Germany and Spain completed the quartet of semi-finalists at China 2026, with one-goal wins against Norway and Japan respectively, including some great comebacks in the second halves of the last two quarter-finals.

Quarter-finals
Germany vs Norway 23:22 (10:13)

Thanks to a second-half comeback in a dramatic encounter, Germany beat Norway and booked their semi-final ticket. The reigning W19 EHF EURO champions stay in contention for another title, while the Norwegians will wrap up the tournament in the Placement Matches 5-8.

For a long time, Norway were in control of the game thanks to Leah Isabell Langaard's superb goalkeeping, as she made 14 saves for a 64% save rate in the first half. The German attack was the best in the entire competition before this game, but it was restricted to a meagre 33% shooting efficiency in the opening 30 minutes.

Julie Ellingsen had an early impact for Norway, scoring four goals in the opening 13 minutes. Her effort, combined with Langaard's multiple saves, helped the Scandinavians pull clear at 9:5 in the 16th minute, and 12:7 five minutes later was the biggest gap between the rivals in the opening half. And despite slowing down in attack and scoring just one goal in the last nine minutes before the break, Norway led by three goals at half-time.

Early in the second half, the Nordic side seemed to regain their firepower, extending their lead to 17:12. But a string of turnovers and missed shots helped Germany to a 6:0 run, as they pulled in front for the first time in the match.

As Langaard made just four saves after the break, Norway seemed to lose momentum. In contrast, German goalkeeper Lena Marie Lindemann improved a lot as the game progressed, finishing with 16 saves. Her team increased the lead to 23:20, and while Norway cut the gap to just one goal with nearly three minutes to play, they failed to do more, and the Germans jumped for joy after the final buzzer.

Player of the Match: Lena Marie Lindemann (Germany)

Quarter-finals
Japan vs Spain 33:34 (15:18)

Japan arrived in the quarter-finals as the only non-European side left at China 2026 and were determined to continue their historic run towards a first-ever medal battle at the IHF Women's Junior World Championship. Their opponents, Spain, had their own motivation, reaching the last eight for the first time since 2008, when they eventually finished fourth, and also wanted to reach the top four. The opening half reflected those ambitions, producing an intense battle with the lead changing hands several times.

Spain made the brighter start and, through Paula Lluch Rico, opened a four-goal advantage, 6:2, in the eighth minute. Japan responded by switching to a 5-1 defence, and that tactical adjustment quickly paid off. Backed by several important saves from Hana Osaki, the Asian side disrupted Spain's rhythm, and Haruhi Sano levelled the score at 8:8 in the 14th minute.

Japan then grabbed their first lead of the match in the 19th minute, 10:9, and even moved two goals ahead at 14:12. Just when it seemed the Asian side had taken control, Spain regrouped as their attack became far more efficient, and their defence tightened up, forcing Japan into a series of costly mistakes.

Japan's attempts to increase the lead by playing with an extra attacker and leaving the goal empty ultimately backfired. Spain repeatedly punished the turnovers with easy goals into the empty net, turning the match around with a 3:0 run in the closing stages of the first half to take an 18:15 lead into the break. By half-time, Japan had already committed 14 turnovers, compared to only four by Spain.

The second half brought another thrilling battle. Spain also looked to make use of the seven-against-six attack, but just like Japan, they were not always able to capitalise on the numerical advantage. Japan drew level once again at 21:21 in the 38th minute, and from there the match developed into a tense back-and-forth contest, with Spain holding the upper hand for most of the remaining time.

On several occasions, it looked as though Spain had finally broken away, but Japan repeatedly fought back. After trailing by three goals, they cut the deficit to just one at 32:33 in the 59th minute, setting up a dramatic finish.

Japan then had the chance to level the score, but Airi Jinno's shot went wide of the post. Spain took full advantage at the other end, extending the lead to 34:32 and effectively sealing the victory. Japan managed one final goal before the buzzer, but it only softened the defeat as Spain celebrated a narrow 34:33 win.

Haruhi Sano led Japan with seven goals, while Ai Nakao added six. Paula Lluch Rico, Belén Rodríguez Lario and Kelly Nnonzie Fonkeng Mfotiog, who finished with seven, six and six goals respectively, pulled the strings in the Spanish attack.

Spain will meet Denmark in the semi-finals, while Japan move to the Placement Matches 5-8, where they will face Serbia.

Player of the Match: Paula Lluch Rico (Spain)