France, Germany, Denmark and Norway all secured wins in their maiden matches at the 2026 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, dominating their opponents.

Group A
France vs Sweden 24:22 (14:9)

Sweden’s late surge did not stop defending champions France from winning their opening match at China 2026. The result gave the titleholders a good chance not only of securing a main round berth, but also of finishing first in Group A.

Goals from Märtha Dittschlag and Klara Bergling gave Sweden a 2:0 lead in the opening minutes. But after Melissa Chantelly scored France’s first goal four and a half minutes into the game, her team quickly found its rhythm, relying on solid defence and fast attacks.

In the 16th minute, France led by just one goal, 7:6, but then enjoyed a 5:0 run in the following nine minutes, capitalizing on Sweden’s multiple turnovers. Player of the Match Liyah Naal converted all four of her shots before the break, helping her team to a five-goal advantage after 30 minutes.

In the second half, France also improved its goalkeeping, as Romane Gindro, who replaced Leane Gonzalez, began to have a major impact. As a result, the reigning champions went on to increase the gap, which reached a maximum of eight goals at 20:12 and 21:13.

However, the fight was not over. Late in the game, France made too many mistakes and failed to score a single goal in the final almost nine minutes. Sweden put serious pressure on their rivals, cutting the gap to 22:24 following a 5:0 run, but France weathered the storm to earn the victory.

On day two, France will face Egypt, and Sweden will try to make it two straight wins against India.

Player of the Match: Liyah Naal (France)

Group C
Germany vs Brazil 39:22 (23:14)

The Women's 19 EHF EURO 2025 champions, Germany, threw off the 2026 IHF Women's Junior World Championship in style, claiming a high-scoring victory over Brazil.

Led by Chiara Rohr and Marleen Kern, who combined for 12 of Germany's 23 first-half goals, the European side quickly confirmed their favourite status. They imposed their rhythm from the start, opening up an early 6:2 lead and steadily building on it, while Brazil did their best to stay within reach.

However, the 2026 South and Central American Women's Junior Championship winners could not keep up with the European pace. Brazil struggled defensively and had already committed 11 turnovers by the break, while their usual attacking leader Raquel Ladeia was unable to shine as she normally does.

The second half brought no changes, as Germany continued to dominate the court. Their head coach Christopher Nordmeyer rotated his squad, and the Europeans needed only six minutes after the restart to hit their first double-digit lead, 25:15. The gap only grew from there as Brazil showed less and less strength in attack while trying to break through the German defence, and even when they succeeded, Lena Marie Lindemann was there to stop them, finishing the match with 17 saves.

Lauendy Vitor and Raquel Ladeia were Brazil's top scorers with five goals each, while Germany were led by hummel Player of the Match Chiara Rohr and Farelle Njinkeu, who both netted eight.

In the next round, Brazil will try to bounce back against Canada, while Germany face Romania.

Player of the Match: Chiara Rohr (Germany)

Group E
Denmark vs Guinea 32:16 (18:11)

It was not a perfect start for Denmark – a contender for a medal – in Group E, but the European side eventually pulled away from the IHF Intercontinental Trophy winners from 2026, Guinea, to secure their maiden win at the 2026 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship.

Guinea, which also finished second in the 2025 CAHB African Women’s Junior Handball Championship, started slow, going down 5:1 after six minutes and it looked like it was going to be a long day for the African side.

Saves from Mama Adama Camara and goals from Aissatou Diallo and Mabinty Delmaya Camara, who were their team’s top scorers, ushered Guinea back in the game, with a deficit of only one goal prompting Denmark’s coach, Ole Lund Bitsch, to call a team time-out.

From 9:8 after 18 minutes, Denmark seriously improved and opened a seven-goal lead, 18:11, at the break, with all but one of their outfield players scoring at least one goal until the end of the match.

Kirstine Emilie Hoppe scored seven goals for Denmark, while Julie Boendorf Johansen added five goals, but the real heroes were Denmark’s goalkeepers, Maria Liv Dahl Koerth, Freja Fonseca Nielsen and Freja Solling Fager, who had nine, nine and two saves respectively, for a 55% saving efficiency.

Denmark conceded only five goals in the second half, to secure a 32:16 win, scoring the double number of goals and clinching their maiden win in the competition.

Player of the Match: Kirstine Emilie Hoppe (Denmark)

Group H
Croatia vs Norway 21:27 (11:13)

A strong second-half performance saw Norway cruise past Croatia in their opening match of the 2026 IHF Women's Junior World Championship.

Croatia held the lead only once in the first half, when Mirna Brusić netted for 10:9 in the 23rd minute, but they could not build on that advantage. Norway, boosted by goalkeeper Leah Isabell Langaard, who stood at 41% save efficiency at the break, managed to stay ahead throughout most of the opening 30 minutes.

The Norwegian side produced the stronger defensive display and built a three-goal lead at their highest. However, an eight-minute goalless spell in the middle of the first half prevented them from turning their advantage into a more convincing lead before the break.

Croatia levelled again in the second half at 15:15 with the help of Jana Miklić, who was flawless with eight goals, but any hopes of a turnaround disappeared between the 46th and 52nd minute. Mistakes in attack, combined with saves from the Norwegian goalkeeper and hummel Player of the Match Langaard, hampered Croatia's chances as Norway spurred a 6:0 run.

Not even the timeout called by Vedran Krkač could change the flow, and Croatia had to accept defeat in their opening match of the World Championship. Norway, on the other hand, made the most of their momentum and sealed the win in convincing fashion, with 10 different players getting on the scoresheet, and Synne With leading the way with six goals.

Croatia will face another European side in the next round, the Faroe Islands, while Norway will try to extend their positive run against Japan.

Player of the Match: Leah Isabell Langaard (Norway)