48 games or 44.4% of the 108 scheduled for the 25th IHF Women’s World Championship are now in the rearview mirror, as the business end of Spain 2021 is looming now, with the main round on the one hand and the President’s Cup on the other throwing off in Granollers, Torrevieja and Lliria today.

The last crunch matches in the preliminary round are done and dusted, as one of the most balanced and exciting matches scheduled for the first part of the championship was the one in Torrevieja, where Sweden and reigning champions the Netherlands shared the spoils in an exciting 31:31 draw. 

In Group D, Norway controlled the game against Romania to proceed with the maximum amount of points, four, to the main round, as did France in Group A and RHF in Group B. 

Minnows Kazakhstan and Puerto Rico also went through to the main round for the first time ever.

So, with the preliminary round now elapsed, we are focusing on what happens in the main round, where Main Rounds III and IV throw off today in Granollers and Torrevieja.

Denmark and Germany will be looking to extend their lead when they face Hungary and Congo in Main Round III, as a win on Wednesday could help them edge closer to a much-coveted quarter-finals berth.

Spain and Brazil are in the same position in Main Round IV, with the hosts eager to extend their winning streak to four games when they face Japan in one of their toughest matches yet at the championship on home soil. Argentina are also facing a weakened Croatian side, who had three players out due to positive COVID-19 tests, with everything to play for in this group.

We will also be keeping a close eye on the President’s Cup start, as Lliria hosts Slovakia, Tunisia, Paraguay and China, who all will be looking to their first wins at Spain 2021. 

Enough with the games on the menu now, but we are not done. We have some interesting features you might take a look at, starting with how Congo celebrated their win against Tunisia, that handed them their first-ever main round berth in the competition. 

We all saw Norway thump Romania on Tuesday, but what does really make them tick and play as a team? A Norwegian himself sheds some light in an insightful piece about one of the biggest title favourites. 

She is charismatic, full of energy and, at 35 years old, still leading Montenegro in their quest to retain their title as a European powerhouse. Jovanka Radicevic scored over 20% of Montenegro’s goals in their history at the IHF Women’s World Championship, a feature hard to attain for a right wing. 

Sweden had just progressed to the main round, but we rewind the time a few days back and take a look on how Nathalie Hagman scored 19 goals against Puerto Rico, the second-largest tally for a single player in the history of the competition.

Interested in the schedule for the main round and the President’s Cup? Make no mistake, it’s just one click away and you can browse through it to see when your favourite team is playing! 

We have also updated our stats page and two players we featured before, Hagman and Radicevic, are topping the charts for goals scored at Spain 2021. 

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!