The group stage of the 2026 IHF Women's Youth World Championship will finish on Saturday, 1 August, with 16 matches in the Romanian cities Craiova, Mioveni, Pitești and Râmnicu Vâlcea.

10 teams have already secured their main round progression, but six tickets to the next stage are still up for grabs, and in some groups, the contenders will meet in direct duels. And in the groups where both progressing teams are known, they will face each other for the precious points to take with them to the main round.

Group A

11:45 EEST — Egypt vs Fiji
14:00 EEST — Croatia vs France

Group B

16:15 EEST — Republic of Korea vs Mexico
18:30 EEST — Denmark vs Czechia

Group C

11:45 EEST — Guinea vs Uzbekistan
14:00 EEST — Spain vs Germany

Group D

16:15 EEST — Netherlands vs Portugal
18:30 EEST — Montenegro vs Argentina

Group E

11:45 EEST — Tunisia vs Canada
14:00 EEST — Hungary vs Sweden

Group F

16:15 EEST — Kazakhstan vs Uruguay
18:30 EEST — People's Republic of China vs Romania

Group G

11:45 EEST — Brazil vs Angola
14:00 EEST — Slovakia vs Japan

Group H

16:15 EEST — Slovenia vs Algeria
18:30 EEST — Switzerland vs Serbia

14:00 EEST Croatia vs France

Both sides are level on two points after two matches, so it will be a do-or-die encounter for each of them. But for Croatia, who have a better goal difference, even a draw will be enough to reach the main round, while France only need a victory to secure a top-16 finish.

Croatia, who became the runners-up at the W17 EHF EURO 2025, opened Romania 2026 with a 24:27 defeat against Egypt. However, they bounced back in the match against debutants Republic of Fiji, claiming the biggest win at the tournament, 67:4. Left wing Maja Elena Hajdinjak, who stood out in their attack, now tops the competition's scoring chart, with all her 19 goals scored in that game.

France also enjoyed a big victory against Fiji, 55:2, on the opening day. However, the French side failed to add more points to their tally in the following match against Egypt, conceding a surprising 24:29 defeat and putting their progression to the main round under threat.

Last year, Croatia beat France in the W17 EHF EURO 2025 main round, 27:25, and another tight battle is expected in their vital clash now.

14:00 EEST Spain vs Germany

In this all-European clash, both rivals have already secured their main round berths, having the maximum of four points after two matches. But their duel on Saturday will be very important, as Spain and Germany will fight not just for the top position in Group C, but also for the points to carry over to the next stage.

Just like Croatia and France, the two teams faced off at the main round of the W17 EHF EURO 2025, and Spain had the upper hand in a very close fight, 27:26. In the end, the Spanish team reached the semi-final and finished fourth, while Germany ranked 11th.

However, now it is Germany who top the group thanks to a better goal difference. The German side has already shown their attacking power at Romania 2026, defeating Uzbekistan 44:13 and Guinea 36:21. Their player Janne Overbeck takes the joint second position in the tournament's scoring chart, having 18 goals under her belt.

Spain also celebrated commanding wins against both non-European sides in the group, as they beat Guinea 27:12 and Uzbekistan 46:22. However, now they will meet an opponent of quite a different calibre.

18:30 EEST People's Republic of China vs Romania

In Group F, both sides progressing to the main round were also determined after two matches. In their last group encounter, People's Republic of China and Romania, who boast a perfect record at Romania 2026 so far, will fight for the points to take to the next competition stage.

So far, the 2025 Asian Women's Youth Handball Championship winners China have done well at the tournament. In their opening game, the Asian side proved too strong for Kazakhstan, 43:17, and on the following day, they defeated Uruguay 34:22. Left back Shuoyan Zhang, who led the Chinese attack in both those encounters, is currently joint fifth-placed in the tournament's scoring chart with 17 goals.

Romania's leading scorers Diana Maria Sălăjan and Diana Ștefania Lefter have a more modest tally of 10 goals, but their team is behind China only on the number of scored goals, as both sides have a "+38" goal difference. After beating Uruguay 30:16 and Kazakhstan 37:13, Romania boast the most efficient defence at the tournament with just 29 conceded goals, and they hope to extend their winning run against the ambitious Chinese.

18:30 EEST Switzerland v Serbia

No team have secured an early main round berth in Group H, but Switzerland are the closest to reaching that goal. They will progress to the next stage even with a not very big defeat, and a win or a draw will secure their top position.

The Swiss side have done well at Romania 2026 so far, taking the maximum of four points from two matches. Lauryn Mierzwa's 14 goals powered them to an opening victory against Slovenia, 31:28, before Switzerland also proved too strong for Algeria, 28:14.

Serbia also beat Algeria, 28:22, after struggling in the first half, but in an all-European clash against Slovenia, they had problems in attack and lost 14:26, putting themselves in a difficult situation.

If Algeria claim points from Slovenia, which does not seem very likely, Serbia will secure progression with any kind of a win. But if Slovenia takes a victory, the Serbians will need to beat Switzerland by at least eight goals, and this is quite a formidable task for the team who scored just 42 goals in the two previous matches.