Last summer, at the W17 EHF Championship, the Netherlands were a force to be reckoned with, conceding only 70 goals in six matches, proving to be a team that would have fit right in at the W17 EHF EURO.

Winning the competition meant that the Dutch side sealed their place at the next IHF Women’s Youth (U18) World Championship, for which they qualified for the sixth time, having never finished outside of the top 10 in the previous five editions they played in.

Montenegro qualified for the fourth time for an IHF Women’s Youth World (U18) Championship, after ranking 11th in 2012, seventh in 2014 and recording their worst-ever placement at Poland 2018, where they finished the tournament in 17th place.

Led by a former superstar in Maja Savic, a European champion in 2012 and a silver medallist at the Olympic Games London 2012 with Montenegro, the young Montenegrin players will certainly learn a lot from her experience at the top level.

This will be only the second IHF Women’s Youth (U18) World Championship for which the Czech Republic have qualified – 10 years to the date after they finished 13th in 2012. It will definitely be an important experience for the European side, as they can aim to progress to the main round with wins against Brazil and Uruguay.

However, their credentials will surely be tested against the South American sides as the Czech Republic progressed to North Macedonia 2022 after finishing 13th at the W17 EHF EURO 2021.