The Youth (U17) IHF Trophy for women starts in March and will finish early next year with the InterContinental Phase. It is a series of 20 tournaments across six continents in which each Continent is divided in a set number of zones based on geographical and competitive criteria. The winner of each Zone qualifies for the Continental Phase while the winner of each Continental Phase qualifies for the InterContinental Phase of the IHF Trophy to determine the final winner. The best Youth team in each competitive cycle will also qualify for the following Women’s Youth (U18) World Championship .