Norway are the last qualified team to the quarter-finals at the 2026 IHF Women's Junior World Championship, with a 30:27 win against Hungary.

Therefore, the quarter-finals schedule is set, with Germany facing Norway, France meeting Montenegro, Denmark eyeing a match with Serbia, while Japan play against Spain.

Main round Group I
France vs Serbia 31:19 (17:14)

Both sides had secured their quarter-final berths the day before, but following a win, France finished top of the group with four points, while Serbia became runners-up with four points. The French side extended their winning streak at the tournament to five games, while Serbia dropped their first points after four successive victories.

2:1 early in the game was the Balkan side’s only lead during 60 minutes, as the titleholders quickly seized the initiative. After a 6:1 run fueled by Romane Gindro’s saves, France pulled clear to a six-goal advantage at 11:5 and 12:6. However, Mia Nedeljković stepped up and launched Serbia’s 4:0 run, and a three-goal gap at the interval left Serbia with a chance to turn things around.

It did not happen, though, as France opened the second half with a 7:0 run, forcing their opponents to take two timeouts within five minutes. Only in the 41st minute, Nikolina Bulatovic scored Serbia’s first goal after the interval, but France went on to fully dominate on the court.

Leane Gonzalez, who replaced Gindro in France’s goal, was named the Player of the Match, finishing with 11 saves and a 65% save efficiency. Her heroics restricted Serbia to just five goals in the second half, as France cruised to a big win.

Player of the Match: Leane Gonzalez (France)

Main round Group IV
Hungary vs Norway 27:30 (15:14)

12 goals by Ada Aalstad helped Norway to snatch a hard-fought win over Hungary and book a quarter-final ticket. With four points, the Nordic team finished second in the group, behind Japan on a head-to-head result, while Hungary ranked fourth and will go to the Placement Matches 13-16.

Aalstad’s three goals in the first five minutes handed Norway an early 4:2 lead, but Hungary responded with a 4:1 run to pull in front. They went on to lead for most of the opening half, with the gap reaching three goals on two occasions, at 11:8 and 14:11.

While Aalstad scored nearly half of Norway’s goals before the break – six of 14 – none of the Hungarians netted more than twice during the same period. However, they could rely on better goalkeeping, as Diána Szilágyi recorded a 44% save rate in the opening half. And while the Scandinavians’ advantage shrank to just one goal, Hungary were still in front at the interval.

Norway’s goalkeeper Leah Isabell Langaard stepped up after the break, and her saves lifted the Nordic team to a 4:0 run. But a timeout helped Hungary get back on track, and the sides were tied at 21:21 midway through the second half.

But the unstoppable Aalstad continued to have a big impact, and Synne With also did well in attack, netting five times. While Zelda Horváth kept Hungary in the game with her saves, Norway were dominant in the last quarter of the encounter and pulled away to a 30:24 lead with almost two minutes to go, making their rivals’ late 3:0 run irrelevant.

Player of the Match: Ada Aalstad (Norway)

Main round, Group II
Romania vs Republic of Korea 26:22 (16:10)

The opening seven minutes were played goal for goal, with the Republic of Korea holding a slender 4:3 advantage. But Romania soon shifted into a higher gear, forcing the Asian side into mistakes with their defence against Korea’s trademark fast pace. A 6:0 unanswered run gave Romania a 9:4 lead in the 14th minute and made their intentions clear.

The run visibly slowed down Korea and affected their confidence as their attacking errors began to pile up and, although goalkeeper Chaeeun Go produced several good saves, she could not make up for all the mistakes in front of her. Romania took full advantage, stretching the gap to 14:6 by the 21st minute before heading into the break with a comfortable 16:10 lead.

The first 10 minutes of the second half were much slower, with both sides committing a number of turnovers and low scoring. By the 39th minute, the score stood at only 17:12, but once the pace picked up again, Romania remained firmly in control. They restored a five-goal cushion at 21:16, with Maria-Alexandra Voicu and Teodora-Lavinia Damian continuing to lead the attack.

Korea remained competitive through another strong goalkeeping display from Chaeeun Go, who finished with 15 saves, but the attacking output was not enough to mount a comeback. They briefly threatened when they reduced the deficit to 22:25 in the 57th minute, yet Romania never allowed the victory to slip away and celebrated a deserved 26:22 win.

Romania will now compete in the Placement matches 9-12, matching the range they played for at the previous edition, where they eventually finished 11th. Korea, who placed 14th two years ago, will contest the Placement matches 13-16.

Player of the Match: Teodora-Lavinia Damian (Romania)

Main round, Group III
People’s Republic of China vs Czechia 29:36 (10:17)

The hosts made a bright start and, backed by the fans, opened a 6:4 lead. What followed was an entertaining spell dominated by the goalkeepers, who kept both attacks scoreless for several minutes, but once the deadlock was broken, the momentum shifted completely.

Czechia used a 4:0 unanswered run, led by Regína Matějková, to move ahead 12:8. Another 5:0 burst soon followed, sending the Europeans into halftime with a commanding seven-goal advantage.

The run carried over into the second half, as Czechia stretched the lead to 18:10 in the 32nd minute. China went scoreless for almost 10 minutes before Fengying Pan finally broke the drought, and she remained the driving force for the hosts throughout the match, finishing with 10 goals and three assists.

However, China could not find a way back into the contest, as the closest they came was at 18:22.

Czechia stepped up once more in the closing stages, creating another decisive gap to seal a convincing 36:29 victory. Viktorie Vrbková and Michaela Krapková led the way with seven goals each, while 12 different Czech players found the net and goalkeeper Adéla Chvátalová provided another solid performance between the posts.

After finishing 11th at both their previous IHF Women’s Junior World Championship appearances in 2014 and 2022, Czechia will once again compete in the Placement matches 9-12. China, who placed 15th at the previous edition, will head to the Placement matches 13-16.

Player of the Match: Fengying Pan (People’s Republic of China)

Main round, Group I

Sweden vs Austria 29:20 (15:10)

Following this win, Sweden finished third in the group with two points and will wrap up the tournament with the Placement Matches 9-12. In turn, Austria conceded their third straight defeat at China 2026 and will head to the Placement Matches 13-16. 

Sweden grabbed an early control of the match, opening up a 4:1 lead after five minutes. Austria failed to draw level even once, but led by Martina Maticevic, they cut the gap to just one goal on several occasions. However, a better shooting efficiency helped the Scandinavians to pull clear again, and a 5:2 surge just before the break secured their five-goal advantage after 30 minutes.

Maticevic became the top scorer of the match with eight goals, but while converting all five 7m shots, she missed seven of 10 attempts from an open play. Overall, Austria had 15 turnovers and a 49% shot efficiency during the game, which did not give them a chance to turn things around.

Sweden were more solid and consistent as a team and went on to dominate after the restart, still keeping a five-goal lead, this time 20:15, midway through the second half. Player of the Match Ebba Börjesson scored just one of her six goals after half-time, but 10 her teammates netted at least once throughout the game, as Sweden rotated their squad. Anna Danielsson also made an impact with her 11 saves, helping Sweden enjoy a commanding nine-goal victory.

Player of the Match: Ebba Börjesson (Sweden)