Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and Spain all secured big wins and edged closer to a main round spot at Romania 2026, as the second day of competition opened.

Group A
Republic of Fiji vs Croatia 4:67 (2:33)

Croatia comfortably lived up to their favourites' status against the competition debutants, building a commanding lead from the opening whistle and allowing Fiji very few opportunities in attack.

The Pacific side had to wait until the 18th minute before Ro Banuve Logavatu scored their first goal of the match — her second at the IHF Women's Youth World Championship after finding the net against France on the opening day. By then, Croatia had already raced to an 18:1 lead and eventually headed into the break with an outstanding 87% shooting efficiency.

Fiji did manage one more goal on a fast break before halftime, but Croatia's dominance remained unquestioned throughout the opening 30 minutes as they took a commanding 33:2 advantage into the dressing room.

Fiji added two more goals after the break, but there was no slowing Croatia down. The Europeans continued to score at will, reaching the 60-goal mark in the 53rd minute before sealing a commanding 67:4 victory, with Maja Elena Hajdinjak leading the way with 19 goals.

The result rewrote the Croatian record books, as their previous highest tally at the IHF Women's Youth World Championship had been 54 goals against India in 2022, while the 67 goals scored also set a new all-time competition record, surpassing the 66 scored by Republic of Korea in a 66:17 win over Canada in 2024.

Croatia, buoyed by their first win at the competition, are now eyeing the final group clash against France with main round hopes still alive, while Fiji will face Egypt before moving on to the President's Cup.

Player of the Match: Tena Jurlina (Croatia)

Group C
Uzbekistan vs Spain 22:46 (12:25)

Reigning champions Spain moved another step closer to the main round with another convincing display, following up their opening-day victory over Guinea with a strong performance against Uzbekistan.

Although the Asian side kept pace in the opening minutes, Spain soon found another gear. Lucía Moreno Terrien led the early charge as the defending champions turned a 4:2 lead into 9:4 before gradually pulling further away.

Uzbekistan's attack relied heavily on Shalola Keldiyorova and Ilmira Bayjanova, who combined for eight of their side's 12 first-half goals. However, defensive difficulties and too many attacking errors allowed Spain to steadily increase the gap and take a comfortable 25:12 lead into halftime.

The gap continued to grow after the break as Uzbekistan struggled to keep pace, while Spain showed no signs of slowing down. A 16-goal advantage in the 47th minute quickly became a 20-goal lead five minutes later at 40:20, before the defending champions wrapped up a 46:22 victory. Thirteen of Spain's 14 outfield players found the net, while both goalkeepers finished with at least a 40% save efficiency; for Uzbekistan, Ilmira Bayjanova retained her status as their top scorer.

On the final group match day, Spain will look to win an all-European derby against Germany in what could be an important battle for two points to carry into the main round, while Uzbekistan will seek their maiden win against Guinea.

Player of the Match: Erika Elena Vladu (Spain)

Group G
Angola vs Slovakia 11:33 (4:19)

After beating Brazil in their opening match, Slovakia went on to claim a commanding win over Angola and edged closer to the main round — the European side will secure their spot later today if Japan do not lose against Brazil.

The match was one-way traffic from the opening minutes, as Slovakia opened up an 8:0 lead before Domingas Bande scored Angola's opening goal in the 11th minute. The African side struggled to find their rhythm and were restricted to just four goals in the first half, while Slovakia's left wing Sofia Némethová netted almost twice as many in the same period — her seven goals helped the Europeans build a comfortable 15-goal advantage.

Angola committed as many as 29 turnovers during the game, and while Slovakia eased off somewhat in the second half, they had no trouble keeping the match under firm control. Their goalkeepers Kristína Kubičinová and Anežka Stránska combined for 15 saves, limiting the Africans to a 33% shooting efficiency, as Slovakia ultimately celebrated a 22-goal win.

Player of the Match: Sofia Némethová (Slovakia)

Group E
Canada vs Hungary 15:53 (7:25)

Hungary secured their second win in a row and edged closer to a main round spot at the 2026 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, with a dominating win against Canada, 53:15.

Hungary’s goalkeepers, Noémi Radics and Lara Körmendi, combined for 19 saves and a 56%, with the former being named Player of the Match and their saves, plus the sturdy Hungary defence was what helped the gap balloon.

The European side had a 71% shooting efficiency, as opposed to a 32% shooting efficiency of Canada, with all their outfield players scoring at least one goal, led by Lilla Somogyi and Petra Keller, who combined for 13 goals.

Hungary have four points from two matches and will face Sweden, with both sides progressing to the main round if Sweden win against Tunisia in the next match.

Player of the Match: Noémi Radics (Hungary)