The 24th edition of the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, the second one with 32 teams at the start, will throw off on Wednesday, 19 June, with a full card, as all 32 sides will face off in three arenas in North Macedonia’s capital, Skopje.

With 116 matches scheduled throughout the competition, the best junior teams in the world will eye the coveted title, currently held by Norway, which secured it at Slovenia 2022.

GROUP A

11:15 CEST Romania vs Brazil

After their worst finish at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship in the last edition, the 18th place, Romania are keen to bounce back and have an exciting generation on their hands, having finished on the third place, securing the bronze medal on their home court last summer, at the W19 EHF EURO 2023.

That automatically puts Romania in with a chance at North Macedonia 2024, especially as they retained most of their core, with backs Diana Lixăndroiu and Alisia Boiciuc, plus wings Mihaela Mihai and Mariam Mohamed still in the team for the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship.

With an year over the players – most of which have featured in the strong Romanian league – the European side will open the competition at North Macedonia 2024 with a match against Brazil, a team which can always spring a surprise or two, due to their different and combative style.

Nevertheless, Brazil have been hit-and-miss in the past editions, failing to make the top-10 since 2008 and finished second behind Argentina at the 2023 South and Central American Women’s Junior Handball Championship, needing a better outing in this pivotal match, which could prove crucial for the qualification hopes of both teams.

13:30 CEST Netherlands vs Islamic Republic of Iran

With four consecutive finishes in the top-10 in the previous editions of the world handball flagship competition at this age category, the Netherlands are one of the most consistent teams in the world right now and will look to add on that momentum at North Macedonia 2024.

They are, surely, one of the teams to watch and they bring plenty of experience at the table, including players like Jalisha Loy, Romée Maarschalkerweerd or Bianca Schanssema, who have already played two years ago in the competition and are touted to be future players of the senior team.

On the other hand, the Dutch side were handed a reality check against favourites Hungary, which delivered a 36:21 loss in a friendly match on 14 June, but the Netherlands also secured a 22:15 win against Egypt, a team which they could be facing in the main round, provided the European side qualifies.

The first opponent for the Netherlands will be the Islamic Republic of Iran, which have seen a growth in women’s handball over the last years, with all the senior, junior and youth teams qualifying for the IHF World Championships.

But with the Asian side coming 30th in the previous edition, it looks like Iran are going to be underdogs once again here, at North Macedonia 2024, as the Netherlands aim to win their first two matches before setting up a crunch clash with Romania for the first place in the group.

GROUP B

10:00 CEST Switzerland vs Tunisia 

The surprise package at the 2022 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, Switzerland, which made the quarter-finals two years ago, are back at North Macedonia 2024 and will be eyeing a main round spot, regardless of the changes made on their bench, with experienced coach Martin Albertsen leaving last summer, after the W19 EHF EURO 2023.

In Group B, Switzerland will be favoured against Egypt, Tunisia and Chile, but the most interesting thing to watch will be whether they can withhold the favourite status and deliver good performances, as they have been absolutely excellent in the role of the underdog.

With several players having already performed at senior level in the domestic league, Switzerland will aim again for a place in the quarter-final, but if they start with two points in the main round, they will probably have their work cut out with teams like Romania or the Netherlands waiting in the wings.

On the other hand, this will be Tunisia’s eighth appearance at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, but the African side has never placed higher than the 14th place, in their debut, in 2001. However, they were pretty close on achieving a better place in the previous edition, at Slovenia 2022, when they ended up on the 16th place.

Making the main round, like at Slovenia 2022, is the main goal for the African side this time too, but in a group alongside Switzerland, Chile and fellow African side Egypt, this is hardly a walk in the park. Considering that Tunisia hosted the 2023 CAHB African Women's Junior Handball Championship and lost against Egypt, 26:30, their endeavour might prove even more difficult.

In the continental competition, the 2023 CAHB African Women's Junior Handball Championship, Tunisia finished fourth, after ending up on the second place in the preliminary round against Egypt and conceding two more losses, in the knockout phase.

13:00 CEST Egypt vs Chile

Egypt have been the surprise package at the 2022 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, where this generation ended up on the seventh place, making the quarter-finals.

The firepower is still there, but Egypt have finished only second at the 2023 CAHB African Women's Junior Handball Championship, with their five-match winning run being spoilt by champions Angola, in the final, where Egypt conceded a 26:30 loss, but were competitive against the continental powerhouse.

Nevertheless, Egypt retained much of their core and will look to spring a surprise or two at North Macedonia 2022, but their losses against Hungary (21:32) and the Netherlands (15:22) in friendly matches one week before the start of the competition spell some difficult competition for the African side.

They will be favoured against Chile, with North Macedonia 2024 being their fourth consecutive edition which the South American side takes part in.

GROUP C

09:00 CEST Hungary vs Argentina

Hungary are surely one of the hot favourites tipped to clinch the title, a team which has finished in the top-10 for every edition of the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship they took part in, with a 14-edition streak entering North Macedonia 2024.

This generation has secured the bronze medal at the 2022 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship and are the current champions at the W19 EHF EURO, a title sealed without dropping a match last summer in Romania, making them a strong proposition to be in the final weekend.

Without the MVP of the W19 EHF EURO 2023, centre back Petra Simon, who was called up for the senior team, Hungary will lose some of the momentum, but they are backed up by a superb form, proven in the friendly matches against the Netherlands (35:21) and Egypt (32:21) played on their home court a week before the throw off.

The European champions will be favoured against the South and Central American champions, Argentina, in their opener in Skopje, with Argentina failing to make the top-10 in each of the nine editions of the world handball flagship competition they played in.

With Argentina coming on the 25th place last time around, it will be difficult for the South American side to improve in such a short amount of time, but being continental champions and beating Brazil last year could mean they have the potential to cause some upsets.

09:00 CEST Republic of Korea vs Mexico

All eyes will be on the Republic of Korea when they open their campaign in the Boris Trajkovski Sports Center in Skopje, as the Asian side are the reigning champions at the IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, with this generation creating plenty of buzz two years ago in Skopje.

The Republic of Korea have been perennial contenders at this age category and have missed the top-10 only once in 20 appearances, back in 2022, when they ended up on the 19th place. MVP Minseo Kim is missing from the provisional squad, but wings Seojin Kim and Cha Seoyeon are there, with the latter also making the All-Star team two years ago.

The Asian side will be favourites against Mexico, which will take the court for the third time in the competition, after finishing 18th at Korea 2010 and 32nd, on the last place, at Slovenia 2022. Nevertheless, the winners of the 2023 IHF Trophy U19 – North America and the Caribbean, will aim to create a difficult match for Korea, the current Asian champions, which have finished outside the top-10 for the first time in history in 2022.

GROUP D

15:45 CEST Denmark vs Japan

Denmark have been one of the teams to beat in the past years, as this generation has secured both the silver medal at the 2022 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship and the silver medal at the W19 EHF EURO 2023.

However, for North Macedonia 2024, Denmark will not have Julie Mathiesen Scaglione, the left back who was the top goal scorer in both previous major international competitions, as she has already made the jump to the senior team, featuring at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship.

But players like right back Anne With Johansen, who scored 10 goals for the EHF Champions League Women runners-up, SG BBM Bietigheim, this season, or goalkeeper Ida Marie Kaysen are experienced players, who can help Denmark battle once again for the trophy here, at North Macedonia 2024.

The first challenge for Denmark, which does not look easy on paper, is Japan, the bronze medallist at the 2023 AHF Asian Women’s Junior Championship. The Asian side looks always to be a handful for European sides, but Denmark, with their credentials – 16 consecutive editions finishing in the top-10 – are likely to be favoured, even without Scaglione.

18:00 CEST Norway vs Chinese Taipei

The reigning champions, Norway, will open their campaign at North Macedonia 2024 against the Chinese Taipei, being clearly favoured through their experience, needing a strong start to prove their credentials, after a disappointing outing for this generation both at the 2022 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship and at the W19 EHF EURO 2023.

Last summer, Norway finished 10th in the continental competition and were lacking the cutting edge to go further, and Group D will not be the easiest to navigate for Kristine Lunde’s side, as they face Denmark, Japan and the Chinese Taipei.

The Asian side has finished fourth at the 2023 AHF Asian Women’s Junior Championship, and are making their comeback on the world stage for the first time since 2008, when the competition was also hosted by North Macedonia.

But with a certain lack of experience, the Chinese Taipei are starting with the fourth chance in this group and their path towards a main round place looks to be very difficult, irrespective of their style posing serious challenges to European teams.

GROUP E

13:30 CEST Czechia vs Algeria

In their six previous participations at the IHF Women's Junior World Championship, Czechia never finished above the 11th place. Now they are not among the main favourites, either, but the European side hope to at least progress to the main round.

Earlier this month, the Czechs lost both friendly matches at home against Switzerland, 25:31 and 25:29, but they are determined to do better in their opening encounter at North Macedonia 2024 against Algeria.

"The group is playable, and the match against China will probably play a crucial role. Already the first game will show how we've been developing as a team," left wing Sarka Kapusniakova said.

Algeria, who are back at the IHF Women's Junior World Championship after a 16-year hiatus, are seen as underdogs in this match and in Group E in general. The team secured their spot at North Macedonia 2024 after taking the fifth position at the CAHB African Women's Junior Handball Championship last year.

Algeria also played their two most recent World Championships also in North Macedonia, in 2003 and 2008, finishing 19th and 16th respectively. Now the African side hope to create some surprises – possibly already in their first game. 

15:45 CEST Sweden vs People's Republic of China

Sweden are featuring for the 15th time at the IHF Women's Junior World Championship, and they had some good results in the past – in particular, winning the title at Czech Republic 2012. Two years ago at Slovenia 2022, the Scandinavians ranked fourth, so now they are enter the race with high hopes again.

Last week, Sweden played two friendly matches, and while a 22:30 defeat against Denmark raised some concern, the team responded well and beat Norway 29:24 on the following day. 

"Since the start of our preparation, we've taken one or two steps forward. And now we need to take one or two more steps forward to be able to fight for a play-off position at the World Championship," coach Jesper Östlund said.

Sweden's primary goal is to progress to the main round, and a win against People's Republic of China will put the European team in a good position. But the Chinese, who missed the previous edition of the tournament, are not going to give up in advance.

After all, they surprisingly earned silver at the 2023 AHF Asian Women's Junior Handball Championship, so the Chinese are on the rise, which may translate into some good results at the World Championship. 



GROUP F

18:00 CEST Germany vs Serbia

Four European teams are set to compete in the most balanced group of the tournament, and the opening match between Germany and Serbia will be very important for both sides, as the winner will greatly improve their chances for a main round berth.

The German team boosted their morale after winning the Torneo IV Naciones – the Four Nations Tournament – in Portugal, finishing above France, Portugal and Spain earlier in June. Although Germany lost the opening match against future group rivals Spain, head coach Christopher Nordmeyer was overall happy with his team and did not make any changes in the roster before the World Championship.

"We have a very homogeneous team that enjoys working together and in which there is a great deal of harmony. The balance of our squad makes us strong," Nordmeyer said.

In turn, Serbia are making their comeback to the IHF Women's Junior World Championship after a 10-year break. The Balkan side replaced New Zealand at North Macedonia 2024, and while the Serbs are not seen as favourites of the group, the have plenty of fighting spirit.

"I think we had an excellent period of preparation. The atmosphere in the team is great, and I would really like to make a good result. Each of us believes in it. The group is too difficult, but we are going there not to give up in advance, but to show that we deserve a place there," right wing Dunja Radevic says. 

20:15 CEST France vs Spain

The two teams faced each other in the above-mentioned Torneo IV Naciones in Portugal, where France proved too strong for their Spanish rivals. They won by a wide margin, 32:18, and ultimately finished second, while Spain took the fourth place.

However, now it will be a different competition, and France's coach Eric Baradat knows that his team have been drawn into a very competitive group. "Unless there is a significant difference in the first match in one direction or the other, we will not be sure of anything until the last match of the group. The most likely case is to have very competitive matches until the end," he said.

The Spanish team are determined to open North Macedonia 2024 with a win and thus take revenge on France for a recent painful defeat in Portugal. They know that they are in the "group of death", but head coach Joaquin Rocamora sounds rather optimistic before the start. 

"It's going to be very hard, but I have full confidence in my team. We should focus on our game model and on being competent. We have a great team spirit, which is at least equal, if not superior, to that of our rivals," he said.

Group G

11:15 CEST Portugal vs Guinea      

In the Torneo IV Naciones played on their home court earlier this month, Portugal finished third, as they lost against Germany and France and beat Spain. However, now the team coached by Jose Antonio Silva are entering their fifth ever IHF Women's Junior World Championship with high expectations.

After all, this generation of players did a good job at the Women's 19 EHF EURO 2023, where they finished fourth. Now Portugal are eager to build on that successful performance, even if there are five changes compared to the last year's roster.

"In fact, the core of the team remains, which gives us stability both from a competitive point of view and in terms of group dynamics. However, we were forced to make some adjustments because some athletes, probably due to a very demanding season, were not in the best conditions to join the preparation and participate in the World Championship," Silva said.

In their opening match, Portugal will be favoured against Guinea, who are heading into their just second IHF Women's Junior World Championship after finishing 23rd at Slovenia 2022. That said, Guinea has made some progress in recent years, with their youth and junior teams doing well at the Women's IHF Trophy, and the junior team winning bronze at the 2023 CAHF African Women's Junior Handball Championship. So at North Macedonia 2024, Lansana Dinalo Camara's team hope to create some surprises. 

19:00 CEST Montenegro vs Uzbekistan

Montenegro, who are heading into their sixth IHF Women's Junior World Championship, are seen as one of the favourites of Group G alongside fellow European side Portugal. In their opening encounter of the tournament against Uzbekistan, the Balkan team are generally expected to claim a victory.

"Our first goal is to qualify for the main round, we are group favorites together with Portugal, and the duel against that rival in the last round will be the final for us. Namely, if we manage to win the first place in the group, we have a real chance to reach the quarter-finals, which would be a great result for this generation," head coach Igor Markovic said before the start of the tournament.

Uzbekistan secured their berth at North Macedonia 2024 after a triumph at the Women's IHF Trophy Intercontinental Phase in March. Notably, the Asian side have never won a match at this level, losing all their encounters at Russia 2016, which has been their only IHF Women's Junior World Championship participation so far. 

Now the Uzbeks are determined to do better than eight years ago, and they definitely have a chance to claim some wins in the course of the competition. However, it will be extremely hard for them to snatch any points from Montenegro on Wednesday. 

GROUP H

16:00 CEST Angola vs Iceland

Two years ago, Angola finished sixth at the IHF Women's Junior World Championship, which was their best-ever result at this level. And now the team, who won their 11th title of the CAHB African Women's Junior Handball Championship last year, hope to put on another impressive performance, aiming to do even better than in 2022.

Some players, such as Bernadeth Belo and Marcela Tati, already performed at this level two years ago, and they also have an experience of playing in the senior national squad. Before the tournament, the Africans had a training camp in Hungary, where they tried to prepare for the upcoming matches in the best possible way. 

While Angola are entering their 13th IHF Women's Junior World Championship, Iceland are playing at this level for only the fourth time. They are making a comeback after a six-year break after boasting their best-ever result – the sixth place – at Hungary 2018.

Last year, this generation if Icelandic players ranked only 13th at the Women's 19 EHF EURO 2023, but it was just enough to book a ticket to North Macedonia 2024. Last week, the Nordic side won the Friendly Cup, an international tournament in Skopje, where they defeated Chile, Romania and North Macedonia, so they hope to continue that run in the encounter against Angola. 

20:15 CEST North Macedonia vs United States of America

Playing at home, North Macedonia hope to go far in the tournament, and their primary goal is reaching the main round. A possible win against the United States of America in their opening match will obviously boost the hosts' chances of progressing from the group.

However, head coach Darko Janev is humble in his approach, also because he cannot rely on all the best players of the generation. Marija Jankulovska, Nena Nestoroska, Aleksandra Kolovska, Teodora Dukovska are some of the players who are sidelined with injuries, which makes North Macedonia's task somewhat more difficult.

"I will be modest and careful and I don't want to promise anything before the start of the championship. Our first goal is to advance from the group. We will go step by step and try to be better from match to match," Janev said.

Their first rivals, the United States of America, ranked only 31st at Slovenia 2022, when they made a comeback at the IHF Women's Junior World Championship after a long 41-year hiatus. However, many players from that team will also compete at North Macedonia 2024 – and now they are two years older, which gives the North Americans some hopes to do a better job.