13 teams have already sealed their main round berths at the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, with three others waiting for Saturday’s matches to confirm their passage to the next phase of the competition.
However, all matches are important, with the ones between teams which are already qualified seeing precious points delivered to the winners.

GROUP A
13:30 CEST Brazil vs Islamic Republic of Iran

As the fate of the teams are already known, Brazil knows how important the two points won against the Islamic Republic of Iran are. After finishing 22nd at the last IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, they are aiming to at least have a better outcome, as both teams are heading to the President’s Cup.

In the next phase of the competition they will clash with Tunisia and Chile. Brazilare coming from a second straight defeat where the Netherlands won 19:32. Their main force is still centre back Lorenna Silva who will have to have more confidence in her shots.

Iran are still featuring only for the second time at the competition. Once again, they are in the President's Cup, where they will be looking to improve their attack efficiency. before starting in that phase, they will have to close the group against Brazil and make their opponents sweat for important points.

15:45 CEST Romania vs Netherlands

Both teams have already secured their main round berths and will be looking to finish the group stage on a high note. Romania's talented generation did not have it as easy as the Netherlands. They had to fight hard against Brazil to snatch a narrow win before outplaying Iran. On the other hand, the Netherlands had an easygoing day both against Brazil (32:19) and Iran (34:11). 

Alisia Boiciuc remained Romania's top scorer, leading with 15 goals and will compete with Dutch back Alieke Van Maurik, who scored only two less. The Netherlands also have goalkeepers on their side, with 48.2% saving efficiency in two games, the best so far in the competition. Will they be crucial for the Dutch side who is aiming to repeat the 2022 success or will Romania pull the best performance? Nevertheless, Romania already secured better placement than two years ago, when they ended in 18th place.

While this generation waits for their clash at the IHF Women's World Junior Handball Championship 2024, Romania and the Netherlands previously met on two occasions at the world flagship competition - in 2012 and 2018. The first time, Romanian players won 22:20, only for the Netherlands to take a 29:27 win six years later.

GROUP B
09:00 CEST Switzerland vs Egypt

Both sides have the maximum of four points after two matches and are through to the main round, but their mutual encounter is crucial for their future of the competition. Its winner will not only top Group B, but also carry two precious points over to the main round.

Switzerland, who are playing their fourth IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, have already written history at North Macedonia 2024, claiming their largest-ever win at this level (47:11 against Chile). After two encounters, they have a +44 goal difference compared to Egypt’s +11, therefore they will finish top of the group even with a draw on Saturday.

Two years ago, at Slovenia 2022, Switzerland reached the quarter-final and ranked eighth, which is their best-ever result at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship. Now they are determined to at least emulate that performance, and a win against Egypt will improve their chances to eventually progress to the quarter-final.

In turn, Egypt are also eager to write history. Their highest-ever ranking at this level is the 15th place in 2022, and now the Africans have already secured a position among the top 16 teams. After a commanding 26:16 win against Chile, 10 goals from Mariam Omar Ibrahim lifted them to a 25:24 victory against continental rivals Tunisia, which boosted their confidence ahead of the next encounters. 

13:00 CEST Tunisia vs Chile

A one-goal defeat against Egypt left the Tunisians heartbroken, as although they fought extremely hard in a dramatic African derby, they were ultimately defeated and lost a chance to progress. 

Tunisia, who had reached the main round two years ago at Slovenia 2022, will now go to the President’s Cup and try to do a good job in the consolation tournament. But before that, they are hopeful to get their first victory at North Macedonia 2024 against Chile.

The South American side struggled in attack in their two previous matches, scoring just 27 goals combined against Egypt and Switzerland. Chile certainly have to improve their shot efficiency if they want to obtain a better result against Tunisia.

At Slovenia 2022, Chile also failed to reach the main round, but they won their last group game against Mexico before proceeding to the President’s Cup. Now they would like to repeat the trick, but it looks like Tunisia have more quality in their squad and therefore will be favoured to win on Saturday. 

GROUP C
11:15 CEST Argentina vs Mexico

Similar to Tunisia, Argentina were left frustrated on Thursday when they lost a crucial match against the Republic of Korea in a close fight, 31:33. The South Americans failed to qualify for the main round, but now they are determined to bounce back in their last group encounter versus Mexico.

Argentina’s coach Hernan Carlos Siso certainly has some quality in his squad, as Miranda Kruk scored 11 goals against the Republic of Korea, and goalkeeper Florencia Carrasco boasted a 38% save efficiency in the same outing. Their individual effort was not enough to defeat the ambitious Koreans, but it may help to get a better result against Mexico.

So far, Mexico have struggled in their matches at North Macedonia 2024 - in particular, they became the first team to concede 50 goals in a match, losing 10:54 against Hungary. Just like Argentina, Mexico will continue the tournament in the President’s Cup, and they will try to get their first win in that tournament in case they fail to beat the South Americans on Saturday. 

13:30 CEST Hungary vs Republic of Korea

Hungary, which are seen as one of the favourites of the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, secured their main round berth in style, becoming the first team in the tournament to hit the 50-goal mark, as they downed Mexico 54:10.

Overall, the W19 EHF EURO 2023 winners have scored 93 goals in two matches, demonstrating their firepower, and they are determined to continue in the same way against the Republic of Korea - even if it might prove more difficult.

Just like Hungary, the Asian heavyweights have already reached their primary goal, booking an early main round ticket. The Republic of Korea are also viewed as title contenders, but their road to the next stage has not been so smooth. After beating Mexico 33:20, the Koreans were seriously challenged by Argentina in their second match, but in the end snatched a hard-fought victory, 33:31.

So it will be an exciting clash of two ambitious teams representing different continents and styles of handball. Notably, two years ago Republic of Korea beat Hungary, 30:29, in an exciting semi-final of the IHF Women’s Youth Championship, also in Skopje - and now many players who were on court in that game will face off again. 

And although both sides are through to the main round, quite a lot is still at stake. The winners will take two points with them to the next stage and eventually have a better chance to reach the quarter-final, so the match at Boris Trajkovski Sports Centre is expected to be tight and entertaining. 

GROUP D
09:00 CEST Japan vs Chinese Taipei

This match will determine the points carried into the President's Cup, by the two Asian teams. Taking into account they never ranked worse than 15th place since 2016, Japan will have finishing atop in the President’s Cup in their focus.

Before the group ends, they will meet with Chinese Taipei, a well-known opponent from Asia. Two sides already met in the third place match at the 2023 Asian Women's Junior Handball Championship and it is hard that Chinese Taipei will spring a surprise as Japan outplayed them 43:23.

The Chinese Taipei could not keep up with Norway (18:35) and European powerhouse Denmark (19:41), but neither Japan felt better against the same opponents. In comparison, Japan have a more efficient attack while both sides have conceded almost the same number of goals (77 Japan, Chinese Taipei 76).

15:45 CEST Denmark vs Norway

The Scandinavian derby is expected to be highly competitive, with both teams vying for the top spot in group D. Both sides did not blink in their previous encounter at North Macedonia 2024, having exciting defensive displays.

Denmark's robust defence will be matched against Norway's high-tempo even though the two teams share a similar style of play. Fastbreaks were also fulcrum of their attacks but it will not be as fluid in their clash. Still, wings are the primary names in their squads.

Left wing Matilde Vestergaard leads Danish rows with 16 goals scored in two games, while Norway until now relied on left wing Selin Kamburce (11 goals) and right wing Nicoline Jullumstro (9 goals).

Denmark and Norway also met in 2022 in the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship in the main round when Norwegian players won 35:32 and in 2016 when in group A Denmark took a 30:28 win.

GROUP E
16:00 CEST People’s Republic of China vs Algeria

On Friday, People's Republic of China were responsible for one of the biggest surprises so far at the 2024 IHF Women's Junior World Championship. In a dramatic and hard-fought match, the Asians claimed a 27:26 win against Czechia.

It was their first victory against a European opponent since 2005, and the runners-up of the 2023 AHF Asian Women's Junior Handball Championship have significantly improved their chances for a main round berth. Now the Chinese, who are coached by the Montenegrin Suzana Lazovic, are viewed as favourites in their last group game against Algeria, and a win will give them a good possibility to go through.

Algeria fought hard in their opening match against Czechia, but struggled in attack against the powerful Sweden, losing 38:13. The African side sit bottom of the group with zero points in two games, but still hold a mathematical chance to progress – but they need to take a big win against the Chinese and rely on Sweden beating Czechia. 

18:00 CEST Sweden vs Czechia

Sweden are seen as one of favourites at North Macedonia 2024, and so far, the Nordic team have lived up to expectations. They won both group matches against People's Republic of China and Algeria, notably scoring 38 goals in each of these games.

With players like Thea Kylberg and Elise Lönnegren, the Swedes have enough attacking power in their squad, and now they hope to demonstrate in in the first match against fellow European rivals in the current tournament.

Despite having the maximum of four points, Sweden have not yet qualified for the main round, but they have a good chance to reach that goal, as even a draw against Czechia will certainly see them through.

In turn, Czechia have put pressure on themselves after conceding a one-goal defeat versus the People Republic of China. The Europeans made a lot of mistakes in that game and missed a chance to draw level in the dying seconds, when Sofie Behenska hit the post.

However, now the Czechs want to leave that setback behind and focus on a crucial match against Sweden. A win in an all-European clash is still likely to help them reach the main round – but it is quite a challenging task. 

GROUP F
18:00 CEST Spain vs Serbia

Spain were at the receiving end of two losses, 25:30 against France and 27:29 against Germany, which means they are out of contention for a main round berth. However, “Las Guerreras” proved they belong in this competition, making life tough for both sides.

Nevertheless, key ingredients were missing, as Spain could not impose their defensive-first mindset, conceding too many goals in crucial moments to deliver a win, which means they will continue in the President’s Cup, where they have a clear objective to finish as high as possible.

On the other side, Serbia have disappointed so far, conceding double-digits losses, including their largest-ever loss in the world handball flagship competition, a 21-goal loss against Germany. Therefore, Spain, which have more depth and experience, look like the favourites in this match.

20:15 CEST France vs Germany
Group F was always billed like the toughest and the most balanced one and for sure France and Germany looked like two of the contenders for the title. However, facing off will mean that at least one side will start with a handicap in the main round, where they face another tough challenge in Sweden.

While Germany have a better goal difference, +23, than France’s +16, Eric Baradat’s side looked like the more composed team, with their defence shining on the court in both matches, despite France’s coach constantly changing his team to help his players gain invaluable experience at this level.

GROUP G
10:00 CEST Guinea vs Uzbekistan

Both teams failed to earn any points in their two previous matches, losing by double digits to their European counterparts, Portugal and Montenegro. Before going to the President's Cup, they will finish the group stage with a mutual encounter.

Both Guinea and Uzbekistan  hope to claim their first win at North Macedonia 2024, and both have their trump cards. Uzbekistan boast some good attacking players in their squad – in particular, right back Sarbinaz Saparbaeva has a tally of 15 goals after two matches, and left back Sevinch Erkabaeva has 12 goals.

However, Guinea have a better goal difference, -27 against -35, as their defence seems to be less vulnerable than that of Uzbekistan. So a draw will be enough for the African side to stay third in the group, and with the players like Mayelie Soumah, who was their top scorer in both matches, they will try to down their Asian opposition. 

11:15 CEST Portugal vs Montenegro

The European teams are level on four points after two encounters and are already through to the main round. Portugal boast a better goal difference, +33 compared to Montenegro's +29, so in case of a draw, the Portuguese will stay top of Group G.

However, Portugal are determined to win and therefore start the main round with two points, potentially increasing their chances for a quarter-final spot. The team coached by Jose Antonio Silva have a number of high-quality individuals in their squad, such as back Luciana Rebelo and Carmen Figueredo, right wing Lola Ribeiro and goalkeeper (and also captain) Matilde Rosa, who can pose a threat to any rival.

But Montenegro are also aiming high, and so far, they have not faced any problems in their matches against Uzbekistan and Guinea, showing their fire power and scoring more than 40 goals each time. Captain Jelena Vukčević had a special impact, having a tally of 20 goals after the two games, being the top scorer of the competition after two rounds, so the Portuguese will need to hold her back in order to claim their third consecutive victory in the tournament.  

Montenegro have also won their mutual encounter at the 2018 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, 30:23.

GROUP H
19:00 CEST Iceland vs United States of America

Iceland have already earned safe passage to the next phase of the 2024 IHF Women’s World Championship, conceding only 36 goals so far in the competition, with their 29:17 win against hosts North Macedonia being clearly an impressive feature.

Now, they are facing the team with the lowest number of goals scored so far after two matches, USA, which has mustered only 23 goals in 120 minutes, scoring eight times against Angola and only 15 times against North Macedonia.

As the USA are eliminated from contention, a loss would not affect Iceland’s chances of starting the main round with two points, but the gulf between the two teams looks clear and it should play into Iceland’s hands, which are eager to add to their collection of wins.

20:15 CEST Angola vs North Macedonia

Hosts North Macedonia find themselves into a tough situation, facing a must-win match against Angola in the last matchday of the preliminary round, with a main round berth on the line.

Angola had a mixed bag of results, bouncing back with a 24:8 win over the United States of America in the second matchday, after conceding a 19:24 loss against Iceland in the first match, with their main issue being synchronising their back line, which has been found lacking at times.

In the first match, Jorcela Tumba scored 11 times, while Bernadeth Belo had one goal from 12 shots, while in the second Belo scored 11 times and Tumba did not find the goal from four shots.

With Angola having the better goal difference (+9) than North Macedonia’s +4, it becomes clear that the European side faces a must-win match against the team with the best defence so far in the competition, as Angola, the reigning African champions, conceded only 32 goals so far at the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship.