Thoughts turn to medal pathway as main round gets underway in Heraklion

After an intense first two days of competition, the 2022 IHF Women’s Youth Beach Handball World Championship enters the main round stage and consolation round. All teams will play twice on the third match day.
 
In the main round, two groups of six teams each will be battling it out to finish in the top four of their groups to ensure a quarter-final spot on Saturday (18 June).
 
In Main Round Group I, Spain and Hungary have taken through a maximum of four points, having won all three of their preliminary games and sit securely at the top. Just behind them are Poland and Brazil on two points each, while Ukraine and Thailand, who registered a single win each in their preliminary round groups, against the bottom sides, are on zero points each. 
 
Hungary beat Ukraine 2-0 in the Women’s 17 EHF Beach Handball EURO in Bulgaria last year and will be expecting another win as they look to retain the world title they first won in 2017 at the debut edition in Mauritius. The Hungary side will face Brazil later.
 
Another European Championship clash is repeated when Poland play Spain, the Southern European side winning in Bulgaria 2-0 in the main round stage as well.
 
Group II has Netherlands and Argentina sitting on top with four points each, followed by Germany and Greece (two points) and France with Puerto Rico on the bottom (zero points each).

A Pan American derby match starts the day in Group II when Argentina – who have won all three of their games so far with shoot-outs – take on Puerto Rico who won their first-ever Beach Handball World Championship game in history at any level against Hong Kong on Wednesday (15 June).
 
France and Netherlands do battle again following their continental clash last July, which the Dutch won via a shoot-out, 9:8. The team in orange will then meet Germany for the second time inside a year, with the Germans desperate for revenge following their 0-2 semi-final loss on the sand in the continental event held in Varna.
 
The bottom four teams from the preliminary round – Uruguay, Romania, India and Hong Kong will all play each other over the next few days to decide places 13-16. Romania are likely to be the team to beat, having only been squeezed out of contention by Argentina and France thanks to shoot-out losses.
 
Whatever happens, there will be history made at least once when India take on Hong Kong at 15:10 – whoever wins will record their first-ever Beach Handball World Championship win at any level in either gender.