France and Serbia have secured the two quarter-finals spots from Group I in the main round of the 2026 IHF Women's Junior World Championship, after wins against Austria and Sweden respectively.

Six spots for the knockout phase have now been sealed, with the two sides following Germany, Spain, Montenegro and Denmark.

Main round, Group I
Serbia vs Sweden 24:23 (10:15)

Sweden had a blistering start, leaving Serbia in shock — the Scandinavians raced from 3:0 to 7:1, leaving Serbia to a single goal in the opening nine minutes. Five of Sweden's first seven goals came from Hanna Lundvall, who quickly became the one to stop for the Balkan side.

Sweden maintained that six-goal cushion until the 18th minute, but then their momentum suddenly faded. Serbia seized the opportunity, tightened up defensively with a couple of on-time saves by Ivona Grujičić and responded with a goal run of their own. They cut the deficit to 10:12 in the 23rd minute and forced Sweden into a team time-out.

The regrouping proved exactly what Sweden needed as they returned to the level they had shown at the start of the match and answered with a 3:0 run of their own to restore a six-goal advantage by halftime. Sweden also enjoyed a clear edge in attacking efficiency, converting 58% of their shots compared to Serbia's 38%.

Serbia had no intention of giving up and they came out for the second half as if they had found a new source of energy during the break, storming through the opening three minutes with a 5:0 run. Tijana Janković levelled the score at 15:15, making it clear Serbia would not let their quarter-final hopes slip away without a fight.

From there, it became a nip-and-tuck battle until the 50th minute, with both sides trading slender leads and showing fighting spirit. Then a combination of Serbian turnovers and several important saves from Sweden's newly introduced goalkeeper Anna Danielsson allowed the Scandinavians to open up more than a one-goal cushion and head into the closing stages with the upper hand.

But for the second time in the match, Serbia mounted another comeback, once again inspired by Grujičić's saves, and entered the final 40 seconds with a chance to win. Almost with the buzzer, Sara Radović saw her shot bounce in off the post, sealing a dramatic 24:23 victory and sending Serbia into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012.

Serbia and France will now battle for first place in the group on the final main round day, while Sweden will take on Austria.

Player of the Match: Milica Otašević (Serbia)

France vs Austria 29:23 (13:12)

Although Austria opened the match with a 2:0 lead, it did not take long for France to find their rhythm and turn the score around. By the sixth minute they had moved ahead 3:2, before extending the advantage to 6:4. For much of the opening 20 minutes, France maintained their lead thanks to goalkeeper Léane Gonzalez who made five saves from eight shots faced.

However, once the French defence began to lose its grip, Austria found a way back into the contest. Rebecca Chroust and Martina Matičević led the attack, improving Austria's overall efficiency in the closing stages of the first half and bringing the match back to life. After trailing by as many as three goals, Austria entered the break only one behind.

It looked as though Austria might be onto something, opening the second half with a 2:0 run to take their first lead since 2:0, but it was short-lived. France quickly bounced back and by the 40th minute, had restored a four-goal lead. It proved to be a gap Austria could not overcome as the closest they came was at 25:22 before France sealed the victory with a final 3:0 run. Dawiya Abdou led the French side with seven goals, while Austria continued to rely heavily on Rebecca Chroust and Martina Matičević, who combined for 15 goals.

With a fourth consecutive win at China 2026, France secured their place in the quarter-finals and remained firmly on course to defend the title won at North Macedonia 2024. Austria will face Sweden to determine their final placement path as their quarter-final dream is over for them.

Player of the Match: Melissa Chantelly (France)