Portugal won the President’s Cup at the 2026 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship with a dominating performance against Croatia, 34:26, finishing on the 17th place.

Switzerland and Slovakia will fight for the fifth place on Sunday, after winning against the People’s Republic of China and Hungary, with 24 teams now finishing their competition.

Placement Matches 5–8
People’s Republic of China v Switzerland 25:38 (8:17)
Hungary v Slovakia 29:34 (13:17)

Switzerland ensured a finish between the top 6 teams in this competition – their best-ever finish at this level – with a strong attacking display against the People’s Republic of China, which conceded the third loss in a row.

The match was decided in the first half, when Switzerland had a blistering start, with multiple players contributing, as Lauryn Mierzwa, Amy Koch and Elina Egli all finished the match with six goals each.

It went from bad to worse for China, which could not get their attack going, only Shuoyan Zhang shining on the court, with nine goals and five assists, as the battle for the top scorer of the competition looks to be between her and Mierzwa, currently both at 60 goals, three goals behind Japan’s Hina Miura.

In the second half, Switzerland extended their nine-goal lead from the first half to 13 goals, and made it to the Placement Match 5-6, improving from their previous top performance – 14th in 2024.

In the other match, Slovakia, the reigning European champions, confirmed their credentials by beating Hungary, and securing a spot between the top six sides in this event.

Despite the absences of two key players in the competition, Slovakia did provide yet again a good performance, dominating the match from start to finish.

Liliana Gogová pulled another blinder, as Slovakia’s top scorer put 10 goals past the Hungarian goalkeepers, to keep her team alive, especially when the opponents were closing the gap.

A 6:1 run between the 11th and 17th minutes helped Slovakia build a six-goal lead, 16:11, and from that moment on, Hungary had no chance to provide any type of comeback, despite Maja Takacs and Blanka Szigeti combining for 10 goals.

Slovakia eventually took their fifth win of the competition and head to the Placement Match 5-6, where they face Switzerland, while Hungary have a rematch with China to try and finish seventh.

Placement Match 17/18 (President's Cup final)
Croatia v Portugal 26:34 (13:18)

A victory in an all-European clash secured Portugal the President's Cup and 17th place, as they proved too strong for Croatia.

Portugal failed to reach the main round after losing to Montenegro and the Netherlands in the preliminary round. However, they bounced back impressively in the President's Cup, claiming five consecutive victories to lift the consolation trophy.

Earlier this year, Croatia's U20 team won the President's Cup at the 2026 IHF Women's Junior World Championship, but their youth team were unable to repeat that success. The Balkan side finished 18th, their lowest-ever ranking at this level.

A closely contested battle developed from the opening minutes, with the teams level at 8:8 midway through the first half. However, Portugal gradually took control. Goalkeeper Leonor Ramos produced several important saves, helping keep Croatia scoreless for nearly seven minutes before the break as Portugal used a 4:0 run to build a five-goal advantage.

The Portuguese maintained their momentum after the restart, keeping the game firmly under control. They finished with an impressive 74% shooting efficiency, while Croatia's trio of goalkeepers combined for just five saves throughout the match.

Portugal's attacking trio proved decisive, with Maria Rita Lopes scoring nine goals, Catarina Bernardino adding eight and Maria Inês Lopes contributing seven. Together, they accounted for 24 of Portugal's 34 goals, helping seal an eight-goal victory and the President's Cup title.

Player of the Match: Catarina Bernardino (Portugal)

Placement Match 19/20
Tunisia v Brazil 29:31 (16:13)

Brazil, who missed out on a top-16 finish for the first time in history, ranked 19th following a hard-fought win over Tunisia. In turn, the African side, who returned to the IHF Women's Youth World Championship after an eight-year wait, ranked 20th, which is also their lowest-ever placement.

Centre back Luiza Campos, who scored six goals and set up just as many, stood out at the South American side, just like right back Brenda De Almeida, who also netted six times. Notably, Tunisia's centre back Nour Ouni also finished the match with six goals.

Brazil had 26 turnovers during the game, and Tunisia had the upper hand for a long time, with their advantage reaching five goals late in the first half (15:10, 16:11). 10 minutes after the break, the Africans were still in front, 20:17, but Brazil turned things around.

With a 4:1 run, they drew level at 21:21, and the rivals were still tied at 28:28 three and a half minutes from full time. But Brazil, who had a 74% shot efficiency compared to Tunisia's 60%, snatched a win in the closing minutes.

Player of the Match: Luiza Campos (Brazil)

Placement Match 25/26
Canada vs Guinea 15:33 (7:16)

With their second consecutive victory at the tournament, Guinea secured their best-ever finish at the IHF Women's Youth World Championship. Their 25th-place finish improved on their previous results at North Macedonia 2022 and China 2024, where they ended 29th and 30th respectively.

Like Guinea, Canada were making only their third appearance at this level. While 10th place in the inaugural edition in 2006 remains their best result, the North Americans improved on their performance from China 2024, climbing from 31st to 26th place.

Guinea goalkeeper Ramatoulaye Barry played a key role in her team's success, making 14 saves for a 48% save efficiency and holding Canada to just 44% shooting efficiency. Guinea converted 58% of their attempts, while Fatoumata Naby Soumah scored nine goals to lead the African side to a commanding victory.

Player of the Match: Ramatoulaye Barry (Guinea)

Placement Match 27/28
Mexico vs Angola 25:32 (10:19)

After beating Algeria in the President's Cup group stage, Angola took their second win at Romania 2026, this time against Mexico, ending the tournament on a high and taking the 27th place.

Nevertheless, this is their lowest ranking at the IHF Women's Youth World Championship, as the African side made a step back compared to the 26th position at China 2024. Mexico, who played their debut tournament at this level, finished 28th, winning just one match in the tournament, 39:12 against the Republic of Fiji.

Player of the Match Elisa Caneculo did a great job in Angola's attack, scoring 13 goals, while her teammate Isabel Ambrósio added seven assists to her four goals. Angola's goalkeepers Analia Bizerra and Katila David Sala were also superb, combining for 21 saves.

The Africans took a 6:2 lead eight minutes into the match and never looked back. Their advantage reached nine goals at half-time and 12 goals in the 38th minute (25:13), and while Angola relaxed their approach towards the end of the game, their victory was never in danger.

Player of the Match: Elisa Caneculo (Angola)