Hosts Romania secured a clear win after a good second half performance against Uruguay, 30:16, in their opener at the 2026 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship.

Big wins from Czechia, Portugal and Serbia also closed the first day of competition at Romania 2026.

Group B
Czechia vs Mexico 42:16 (22:5)

Competition debutants Mexico made a spirited start, preventing Czechia from running away with the match in the opening minutes, although they never managed to get their hands on the lead.

However, the difference between the two sides soon became more evident as the first half progressed. A seven-minute spell without a goal proved particularly costly for Mexico, while Barbora Hanzlíková and Linda Máčalová helped Czechia steadily widen the gap. The European side were 11:3 ahead in the 17th minute before stretching the score to 18:3 just seven minutes later.

Mexico's early resistance slowly faded, and even when they managed to find a way through the Czech defence, Tereza Skopcová stood in their way. The goalkeeper produced a string of saves and finished the opening half with an impressive 64% save efficiency, leaving Mexico at only five goals at the break.

The balance of power remained unchanged in the second half, with Czechia adding another 20 goals to their tally. Mexico did manage to improve offensively, scoring 11 times after the break, but the difference was far too great to make any impact on the outcome.

All but two Czech outfield players found the net, led by Player of the Match Linda Máčalová with 10 goals. Mexico, hampered by 33 turnovers, simply could not keep pace, although goalkeeper Hanna Juárez Castillo stood out with 11 saves.

The 42:16 result also rewrote two Czech records at the IHF Women's Youth World Championship — their 26-goal winning margin surpassed the previous best of 19, set in a 32:13 victory against Guinea in 2024, while the 42 goals marked their highest-ever tally, improving on the 36 scored against Austria in 2022.

Czechia now prepare for Republic of Korea in the second round, while Mexico face another European challenge, this time against Denmark.

Player of the Match: Linda Máčalová (Czechia)

Group D
Argentina vs Portugal 18:34 (9:15)

2025 South and Central American Women's Youth Handball Championship winners Argentina made a confident start, racing to an early 3:0 lead and causing plenty of problems for Portugal.

The European side switched to seven-against-six early on but initially struggled to make it count, waiting until the fifth minute for their first goal. That breakthrough changed the course of the match - Argentina went scoreless between the fifth and 13th minute, giving Portugal the opening they needed to turn things around.

Portugal moved 7:4 ahead, and although they didn't capitalize on every opportunity during that run, the turnaround laid the foundation for what followed. Catarina Bernardino proved particularly difficult for the Argentinian defence to contain, with the left wing scoring five times in the opening half, while left back Maria Rita Lopes added four. With their attack finding more solutions as the half progressed, Portugal headed into the break six goals ahead at 15:9.

Argentina tried to use rotations to find a way back into the match, but their defensive struggles proved to be the bigger problem. With their goalkeepers combining for only three saves, every attempt to close the gap was quickly undone at the other end.

Portugal, meanwhile, looked increasingly confident as the second half progressed. Catarina Bernardino capped off a flawless attacking performance with 10 goals from 10 shots, while Leonor Ramos provided support between the posts with 14 saves, as Portugal cruised to a 34:18 victory.

The 16-goal margin made it Portugal's biggest-ever win at the IHF Women's Youth World Championship, surpassing their previous best of 14 goals, achieved against Croatia in 2014 (32:18) and Brazil in 2022 (35:21).

Portugal will seek to extend their winning streak against Montenegro in a top-of-the-table battle, while Argentina take on the Netherlands.

Player of the Match: Catarina Bernardino (Portugal)

Group F
Romania vs Uruguay 30:16 (12:8)

Hosts Romania survived a topsy-turvy first half against Uruguay to secure a big win in their opener at the 2026 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship.

The European side turned the ball over too many times and their rhythm was far from what it was expected in the first 30 minutes, as Uruguay were down a single goal, 6:5, after 17 minutes.

However, the South American side made too many mistakes throughout the match, with their turnovers preventing them to stay close in the second half. A 5:0 run for Romania close to the end of the first half saw the gap grow, 11:5, but Uruguay came back, as the saves from goalkeeper Elena Coșerea Pîtiu dried up.

Romania started the second half with a 6:0 run and from that moment the match was over, with a collective effort from the hosts seeing them pull away in the second half, as Uruguay’s energy reserves were depleted.

The South American side missed six penalties, turned the ball over 22 times and had a 28% attacking efficiency throughout the match, as the gap grew bigger and bigger, with 10 Romania players scoring at least one goal, led by centre back Diana Maria Sălăjan, who scored seven goals.

Romania, the favourite of the group, secured a 30:16 win, as they prepare for the match against Kazakhstan, where a win would all but ensure their safe passage towards the main round. Uruguay face the People’s Republic of China on Thursday.

Player of the Match: Maria Sprîncenatu (Romania)

Group H
Serbia vs Algeria 28:22 (13:13)

Serbia, playing their second straight IHF Women's U18 Handball World Championship, opened their campaign with a win. Both Serbia and Switzerland now sit on two points in Group H, while Algeria and Slovenia are yet to claim their first points.

Goals were scarce early on, as the Europeans opened a 2:0 lead before Malak Salmi scored Algeria's first goal in the seventh minute. Serbia went on to dominate, with their defence working well and Anja Petrović delivering occasional saves.

The Balkan side also found their rhythm in attack, pulling clear at 7:3 midway through the first half. However, a lapse in concentration led to a string of turnovers, allowing Algeria to restore parity at 8:8.

The two sides were still level at the break, but Serbia's fortunes shifted when Anđela Nestorović replaced Petrović in goal. Serbia's goalkeeping improved instantly, helping the Europeans regain the initiative. Their lead grew slowly but steadily, reaching five goals by the 49th minute, 23:18.

Nestorović finished the game with a 47 per cent save efficiency, while left wing Janja Andrić stood out in Serbia's attack with six goals. In the end, the Europeans cruised to a well-deserved six-goal victory.

On Thursday, Serbia continue the tournament with an all-European clash against Slovenia, while Algeria face a tough test against Switzerland.

Player of the Match: Janja Andrić (Serbia)