The third matchday of the 2018 IHF Women’s Beach Handball World Championship in Kazan, Russia sees the start of the main and consolation rounds.

2018 IHF Women’s Beach Handball World Championship

Matchday 3: Main Round and Consolation Round – Day 1

- Title holders Spain face Uruguay in opening match
- Hosts Russia face Denmark then Norway
- The newcomers take on the 100% teams as Vietnam play Brazil, Paraguay and Greece play Poland
- Consolation Round starts with Australia, USA, France and Mexico in action

For the match schedules and results click HERE. All games will be streamed live HERE. All times local.

Main Round: Group 1
At the start of play Poland and title holders Spain top the group, having won all three of their preliminary group games and therefore carrying four points into their main round group. Behind them in third place are Greece and Chinese Taipei with two points each and then the South American rivals, Paraguay and Uruguay in fifth and sixth without any points to their name yet.

Poland appear the strongest with the top goalkeeper in the tournament in terms of save percentage (Magdalena Slota – 41% - 17 from 41) and the second-best scorer with Kinga Jakubowska (45 points) – but Spain are right behind them with Maria Asuncion Batista Portero, third in the scoring list (36 points) and Lucia Sonora Solano Caballero on a 40% save rate in the goalkeeping chart.

Poland and Spain do not meet today but by the time they do tomorrow the four who qualify through to the quarter-finals from the group could be decided already. Spain start with a clash against Uruguay, while Poland play debutants Paraguay in a pair of Europe vs South American match-ups.

Greece against Chinese Taipei could be a clash encounter in the third morning match in the group, while the two South American sides go up against each other in the afternoon matches.

Main Round: Group 1

Matches
10:40 ESP vs URU
10:40 GRE vs TPE
10:40 PAR vs POL
15:40 GRE vs POL
15:40 ESP vs TPE
15:40 PAR vs URU

Main Round: Group 2
Runners-up from Budapest 2016 Brazil, and bronze medallists Norway start Main Round Group 2 with four points each, Brazil edging ahead by points and with both teams not having lost a set yet in Kazan, they already have one foot in the quarter-finals. Hosts Russia are well-placed in third with two points, ahead of Denmark with the same total, while Asian sides Vietnam and Thailand are in fifth and sixth, not having carried any points through.

Brazil top the tournament charts in points scored (129 – 43 per game), points conceded (70 – 23 per game), highest strike rate (66 shots out of 86 – 76.7%) and goals (66 – 22 per game), but Norway top the most attempts made at goal during Kazan, with 34 efforts per match (102 in total).

While the stats on paper are clear, on sand, Brazil start their main round campaign against a Vietnam side who made history with their men’s team yesterday by qualifying for the main round in their first-ever world championship.

To overcome the Brazilians would be an even more historic event for the Asian side, who know that their early evening match with continental rivals Thailand presents a more realistic chance of picking up a win.

Hosts Russia face the Scandinavian pairing of Denmark first, then Norway and will hope to pick up at least one win today to almost guarantee their quarter-final spot.

Main Round: Group 2

Matches
12:20 BRA vs VIE
12:20 RUS vs DEN
12:20 THA vs NOR
17:20 BRA vs DEN
17:20 THA vs VIE 
18:10 RUS vs NOR

Consolation Round
Australia, USA, France and Mexico will need to shrug off their disappointment at not making the main round and it could be the Aussies, who knew their fate the earliest, who start strongly today with the opening match against USA. France and Mexico then face off after letting chances to qualify slip through their own hands in shootouts yesterday.

Mexico can boast an impressive stat though as Edna Viridiana Uresti Valencia is the Kazan 2018 best goalscorer, with 51 points and her power could be enough to steer her side to victory today.

Consolation Round

Matches
09:00 AUS vs USA
13:10 FRA vs MEX
17:20 USA vs FRA
18:10 MEX vs AUS