The Netherlands secured a main round spot at the 2026 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, with a 30:28 win against Portugal, in a do-or-die match in Mioveni.

The Republic of Korea also positioned themselves for a main round spot with a 40:17 win over Mexico, while Kazakhstan     and Slovenia also secured wins in the last match of the preliminary round for these sides.

Group B
Republic of Korea vs Mexico 40:17 (19:12)

The Republic of Korea entered the match as clear favourites, but victory alone would not guarantee their place in the main round — a Czechia win by one goal, combined with Czechia scoring 34 goals or more, would still see Korea eliminated. However, the opening stages were far from one-sided, as Mexico managed to stay within reach and prevented the Asians from pulling away.

The turning point came midway through the first half when Korea's quick transitions finally began to pay off. A 6:0 unanswered run, fuelled by several fast breaks, turned a close contest into a commanding 12:5 lead and laid the foundations for their halftime advantage.

Korea's pace made the difference throughout the opening 30 minutes. On average, they finished their attacks in just 17.4 seconds, while Mexico needed almost 40 seconds to complete theirs, often ending with goalkeeper Dabin Shin making another save.

The Republic of Korea raised the intensity even further after the restart, allowing Mexico just a single goal in the opening 15 minutes of the second half while extending the lead to 29:13. From there, the result was never in doubt.

All 14 Korean outfield players found the net, with Eunyul Kim, Sooah Lee, and Jinsol Lee leading the scoring charts with five goals each. Both goalkeepers also finished with save efficiencies above 40%, capping another dominant team performance. On the Mexican side, five players all scored three times each — Natalia Zapién Muñiz, Camila Aguilera Montañez, Danna Chávez Velador, María Muñoz Sosa, and Abril Anguiano López.

Mexico will continue their debut appearance at the IHF Women's Youth World Championship in the President's Cup, where they will look to claim their first-ever victory.

Player of the Match: Minjin Cho (Republic of Korea)

Group D
Netherlands vs Portugal 27:24 (15:12)

The Netherlands and Portugal met in a decisive battle for a place in the main round, with both sides knowing victory would put them in a strong position ahead of the next stage.

The Dutch made the brighter start, opening a 4:1 lead before Veerle Hop extended the advantage to 7:2. Portugal's biggest problem in the opening stages was their ball control, committing six turnovers while the Netherlands played error-free handball.

However, the momentum shifted in the closing 10 minutes of the first half. Portugal switched to a 3-3 defensive formation, disrupting the Dutch attack and gradually closing the gap. The Europeans entered the break trailing by only three goals at 15:12, keeping the battle for the main round wide open.

Everything that Portugal built before halftime quickly disappeared after the restart. The Netherlands needed only a few minutes to restore complete control, pulling away to 18:12 — their biggest lead of the match at that stage — and never allowed Portugal to seriously threaten again.

The Dutch comfortably managed the advantage for most of the second half. Portugal's only late response came through Iara Francisco, who reduced the deficit to 26:24 with six minutes remaining, but it proved too little, too late as the Netherlands safely closed out the victory.

The win sends the Netherlands through to the main round alongside Montenegro, where they will face Germany and Spain. Portugal, on the other hand, continue their campaign in the President's Cup, joining Argentina, Guinea, and Uzbekistan.

Player of the Match: Ivana Kwakman (Netherlands)

Group F
Kazakhstan vs Uruguay 26:25 (14:16)

With a main round spot impossible to reach for both Kazakhstan and Uruguay, the two sides met in their last preliminary round match in Pitești with the prospect of a win enabling the team which sealed it to secure a better finish in the final standings of the competition.

And that team looked to be Uruguay after seven minutes, as the South American side took an early 4:1 lead, before Kazakhstan bounced back with a fantastic 4:0 run, powered by centre back Tomiris Kelimberdi.

Kelimberdi was the driving force for the Asian side, scoring 13 goals throughout the match, as Uruguay simply had no answer for her in defence. But take her contributions out and Kazakhstan looked like a one-trick pony for most of the match, with their shooting efficiency hovering around 50%.

With strong contributions all around the board, especially from top scorer Fiorella Olmos Jarque, Uruguay bounced back yet again and held a narrow lead, 16:14, at the break. But once again the lead changed hands, as Kazakhstan used a 5:1 run, spuured by the same Kelimberdi, to turn the match on its head and lead, 19:17.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, the Asian side looked prime to seal the win, but then Uruguay also used a 3:0 run to wrestle back the lead and be in pole position. But, once again, the tables turned when Kazakhstan had a 4:1 run, with two goals from Kelimberdi, to seal the deal and secured a 26:25 win.

The two sides will meet Tunisia and Canada in the President’s Cup group, with Tunisia and Kazakhstan starting on two points.

Player of the Match: Tomiris Kelimberdi (Kazakhstan)

Group H
Slovenia vs Algeria 31:18 (16:8)

After taking their second straight win at Romania 2026, Slovenia secured their main round berth. Even if Serbia beat Switzerland later today, and the three teams end up level on four points, Slovenia's +9 aggregate goal difference against the other European sides in Group H will help them progress.

In turn, Algeria will now head to the President's Cup, having suffered three straight defeats at the group stage. Against Slovenia, they struggled from the very beginning, trailing 1:4 after nine minutes.

The Africans showed some signs of resilience, as a brief 3:0 run helped them draw level at 6:6 midway through the first half. But Slovenia responded with a run of their own, and powered by Sara Selčan, who had a 42% save rate before the break, they closed the half with an even stronger 6:0 run to establish an eight-goal lead.

Between the 24th and 36th minutes, Algeria failed to score a single goal, and while Slovenia's shooting efficiency, which stood at 80% at the break, dropped somewhat after the restart, the Europeans continued to dominate. Thirteen of their 14 outfield players got on the scoresheet, with left back Lana Markežič leading the way with five goals, as Slovenia clinched a commanding win.

Player of the Match: Lana Markežič (Slovenia)