Croatia and Czechia will fight for the first place in Group I of the President’s Cup after big wins against Mexico and Fiji, while Portugal already clinched the first place in Group II, with their second win at the 2026 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, 38:23, against Uzbekistan.

Group I
Croatia vs Mexico 38:17 (19:8)
Czechia vs Fiji 58:6 (27:3)

Croatia and Czechia, the two European sides in the group, will fight on Tuesday for the first place, after they both secured wins in their first match in the President’s Cup.

Croatia’s start was far from ideal, but they soon bounced back after being down against Mexico 3:1 after five minutes, using a 4:1 run, followed by a 6:0 run, which basically sealed the deal in the match.

On the back of eight saves from goalkeeper Kristina Goričanec, Croatia produced 10 fast breaks, seven of which were converted, as all but one of their outfield players scored at least one goals.

Chief of them was Tena Jurlina, who scored six goals, while Maja Košćec added five goals, in what was, in the end, a lopsided win for the European side, which scored 19 goals in each half, conceding in single digits in both halves.

Croatia secured a 38:17 win, and will face Czechia, which also had no trouble against Fiji, dominating the match from start to finish, a match which they started with a 7:0 unanswered run.

Czechia then went on to score 58 goals, as Adéla Janků had 11 goals, Linda Máčalová added nine and Barbora Hanzlíková scored eight, for a 58:6 win, which saw all the outfield players of the European team score at least one goal and goalkeeper Justýna Hodková save 14 shots for a 70% saving efficiency.

Group II
Guinea vs Argentina 21:24 (10:15)
Portugal vs Uzbekistan 38:23 (19:14)

Argentina won their maiden match at the 2026 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, but it was far from the walk in the park they expected, as Guinea put the South American side to a serious test.

It was one of Argentina’s last chances to secure a better finish at the end of the competition, but the start was far from perfect for them, as Guinea opened the match with a 4:0 unanswered run, after previously shipping two goals.

Aissatou Diallo was the leading force for Guinea, with eight goals, but Guinea’s energy reserves dried up quickly, and Argentina moved over to take back the lead and open a five-goal lead at the break, 15:10.

It was more about Argentina’s goalkeepers in the second half, as Victoria Trebini led the department with eight saves, for a 57% saving efficiency, for an overall efficiency of 44% for the South American side, which proved decisive.

Guinea tied the score, 18:18, with 16 minutes to go, but a 5:0 run spurred by Josefina Carizzo and Catalina Podesta, who both scored twice, decided the match, as Argentina eventually won, 24:21.

Having already won their match against Argentina, Portugal knew that a win against Uzbekistan would see them secure the first place in the group and progress to the Placement Matches 17/20, with a chance for the President’s Cup final.

Spurred by a magnific first half from left wing Catarina Bernardino, who scored nine goals, the European side opened a five-goal lead at the break, 19:14, and with a 6:0 unanswered run to start the second half, the writing was on the wall.

Portugal went on to secure a 38:23 win, with Bernardino scoring 12 goals and topping the charts for the largest number of goals scored in this competition. The European side also secured the first place in the group, with four points, two more than Argentina and three more than Uzbekistan and Guinea.