The first four quarter-finals berths have been decided yesterday, with hosts Spain and Brazil sealing the first two places in Group IV, after they extended their winning run at the 25th IHF Women’s World Championship to five games.

Denmark and Germany followed suit from Group III, with their wins against the Czech Republic and the Republic of Korea, respectively, with the first place in each group ready to be decided in the final match day of the main round.

In yesterday’s remaining games, Hungary took a clear win against Congo, while Japan sealed their third win at Spain 2021, with an impressive comeback against Austria, in a high-octane game. 

Meanwhile, the first President’s Cup finalist has been decided, with Slovakia winning Group II after their win against Paraguay, 33:27. 

Now let’s talk about today, where the teams from Group I and Group II of the main round enter the fray once again, with France and Norway ready to secure their quarter-finals berths with wins in Granollers and Castelló.

Norway are invincible once again at the start of another IHF Women’s World Championship, but will face their toughest challenge yet at Spain 2021 when they meet Sweden in Group II, who have not dropped a game in the event so far as well. The Scandinavian derby follow two games with heavy favourites, as Romania face Puerto Rico, while the Netherlands try and win as big as possible against Kazakhstan. 

France are at four out of four in the competition and face Serbia, in another crunch game in Group I. After dropping a point against Slovenia, the Russian Handball Federation team face Montenegro, while Slovenia look to remain alive with a win against Poland, which are already eliminated. 

After securing their first-ever win at an IHF Women’s World Championship, Uzbekistan will be looking to double up against Cameroon, while Angola are favourites against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Who will win the group and face Slovakia in the President’s Cup final? We still need some time and four more games to be played in President’s Cup Group I, but we will soon find out. 

Germany might have taken a strong win against the Republic of Korea yesterday, 37:28, but 30 years ago, things looked different, when the Asian side secured a win against their European counterparts in the Olympic Games Barcelona 1992 semi-final. The place of the battle? The same as yesterday, the Palau d’Esports in Granollers.  

Well, what about Brazil? Who would have thought they would be so good in such a short amount of time, after disappointing outings at Germany 2017 and Japan 2019? It was a long way back to the top, but the South American side are back among the best eight teams in the world. And centre back Ana Paula Rodrigues Belo is here to tell the story. 

After the 10th day at Spain 2021, there were no major changes in the top scorer standings, with a clear favourite in Sweden’s right wing, Nathalie Hagman, to top the charts. She has a 12-goal advantage over Austria’s Patricia Kovacs and a game in hand against Norway. 

Austria’s Kovacs also tops the assists charts with 43 in five games, with a big lead over Korea’s Migyeong Lee, who has 36. Find out more about every stat at Spain 2021 here. 

You can also win prizes at Spain 2021, if you prove that you are a handball expert. Are you confident you can top the charts? Find out for yourself! 

Unfortunately, injuries happen and players do get replaced at Spain 2021, so you can keep track of everything here. 

Curious where you can follow your team on TV? Don’t worry, we also got you covered – simply click here! 

The IHF is working hard to bring you the very best from what is sure to be an exciting competition and wherever you are, there are many ways to follow the action! Make sure to be always up-to-date! 

Photo: RFEBM / Á. Bermejo