France and Denmark are the first two semi-finalists at the 2026 IHF Women's Junior World Championship, with clear double-digit wins over Montenegro and Serbia respectively.

Quarter-finals
France vs Montenegro 33:23 (20:13)

A strong performance and a 10-goal win against Montenegro helped reigning champions France keep their hopes of another title alive. The French team extended their 100% record at China 2026, claiming their sixth straight victory in style, while Montenegro suffered their first loss and will finish the tournament in the Placement Matches 5-8.

Montenegro's Elena Mitrovic opened the scoring, but it was her team's only lead during the entire game. France responded with a 3:0 run and never looked back, gradually increasing their advantage. Their defence, which is the best in the tournament, worked well, and fast counterattacks helped the French side stay in the driver's seat.

Midway through the first half, France led 10:5, and following a timeout, Montenegro tried to turn the tide by playing 7 against 6 in attack. However, it did not work — while Ivana Savic stood out with six goals before the break, her teammate Teodora Roncevic made just two saves in 30 minutes, and France enjoyed a comfortable six-goal cushion at half-time.

Montenegro boasted the third most efficient attack at the competition before the quarter-final, but they came up short against the compact French defence, making 21 turnovers and having just 53% shot efficiency during the game. In the second half, France somewhat relaxed their approach in attack, but remained in full control of the game, extending their lead to nine goals, 27:18, by the 45th minute.

Eleven French players netted at least once, with Player of the Match Dawiya Abdou finishing with eight goals, and Blandine Gros adding six more. Besides, the goalkeeping duo of Romane Gindro and Camille Depuiset combined for 13 saves, contributing to their team's commanding victory.

Player of the Match: Dawiya Abdou (France)

Quarter-finals
Denmark vs Serbia 38:26 (18:9)

Denmark remained unbeaten at China 2026 and moved into their 11th semi-final at the IHF Women's Junior World Championship. After four wins and a draw against Montenegro in the main round, the Scandinavian side once again underlined their ambitions, taking control against Serbia from the opening whistle and booking a second consecutive semi-final appearance after also reaching the last four at North Macedonia 2024.

Denmark dominated from the very beginning, particularly in defence, while Serbia struggled to close down and provide enough support for their goalkeepers. After the score was tied at 1:1 in the second minute, the Danes produced a stunning 6:0 unanswered run in just four minutes to storm into a 7:1 lead, with Freja Fonseca Nielsen making four saves from the first five shots she faced.

Serbia finally ended their scoring drought in the eighth minute through Milica Otašević, but never managed to regain enough confidence or composure to threaten a comeback. Denmark looked in complete control, with Julie Boendorf Johansen proving especially dangerous from the wing, scoring seven first-half goals, while Kristine Emilie Hoppe once again pulled the strings in attack with goals and assists.

The Balkan side also struggled offensively as they failed to convert any of their penalty shots, and only two players — Sara Radović and Leana Milosavljević — scored more than once in the first half, leaving them with a mountain to climb after the break if they were to reach only the second semi-final in their history.

Little changed after the restart, as Serbia's problems continued. They could not cope with Denmark's pace or attacking variety, while their defence was far from the level shown in the previous matches. None of the three Serbian goalkeepers managed to turn the tide, and in attack only Mia Nedeljković consistently found solutions in the second half.

In the opening five minutes of the second half, Denmark extended their first double-digit lead from 23:13 to 26:13, matching their biggest advantage of the match and all but securing victory. From there, the Danes comfortably managed the remainder of the game on their way to another semi-final and a chance to fight for the medal.

Kristine Emilie Hoppe finished with nine goals, Julie Boendorf Johansen added eight, while Freja Fonseca Nielsen ended the match with 14 saves. For Serbia, Leana Milosavljević was the top scorer with six goals. Serbia now move into the Placement Matches 5-8, which could still deliver their second-best finish at this level after fourth place in 2012 — their other previous results were ninth, 12th and 22nd.

Player of the Match: Freja Fonseca Nielsen (Denmark)