of the World Championship, while only two countries have conceded more goals than them. Yet, the biggest threat comes from Ivalu Cecilie Bjerge who is Greenland's top scorer with 13 goals scored.

Group II
13:00 CET Chile vs Kazakhstan

It is almost exactly 14 years since these two teams met in the President's Cup at the World Championship. On 13 December 2009 Kazakhstan secured a 32:26 win against Chile, consequently finishing 22nd with Kazakhstan just behind them.

It will be an additional boost for the Asian side, as they are coming after a narrow defeat against Congo (36:37) and are seeking for redemption. Chile, on the other hand, are on a high after securing their second-ever win at the world flagship competition by beating the Islamic Republic of Iran 30:20.

The good connection of back court players Andrea Valeska Lovera Salas, Constanza Paul and Andrea Francisca Parra Parra delivered almost half of all Chile’s goals in the competition. Winning this game would keep them atop before the last round match against currently second-place Congo, meaning a battle for the 25th place.

15:30 CET Islamic Republic of Iran vs Congo

Enjoying their second-ever appearance at the IHF Women's World Championship, the Islamic Republic of Iran are still one of the underdogs of the President's Cup, waiting for their maiden win. Unfortunately, they still were not close to making it happen scoring on average 16.7 goals per game while conceding 38.5 goals per match.

Can Fatemah Merikh produce their best performance, topping her 5.5 goals per game on average and lead the Islamic Republic of Iran to a historic win? Well, she could with the help of the goalkeeper Fatemeh Khalili Behfar. However, the impeccable Fanta Diagouraga, currently among the top five scorers of the competition, was making even more experienced teams sweat.

Congo have a lot at stake as the win would keep them at the top of the group with four points, and a good starting position ahead of the last round clash with Chile. Another loss would mean that the Islamic Republic of Iran will have to beat Kazakhstan in the last round if they do not want to play in the Placement Match 31/32 for the second time in a row.