France became the latest team to secure a place in the main round at the 2026 IHF Women's Youth World Championship, with a 29:27 win against Croatia. In turn, Slovakia, Hungary and Spain all secured their third win in a row to progress with maximum number of points in the next phase of the competition.

Group A
Croatia vs France 27:29 (14:11)

With one main round place still up for grabs in Group A, both Croatia and France entered the decisive clash knowing exactly what was at stake. That urgency was evident from the opening whistle as both teams relied on aggressive defending, resulting in very few goals during the opening minutes.

France struck first in the second minute, while Croatia had to wait until the seventh to score their opening goal and level at 1:1. A few moments later, the French looked to have seized the initiative by opening a 6:3 lead, but Croatia responded immediately.

Led by goalkeeper Vanessa Babić, whose consecutive saves sparked the comeback, the Croats forced a string of French turnovers and first restored parity at 6:6 before moving ahead 10:9. France continued to struggle with attacking mistakes, wasting an excellent first-half display from goalkeeper Nayla Pennavayre, who collected 10 saves at 45% efficiency. Croatia punished those errors in transition and, led by Lana Jurić, pulled away to take a 14:11 advantage into halftime.

A complete turnaround happened in the second half — France stormed out with a 5:0 unanswered run to overturn the deficit and move 16:14 in front. Croatia looked stunned and quickly called a timeout, which briefly paid off as Antea Jerković restored the lead for the Croats.

However, it proved short-lived as France responded once again, with Gabrielle Buisson orchestrating the attack, while a series of late saves from Clémentine Berthelot helped the French open a four-goal cushion with two minutes remaining. Croatia could only reduce the deficit before the final whistle.

Maja Košćec led Croatia with seven goals, while Kristina Goričanec enjoyed a much stronger second half between the posts, finishing with a 30% save efficiency. However, defensively, Croatia were unable to contain Buisson, who starred with seven goals and eight assists.

The victory sends France into the main round alongside Egypt, while Croatia continue their campaign in the President's Cup, where they will fight in Placement Matches 17–32. Despite carrying over two points, it will be Croatia's lowest finish at the IHF Women's Youth World Championship.

Player of the Match: Clémentine Berthelot (France)

Group C
Spain vs Germany 27:24 (13:11)

After two convincing victories, Spain and Germany met to decide first place in Group C and the two points to be carried into the main round. Germany made the brighter start, opening a 2:0 lead while Spain struggled to settle into the contest.

Once the reigning champions found their rhythm, however, the balance quickly shifted. Elena Fresco Bastarrika fired Spain into their first lead at 5:4 in the 12th minute, but neither side managed to gain lasting control as the match developed into a nip-and-tuck battle.

The lead changed hands several times before Spain finished the half on a stronger note. Improved attacking efficiency helped the Spaniards edge in front, while Germany's shooting percentage dropped to 46%, allowing Spain to head into the break with a narrow 13:11 advantage.

The second half proved just as tight, with momentum swinging from one side to the other. Spain were the first to open a three-goal cushion, but Germany refused to back down and responded to move 20:18 ahead, their biggest lead of the half.

The decisive spell came in the closing five minutes when, locked at 22:22, Spain tightened their defence and forced Germany into a series of costly attacking mistakes. Laura Ferrer Carot then stepped up when it mattered most, scoring back-to-back goals for 23:22 and 24:22 to put the reigning champions back in control. Germany were unable to recover, and Spain calmly saw out the remaining minutes to secure a 27:24 victory and first place in Group C, worthy of two points carried over to the main round.

Laura Ferrer Carot and Player of the Match Iraia Berroeta Sánchez led Spain with five goals each, while Meggan Rusko finished as Germany's top scorer with six.

Player of the Match: Iraia Berroeta Sánchez (Spain)

Group E
Hungary vs Sweden 35:29 (21:16)

Both sides had taken big wins in their previous matches, but now it was Hungary who maintained their 100% record following a win in an all-European clash. The Hungarians will start the main round with two points, while Sweden have no points to carry over to the next competition stage.

The rivals were tied at 3:3 after six minutes before Hungary enjoyed a 4:0 run to pull clear. Blanka Szigeti and Petra Keller stepped up in attack, combining for 13 of Hungary's 21 goals in the opening half, as their team continued to hold the upper hand.

Sweden committed a lot of turnovers, which helped their rivals maintain dominance. Hungary led even though their goalkeepers could not deliver a single save before the 25th minute. Their Swedish counterparts had more impact, which helped the Nordic side stay in the fight, cutting the gap to one or two goals on some occasions. But once Vivien Tábit finally stopped a couple of shots, Hungary increased the gap to five goals at the interval.

A 3:0 run soon after the restart handed the Hungarians a seven-goal lead, 26:19, and while Sweden kept fighting, they were denied by further saves from Tábit. Szigeti and Player of the Match Keller finished as Hungary's joint top scorers with eight goals each, as their team stayed victorious.

Player of the Match: Petra Keller (Hungary)

Group G
Slovakia vs Japan 32:30 (18:17)

In a hard-fought game, Slovakia claimed their third straight win at Romania 2026, meaning the only European team in Group G will start the main round with two points, while Japan have no points to carry over.

Slovakia's goalkeeper Anežka Stránska made some early saves, handing her team a 2:0 lead. However, Japan hit back with a 4:0 surge and controlled the game for a while, as the European team's defence struggled against the fast-paced Rinoa Nakagawa and Rio Hamaguchi.

Japan led by three goals on a few occasions, but Slovakia fought back into the game. Left wing Scarlet Špendlová, who netted five times in the first half, secured their long-awaited lead at 14:13 in the 24th minute, and the Europeans retained a one-goal advantage at halftime.

An extremely close fight continued in the second half, as both sides led by one or two goals for a long time. But while Ema Augustinová, who replaced Stránska in Slovakia's goal, made regular saves, the Japanese goalkeepers were less efficient.

The Europeans seemed to have more energy left late in the game, and a 5:1 run between minutes 51 and 57 proved crucial, handing them a 32:27 lead. Japan scored three consecutive goals in the remaining time, but it was too late for a comeback.

Player of the Match: Eszter Komlós (Slovakia)