Two European derby matches are high on the agenda at the Westfalenhalle as Dortmund says goodbye to main round, group II.

While one of the clashes is a well-known classic – Serbia vs Montenegro – the other is less well-known, but equally important for the teams involved, with Iceland taking on the Faroe Islands. 

The third of the trio of games will witness history as Germany play Spain in a sell-out hall of over 10,000 fans, the first-time ever a German women’s team have played in front of five figures outside of an event shared by their men’s team.

But, underlining the whole day is the fight for which team will take the second quarter-final spot, behind the already-qualified and uncatchable co-hosts Germany at the top (eight points). Serbia, on five points, with a win or draw will see them through. Montenegro with a win will qualify, should Spain lose or draw.

Group III in Rotterdam will see France and the Netherlands through, provided they win their fifth match in a row, against Argentina and Poland respectively.

Main Round, Group II
15:30 CET Montenegro vs Serbia

One of Montenegro’s most important World Championship games since finishing sixth at Japan 2019, puts them up against a Serbian side who sit in the best-placed position to qualify through to the last eight, where they will face Brazil or Norway, the winner of Group IV.

Both Montenegro and Serbia have had wildly erratic performances – Serbia defeating Spain and throwing away a healthy lead against the Faroe Islands to draw in the last moments, an easy win against Uruguay and a thorough loss against the co-hosts, while Montenegro beat the Faroes, Paraguay and Iceland, but lost to Spain and Germany.

The two teams met at the same stage of the 2021 IHF Women's World Championship in Spain, Serbia taking a 27:25 victory.

18:00 CET Spain vs Germany

Markus Gaugisch was clear about what this meeting means for him. “We can settle as score,” said the Germany coach at his pre-match media conference ahead of the clash against Spain.

This was in relation to the German 26:21 loss in the 2021 IHF Women’s World Championship semi-final but with Ambros Martin building a side – and project – for their hosting of the 2029 event, his team have seen a mix of results at Germany/Netherlands 2025, unlike their opponents who have now won all five of their games.

Martin’s side lost to the Faroe Islands, beat Montenegro and gave away a big lead against Serbia to lose and put themselves on the cusp of an early world championship exit for his young squad, despite a win against Iceland last time out.

“For us to compete and win, many things have to fall into place, because it doesn't depend solely on us,” said Martin to rfebm.com. “We are playing against the strongest team in the group, and they have demonstrated this throughout the championship. Furthermore, it will be in a packed arena, with an extraordinary atmosphere for a match that is crucial to our aspirations. That is the scenario, and that is what we are focused on.”

20:30 CET Faroe Islands vs Iceland

In 1974, the Faroe Islands women played their first-ever international match against Iceland who made the trip over to their neighbouring country and it is fitting for the Faroe Islands that, in their senior world championship debut as a nation, they conclude their campaign with this island derby.

Iceland are appearing in just their third global event with both teams hoping to end on a high, the Faroes just edging the Icelandic team in terms of results so far, with that impressive win against Spain and draw against Serbia.

The two teams met in a pre-world championship friendly in the Faroe Islands, with Iceland beating them 28:25 at the end of November. If Iceland can stop Pernille Brandenborg (29 goals, 6th in the ranking) and Jana Mittun (26/12th) then they will go some way to getting another victory against the new members of the global club.

Main Round, Group III
15:30 CET Austria vs Tunisia

Tunisia earned their spot in the main round with a crucial win over the People's Republic of China, but they are still waiting for their first victory against a European team at Germany/Netherlands 2025. After losses to France, Poland, and most recently the Netherlands, they now face a young Austrian side. With zero points on the table, Tunisia are out of the quarter-final race, but they still have to fight for a stronger final ranking.

After finishing 27th in 2021 and 24th in 2017, their return to the World Championship already shows improvement and a clearer team structure for the 2024 African Championship bronze medallists. Their attack is led by Amal Hamrouni, who has scored 15 times, and Fadwa Aouij, who is on 14. The heartbeat of the team remains Sondes Hachana Ep Kerkeni, who has orchestrated the attack with 14 assists so far.

Austria enter with two points and, after the expected defeat against defending champions France, want to bounce back and keep themselves in the upper half of this tough group. They have continued to grow with every match, coming to the competition without two of their best players, Johanna Reichert and Katarina Pandža. Goalkeeper Lena Ivancok has been solid between the posts, while her sister Ines Ivancok-Šoltić leads the scoring charts with 20 goals.

The last World Championship encounter between these teams dates back to 2007, when Tunisia claimed a 30:23 victory.

18:00 CET Argentina vs France

France sit firmly at the top of Main Round Group III with six points, entering this match with a perfect record and the most explosive attack of the entire competition. They have scored 161 goals, averaging 40.25 per game. Their goal here is to grab another win, two more points, and an open path to the quarter-finals - a spot that could even be sealed by the end of the day if the Netherlands also win later on.

Despite some nervous starts here and there, like against Austria, France always find a way to shift gears and take full control, powered by speed and defensive discipline. Against Argentina, they step onto the court as clear favourites.

Argentina will try to slow France down with their shifting defensive formations, switching from 6–0 to 5–1, and hope to disrupt the French rhythm to stay in the fight as long as they can. Their standout remains Elke Karsten, now on 27 goals, but she will need solutions against a French goalkeeper trio combining for a strong 37% save rate so far. On the other side, threats come from everywhere in the French attack, but Lucie Granier leads the charts with 21 goals, followed by Léna Grandveau’s 19.

This will be the fourth World Championship meeting between the two teams, and France have won all previous encounters by double-digit margins - 20:12, 38:12, and 33:11, though the last one was in 2015.

20:30 CET Poland vs Netherlands

Poland walk into an all-or-nothing battle. They know that a win over co-hosts the Netherlands keeps their quarter-final hopes alive, while a loss sends the Dutch into the top eight. With the stakes sky-high, Poland need their best performance of the tournament, and that means cutting out turnovers and improving their execution - both of which weren’t up to standard against Argentina. Sixteen turnovers will not go unpunished against a Dutch side fuelled by a sold-out Ahoy Arena.

For the Netherlands, the mission remains the same: to win. Their commanding 39:21 victory over Tunisia allowed them to rotate deeply without losing efficiency. They come in as the fourth-best attack of the competition with 142 goals (35.5 per game) and the third-best defence, conceding only 19.75 goals. Poland are not far behind offensively with 30.25 goals per game, but defensively the gap is wider, and that becomes crucial against strong teams.

Henrik Signell’s squad is powered by Bo van Wetering and Angela Malestein, scoring 22 and 15 goals respectively, with five more players already in double digits. Poland’s main threat remains Magda Balsam, now on 30 goals, though nearly half have come from the penalty line.

These sides have met four times at the World Championship, with Poland winning only once - back in 1999 by 22:20. Their most recent meeting came at the Women’s EHF EURO 2016, where the Netherlands claimed a 30:21 victory.

President's Cup Group I
11:00 CET Croatia vs Uruguay

After three straight defeats, Croatia finally opened their account on the first day of the President’s Cup, comfortably defeating the Islamic Republic of Iran 38:9. The 19-year-old Katja Vuković stood out with nine goals, while goalkeepers Lucija Bešen and Lea Zetović combined for 20 saves.

Croatia will be favourites against Uruguay, who have lost all four of their encounters at the tournament. On Thursday, the South American side were defeated in a continental derby against Paraguay (20:23), and it will be very difficult for them to take points from the European team.

13:30 CET Islamic Republic of Iran vs Paraguay

At the group stage, Iran had the least effective attack, scoring just 43 goals. In their opening match in the President’s Cup, the Asian side struggled again, restricted to only nine goals and suffering a big loss.

In turn, Paraguay celebrated a hard-fought victory against fellow South American team Uruguay, which gave them a morale boost. Now, the Paraguayans will try to earn another win against Iran, whom they have never faced before.

President's Cup Group II
16:00 CET Egypt vs Cuba

Debutants Egypt are still looking for their maiden win at the IHF Women’s World Championship. After three straight defeats at the group stage, the African side were also denied by the People’s Republic of China, losing 32:35 despite 10 goals from Lojin Osama.

Cuba, who play at the World Championship after a six-year break, opened the President’s Cup with a dramatic 29:28 win against Kazakhstan. The Central American team lost the first half but made a comeback and scored the last-minute winner.

18:30 CET People’s Republic of China vs Kazakhstan

The two Asian sides had different results in their opening matches of the President’s Cup on Thursday. While China claimed their first win at the tournament, beating Egypt, Kazakhstan suffered a frustrating one-goal defeat against Cuba.

The rivals know each other well, having met multiple times at various levels. While China have an overall advantage, Kazakhstan won their mutual encounters at the 2019 IHF Women's World Championship (29:23) and at the 2024 Asian Women’s Championship (28:26).