The main round of the 2025 IHF Women's World Championship will conclude in Rotterdam on Monday, with three matches. With both quarter-finals tickets sealed, it is now up to France and the Netherlands to do battle, with France needing a draw to progress to the quarter-finals as the group winners and face Hungary, while the runners-up are slated to play against Denmark. 

Main Round, Group III
15:30 CET Tunisia vs Argentina

The final day of the main round in Rotterdam opens with Argentina and Tunisia, two teams looking to close their Germany/Netherlands 2025 campaign on the best possible note. Argentina enter the match without a single point in the main round and will try to change that against the African side.

On the other hand, Tunisia arrive boosted by their victory over Austria, their first win against a European team at this championship. Now, they hope that another win, this time over Argentina, will lift them to four points and secure a strong finish.

At the last two World Championships, Tunisia placed 27th and 24th, and regardless of how this match ends, this edition clearly marks a step forward for the African team. Argentina finished 20th and 21st in the previous two tournaments. Considering they currently sit at the bottom of the group with zero points, it is almost certain they will again end somewhere between 20th and 24th place, depending on results in the other main round groups.

Argentina's standout throughout the tournament has been Elke Karsten, leading her team with 27 goals. Alongside her, Malena Cavo has delivered a strong campaign as well, combining 12 assists with 20 goals. On Tunisia's side, the main attacking force is Amal Hamrouni with 23 goals, while goalkeeper Roa Mkadem has been one of their brightest points with 35 saves at 28%, many of them arriving in crucial moments.

This will be the fifth World Championship meeting between the two nations. Tunisia have won three of the previous encounters, while Argentina celebrated only once, in their most recent clash in 2017, a 29:19 victory.

18:00 CET Poland vs Austria

After the win against Argentina and a strong push against co-hosts the Netherlands, where they fell 33:22 and saw their last hopes fade, Poland still want to show their good sides. Having stepped forward at the Women's EHF EURO and finishing 16th in 2023 and 15th in 2021 at the World Championship, they now have the chance to close this competition with an even better ranking. For that, they need a win against Austria.

Their biggest engines remain Karolina Kochaniak with 22 goals, and Magda Balsam, who has scored 32, though 16 of those came from the seven-metre line. However, against the Netherlands, Balsam wasn't at her usual level.

Across from them stands a young Austrian team led by Monique Tijsterman, who, despite numerous setbacks, including the absence of Johanna Reichert, Katarina Pandža, and most recently playmaker Ana Pandža, have shown real fighting spirit. Their main leaders remain Ines Ivancok-Šoltić with 27 goals, and her sister, goalkeeper Lena Ivancok, who has recorded 32% saves so far.

Austria finished 19th at the last World Championship and enter this match with two points, making it very realistic that they will improve their final standing this time around.

These two nations have played more than ten official matches against each other, including five at World Championships. Austria hold the upper hand with four wins, while Poland have won only once—back in 1997, a tight 26:25 victory.

20:30 CET France vs Netherlands

The match all fans in Ahoy Arena wait for, especially the Dutch fans. A direct battle for first place in the group, after both sides marched through the World Championship with full control and a perfect score, to find out who will face Denmark and who will face Hungary.

France enter as the best attack of the tournament, scoring 190 goals in five matches—an impressive 38-goal average. The Netherlands are not far behind, having 35 per game, and matching that tempo with a flow that fits their home energy perfectly.

Defensively, the two teams stand almost side by side. France hold the second-best defence with 101 goals conceded or 20.2 per match, while the Netherlands have allowed just four more, averaging 21 per game.

For France, the scoring leaders so far are Suzanne Wajoka, who has already delivered 28 goals, Lucie Granier with 25 goals, and rising star Léna Grandveau, not only on 23 goals but also running the French game with a remarkable 29 assists.

On the Dutch side, Bo van Wetering leads with 27 goals, followed by Dione Housheer with 21, while goalkeeper duo Rinka Duijndam and Yara ten Holte continue to impress with their consistency.

Both teams have already secured a quarter-final berth, but the Netherlands, fifth in 2023, want to show they are serious medal contenders, and there is no better stage to prove that than against the defending world champions. Still, even a defeat won't dramatically change things because the real battle begins with the knock-out phase.

These two teams have played many times over the years, but at the World Championship they have met only three times. France won two, while the Netherlands took one in 2015. Their most recent meeting came at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where France won 32:28.

President's Cup Group I
11:00 CET Paraguay vs Croatia

Both sides have earned two wins in the President's Cup, so they are level on four points. The winner of their encounter will top the group and progress to the Placement Match 17/18, which is also the President's Cup final.

In fact, even a draw will be enough for Croatia, who have a better goal difference (+38) compared to Paraguay's (+16). In the past, the two sides met at the 2021 IHF Women's World Championship, and the Europeans claimed a commanding 38:16 win.

13:30 CET Islamic Republic of Iran vs Uruguay

Iran have struggled a lot in attack during the entire tournament, and on Saturday, even 11 goals from Fatemeh Merikh were not enough for a positive result, as the Asian side lost 20:33 to Paraguay. In turn, Uruguay scored 25 goals against Croatia, which is their best result at the current World Championship, but also suffered their fifth straight defeat, 25:34.

Now both sides will be looking for their first victory, and the winner will go to the Placement Match 29/30, while the losing team will fight for the 31st position on Wednesday.

President's Cup Group II
16:00 CET Kazakhstan vs Egypt

In the President's Cup, Kazakhstan fought hard in both matches, but lost by small margins—28:29 against Cuba and 30:32 against People's Republic of China. Now the Asian side, who finished 30th at the previous World Championship, only need a win to finish third in the group and reach the Placement Match 29/30.

Debutants Egypt claimed their first-ever point at this level on Saturday, as they shared the spoils with Cuba, 26:26. However, the Africans are still looking for their maiden win, and if they beat Kazakhstan, they may finish second in the group if Cuba lose to China.

18:30 CET People's Republic of China vs Cuba

China, who finished 28th at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, now have a good chance to improve their placement. On Saturday, they took their second straight win at the tournament, beating Kazakhstan in an Asian derby, so the Chinese top the group with four points.

Even with a draw against Cuba, they will head to the Placement Match 25/26. In turn, the second-placed Cuba have three points under their belt, and they only need a win to finish top of the group.