Croatia lifted the President’s Cup, while Paraguay proved too strong for Egypt in the Placement Matches at the end of the tournament.

Placement Match 25/26
Croatia vs People's Republic of China 41:22 (23:13)

Croatia, the only European team in the President's Cup, finished 25th at the tournament, which is their lowest-ever ranking at the World Championship.

However, they can be happy with winning the President's Cup. China suffered a big loss in their last game of the competition, but the Asians made a step forward compared to Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, where they ranked 28th.

The President's Cup final was basically a one-way traffic, as Croatia opened up an 8:2 lead already in the 10th minute and never looked back. Left wing Andrea Šimara was on fire, scoring all her seven goals in the opening 15 minutes and helping the Europeans to extend the gap. And like in some previous matches, Lucija Bešen did a great job in goal, finishing the game with a 48% saving efficiency before being substituted.

Croatia scored as many as 23 goals in the opening half, and their double-digit advantage hardly left any questions about the outcome. In the end, all 12 of their outfield players scored at least once, with left Tina Barišić standing out with her eight goals. Centre back Fengying Pan scored 12 of China's 22 goals, but her team came up short in this match, while Croatia lifted the trophy, leaving the tournament with their heads held high.

hummel Player of the Match: Dejana Milosavljević (Croatia)

Placement Match 27/28
Paraguay vs Egypt 30:28 (14:12)

Paraguay, who had defeated Uruguay and the Islamic Republic of Iran earlier in the tournament, claimed their third victory, this time in a tight fight against Egypt. The South Americans ranked 27th, while Egypt took 28th position at their debut World Championship.

Hummel Player of the Match Maria Fernandez had a special impact for Paraguay, as the left back scored 10 goals and set up a few more. At Egypt, the left back was also the top scorer—Lojin Osama netted eight times, but her team ultimately lost despite fighting hard.

Paraguay were dominant from the opening minutes and led 6:3 after 10 minutes, and while Egypt fought hard, the South Americans maintained the upper hand, having better shooting efficiency. However, the rivals were separated by just two goals at the break, giving the Egyptians realistic hopes for a comeback.

The script of the game did not really change after the interval, as Paraguay led by three to four goals for most of the second half. Only towards the end of the match did Egypt close the gap to just one goal, 26:27, but the South Americans held their nerve to earn the victory.

hummel Player of the Match: Maria Fernandez (Paraguay)