Well, who would have thought? We are already on day six of the 25th IHF Women’s World Championship and for 16 teams in the competition, this will be the final day of the preliminary round.

Time just flies at Spain 2021, but 32 games have already elapsed from the 108 scheduled, so we will be hitting roughly the 33-percentile on Monday, with three main round berths to be distributed today.

But let’s take a look back on Sunday first, as Romania and Norway have sealed their main round berths after emphatic wins against Kazakhstan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in Group C. 

Group A featured another France win, this time against Slovenia, as the reigning Olympic champions hit their 3,000th goal in the history of the competition. In the other game, Montenegro virtually ensured safe passage to the next round, after a 10-goal win against Angola – but everything is still possible. 

A 19-goal outing from right wing Nathalie Hagman helped Sweden seal a win and a main round berth, while reigning champions the Netherlands proved once again why they have the best attack in the competition after two rounds, with a drubbing of Uzbekistan. 

In Group B, the RHF and Serbia also ensured their places in the next phase, after winning twice in the first two match days.

Moving on to today, there are some interesting clashes to be watched, especially in Group E, where Germany take on Hungary in an all-European clash, while the Czech Republic face neighbours Slovakia in their quest to reach the main round. 

Brazil, Croatia and Japan are already through from Group G, yet Croatia and Japan still have everything to play for, with the winner taking the two-point tally in the main round. 

Tunisia and Congo have never progressed to the main round at an IHF Women’s World Championship, with the mutual clash between the two African sides yielding the team that will advance to the main round from Group F. Denmark also face the Republic of Korea, with the winner starting the next phase with four points. 

The hosts are already through, but Spain must beat Austria in Group H to enhance their chances to seal a knockout phase berth, while Argentina must avoid a six-goal loss against PR of China to progress to the next round. 

A heartwarming story to make your Monday morning more palatable comes from France, as Alicia Toublanc, who makes her debut at an international tournament, fulfilled her life-long dream at Spain 2021. See more here. 

After her 19-goal outburst against Uzbekistan, Sweden’s Nathalie Hagman is the top scorer of the competition, with 24 goals, followed by Austria’s Katarina Pandza and Montenegro’s Jovanka Radicevic, who had 19 goals each. Do you want to find who is the top goalkeeper? Just click 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!