Spain secured back-to-back appearances in the final of the 2026 IHF Women's Youth World Championship, after taking a dramatic 26:25 win against Denmark.

Semi-final
Egypt vs Spain 26:27 (12:13)

The only two unbeaten teams remaining at the 2026 IHF Women's Youth World Championship met in the first semi-final, with a place in the final at stake. As expected, it quickly developed into a tense, hard-fought contest in which neither side managed to establish a meaningful advantage during the opening 30 minutes.

Egypt led only once in the first half, at 1:0, although they had several opportunities to regain the lead later on. Spain never enjoyed more than a two-goal cushion either, reaching that margin only at 5:3, as both teams relied on compact 6-0 defensive formations with occasional aggressive stepping out. Clear shooting opportunities were scarce, with most goals coming from breakthroughs or fast breaks.

The first half also featured a prolonged scoring drought. Between the 13th and 23rd minutes, each side managed just a single goal as the defences continued to dominate. Neither attack relied on one standout player, with nine different scorers on each side before the break and nobody finding the net more than three times. The reigning champions eventually took a narrow 13:12 lead into half-time thanks to an excellent finish from Lucía Moreno Terrien.

Spain made a blistering start to the second half, racing into an 18:14 lead within seven minutes. The reigning champions had several opportunities to extend the gap even further but failed to capitalise, prompting Egypt to call an early time-out.

The break proved perfectly timed, as backed by several important saves from Jana Labanah, Egypt gradually fought their way back into the contest. They first reduced the deficit to 22:20 in the 48th minute before closing to within a single goal at 23:22 four minutes later.

That set up a thrilling finish, with Egypt continuing to rely on their seven-on-six attack in search of an equaliser. Spain looked to have taken a decisive step towards the final when they opened a 27:25 lead, but the drama was far from over. Egypt first missed a chance to reduce the deficit before forcing a Spanish turnover and earning one final attack.

The African side won a seven-metre throw and converted it with five seconds remaining to make it 27:26. It proved to be the final action of the match, as the buzzer sounded immediately afterwards, sending Spain into a second consecutive IHF Women's Youth World Championship final.

Egypt, already assured of the best result in the nation's history after becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals, will now fight for the bronze medal on Sunday, while Spain remain on course to defend their title.

Player of the Match: Lucia Calleja Velasco (Spain)