The 2026 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship opened with four clear wins, the faovurites prevailing in entertanining fashion.

Hungary secured the largest win so far in the competition against the Chinese Taipei, 46:10, while Montenegro also had a double-digit win against Iceland.

Group B
Austria vs Angola 29:22 (14:12)

Following a hard-fought first half, Austria stepped up after the break and opened China 2026 with a confident win. Centre back Rebecca Chroust was their driving force, scoring seven goals and helping her team take a step towards the main round.

The teams traded goals in the opening minutes, and Austria were the first to open up a two-goal lead, 7:5, when Chroust converted a 7m shot. Angola drew level soon after, but following a timeout, the European side enjoyed a strong 4:0 run, powered by goals from Martina Maticevic and Leonie Neunteufel. 11:7 was their biggest lead in the opening half, before some saves by Daniela Neto helped Angola cut the gap to two goals by half-time.

Thanks to a strong defence and Chroust’s string of goals, Austria opened the second half with a 4:1 run, forcing Angola’s coach to ask for a timeout in the 40th minute. However, it was not of much help, as the Africans continued to struggle in attack, missing a lot of shots. Slowly but steadily, Austria increased the gap, which reached nine goals on a few occasions, and while Angola improved somewhat in the last 10 minutes, nothing could stop the Europeans from grabbing two points.

hummel Player of the Match: Rebecca Chroust (Austria)

GROUP D
Spain v Argentina 29:19 (16:7)

This Spain generation were crowned champions at the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship and they were runners-up at the W19 EHF EURO 2025, therefore instantly becoming one of the favourites in this edition of the Women’s Junior World Championship.

And that was there to be seen immediately after the start of the match, when Belen Rodriguez Lario scored three goals to open a 6:1 lead, which proved to be unassailable for the runners-up of the South and Central America Women’s Junior Championship.

By half-time, Spain were up nine goals, 16:7, as they certainly opened their campaign with a dominating performance, especially in defencer, where they forced Argentina to turn the ball over 26 times.

While Argentina limited the damage in the second half, as Helena Albertina Molina scored five goals, the writing was already on the wall for a Spain double-digit win. Player of the Match, Belen Rodriguez Lario, who was the MVP at the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, scored eight goals, as eventually Spain jumped to a 29:19 win, confirming their credentials.

Player of the Match: Belen Rodriguez Lario (Spain)

GROUP F
Montenegro v Iceland 34:24 (20:13)

Only a slower start might have eclipsed Montenegro’s brimming performance against Iceland, in their opener at the 2026 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, a performance built on a strong defence, which then helped unleash their attack.

Montenegro kept it brilliantly balanced throughout the match, as coach Igor Markovic constantly changed his line-up, but this had little impact on the match itself, with Montenegro clearly being the better side here.

The MVP of the W19 EHF EURO 2025, Natalija Lekić slotted in more in a facilitator role rather than a scorer, with Ivana Savić taking over that responsibility in the first half. But after Iceland took the lead four times in the first six minutes, Montenegro grew stronger and stronger.

Savić became an unstoppable force and was the team’s top scorer, with six goals, while Iceland’s defence had little answer for Montenegro’s attack. A 4:0 unanswered run turned the match on its head, helping Montenegro take a 7:4 lead and from that moment on it was the point of no return.

Back Martina Knežević and wings Ksenija Gasević and Sanja Andrijasević also had at least four goals scored in the match, as the gap ballooned to seven goals at the break, 20:13. 

Montenegro’s brand of attacking handball, combined with Iceland’s many mistakes – 3o turnovers throughout the match – made this a walk in the park for Igor Markovic’s side, especially in the second half.

Iceland managed to cut the gap to a minimum of seven goals, but in the end it was once again Montenegro which shined, taking a 34:24 win, which transforms them into the team to beat in this group, where both sides have to face Czechia and the USA in the next matches.

Player of the Match: Martina Knežević (Montenegro)

GROUP G
Hungary v Chinese Taipei 46:10 (30:7)

Hungary were always a dominant power in the younger age categories and they proved their skill and strength for China 2026, making a statement of intent against the Chinese Taipei in their opener.

Goalkeeper Gréta Majoros absolutely dominated between the posts in the first half, saving 10 shots for a 58.8% saving efficiency, proving fuel for the fast breaks which created a huge 23-goal difference after 30 minutes for the European side.

Hungary, which finished third and secure the bronze medal at the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, had broke through thanks to a 10:2 start and never looked back, constantly scoring and opening up a 30:7 lead at the break.

All but two of Hungary’s outfield players scored at least one goal in the match, while three players - Noémi Kacsó, Bítia Balázs and Renáta Keceli-Mészáros – combined for 20 goals, as Hungary continued to dominate in the second half, constantly outscoring their opponents, with a strong defence also contributing strongly, onto a 46:10 win.

With their maiden win in the competition, Hungary will now prepare for tomorrow’s match against Tunisia, which could see them make it through to the main round, while the Chinese Taipei aim to bounce back against another European side, Poland.

Player of the Match: Renáta Keceli-Mészáros (Hungary)