2026 IHF Women's U20 Handball World Championship

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Host country China
Venues4 (in 1 host city)
Dates24 June – 5 July
Teams32 (from 5 confederations)
IHF Women's U20 Handball World Championship
Tournament details
Host country China
Venues4 (in 1 host city)
Dates24 June – 5 July
Teams32 (from 5 confederations)
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The 2026 IHF Women's U20 Handball World Championship will be the 25th edition of the IHF Women's U20 Handball World Championship, the biennial international handball championship organised under the aegis of IHF for the women's U20 national teams across the world. It will be held in China from 29 July to 9 August 2026, with Jinzhong being the host city.[1] This will be China's second time hosting after 1999.

For the third time, 32 teams took part, following the expansion in 2022. Continental championships acted as qualification. Qualifiers took place between July 2025 and April 2026. The hosts China automatically qualified, but had already qualified on merit. Canada and Turkey return after long absences.

France are the defending champions, having beaten Hungary 29–26 at the 2024 final in Skopje.

Summary of qualified teams

QualificationDatesHostVacanciesQualified
Host nation4 March 2026–1 China
2025 U-19 European Championship9–20 July 2025Montenegro Podgorica16 Austria
 Croatia
 Czechia
 Denmark
 France
 Germany
 Hungary
 Iceland
 Montenegro
 Norway
 Poland
 Romania
 Serbia
 Spain
 Sweden
 Turkey
2025 IHF Trophy U19 –
North America and the Caribbean		16–20 July 2025Canada Drummondville2 Canada
 United States
2025 Asian Junior Championship20–29 August 2025Uzbekistan Tashkent4 Chinese Taipei
 India
 Japan
 South Korea
2025 African Junior Championship6–13 September 2025Algeria Oran4+1 Algeria
 Angola
 Egypt
 Guinea
 Tunisia
2025 IHF Trophy U19 – Oceania13–17 October 2025Cook Islands Avarua1 Australia
2026 South and Central American
Junior Championship		12–16 January 2026Paraguay Asunción3 Argentina
 Brazil
 Paraguay
2026 IHF Inter-Continental Trophy7–11 April 2026Bulgaria Veliko Tarnovo1None
Team Qualification method Date of qualification Appearance(s) Previous best performance[A]
Total First Last Streak
 Denmark 2025 European U-19 Championship 10 July 2025 23rd 1977 2024 7 Champions (1997, 2016)
 Czech Republic 8th 1995 1 Eleventh place (1995, 2014, 2022)
 Serbia 5th 2010 2 Fourth place (2012)
 France 12 July 2025 19th 1977 10 Champions (2024)
 Croatia 12th 1995 2022 1 Fourth place (2003)
 Germany 13th 1991 2024 6 Champions (2008)
 Montenegro 7th 2008 5 Third place (2010)
 Norway 19th 1977 8 Champions (2010, 2022)
 Sweden 16th 1983 8 Champions (2012)
 Austria 10th 1977 2022 1 Eleventh place (1979, 1993, 2012)
 Hungary 16th 1977 2024 14 Champions (2018)
 Spain 13th 1985 1 Fourth place (2001, 2008)
 Poland 14 July 2025 10th 1977 2022 1 Third place (1985)
 Romania 17th 1977 2024 7 Champions (1995, 1999)
 Turkey 5th 1989 2001 1 Eleventh place (1997, 1999, 2001)
 Iceland 15 July 2025 5th 1999 2024 1 Seventh place (2024)
 United States [[2025 IHF Trophy U19 – North America and the Caribbean|2025 IHF Trophy U19 North America and the Caribbean]] 20 July 2025 5th 1979 3 Eleventh place (1981)
 Canada 3rd 1981 1999 1 Eighth place (1981)
 China 2025 Asian Junior Championship 24 August 2025 20th 1981 2024 2 Sixth place (1981, 1985, 1989)
 Japan 22nd 1979 21 Eighth place (1997)
 South Korea 22nd 1981 22 Champions (2014)
 Chinese Taipei 27 August 2025 6th 1991 2 Eleventh place (1991)
 Egypt [[2025 African Women's Junior Handball Championship|2025 African Junior Championship]] 10 September 2025 5th 2016 2024 5 Thirteenth place (2024)
 Tunisia 9th 2001 3 Fourtheenth place (2001)
 Guinea 3rd 2022 1 23rd place (2022, 2024)
 Angola 11 September 2025 14th 1995 10 Sixth place (2022)
 Brazil 2026 South and Central American Junior Championship 15 January 2026 17th 1991 2024 17 Ninth place (2005, 2008)
 Argentina 11th 1995 1 Twelfth place (2008)
 Paraguay 16 January 2026 2nd 2018 1 22nd place (2018)
 India[B] 2025 Asian Junior Championship 5 March 2026 2nd 2022 1 26th place (2022)
 Algeria[C] [[2025 African Women's Junior Handball Championship|2025 African Junior Championship]] 11 April 2026 6th 1989 2024 2 Twelfth place (1989)
Wildcard

Draw

The draw was held on 18 March 2026 in Basel, Switzerland.[3][4]

Seeding

The seeding was announced on 5 March 2026.[3]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4
 Germany
 Spain
 Denmark
 Austria
 France
 Montenegro
 Hungary
 Croatia		  Romania
 Czech Republic
 Poland
 Serbia
 China
 Egypt
 Japan
 South Korea		  Sweden
 Norway
 Guinea
 Brazil
 Chinese Taipei
 Argentina
 Iceland
 Angola		  Tunisia
 Turkey
 India
 Paraguay
 Canada
 United States
 Algeria
TBD
  • Australia withdrew before the draw.[3]

Referees

The referees were announced on 14 April 2026.[5]

Referees
 BrazilBruna Correa
Renata Correa
 ChinaCheng Yufeng
Zhou Yunle
 CroatiaAnte Mikelić
Petar Parađina
 DenmarkNichlas Nygaard
Jonas Primdahl
 EgyptMoustafa Abdelkarim
Ahmed Kedis
 EgyptHeidy El-Saied
Yasmina El-Saied
 FranceMathilde Cournil
Loriane Lamour
 GermanyRamesh Thiyagarajah
Suresh Thiyagarajah
Referees
 HungaryKristóf Altmár
Márton Horváth
 IranAmir Gheisarian
Ahmad Gheisarian
 Italy/ RomaniaAlejandra Pepe
Simona Stancu
 KuwaitMaali Al-Enezi
Dalal Al-Nassem
 North MacedoniaIsmailj Metalari
Nenad Nikolovski
 NorwayMads Fremstad
Jørgen Jørstad
 PortugalRúben Maia
André Nunes
 RomaniaCristina Lovin
Simona Stancu
Referees
 SenegalFadel Diop
Abdoulaye Faye
 SerbiaStefan Berdić
Filip Šorak
 SpainRaúl Oyarzun
Aritz Zaragüeta
 TunisiaMakrem Ben Dahou
Rochdi Zoghlami
 UkraineMaryna Duplii
Olena Karpushchenko
 UruguayNicolás Perdomo
Germán Araujo
 UzbekistanKhasan Ismoilov
Khusan Ismoilov

Preliminary round

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  France 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  Egypt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Sweden 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Presidents Cup
4  India 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 24 June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Austria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  Serbia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Angola 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Presidents Cup
4  Paraguay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 24 June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Germany 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  Romania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Brazil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Presidents Cup
4  Canada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 24 June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Spain 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  South Korea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Argentina 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Presidents Cup
4  Turkey 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 24 June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Denmark 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  China (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Guinea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Presidents Cup
4 IHF trophy winner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 24 June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
(H) Hosts

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Montenegro 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  Czech Republic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Iceland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Presidents Cup
4  United States 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 24 June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

Group G

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Hungary 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  Poland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Chinese Taipei 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Presidents Cup
4  Tunisia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 24 June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

Group H

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Croatia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Norway 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Presidents Cup
4 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 24 June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

Main round

Points obtained in the matches against the team from the group are taken over.

Group I

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarterfinals
2 B1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 A2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9–12th place semifinals
4 B2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13–16th place semifinals
First match(es) will be played: June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

Group II

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 C1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarterfinals
2 D1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 C2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9–12th place semifinals
4 D2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13–16th place semifinals
First match(es) will be played: June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

Group III

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 E1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarterfinals
2 F1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 E2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9–12th place semifinals
4 F2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13–16th place semifinals
First match(es) will be played: June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

Group IV

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 G1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarterfinals
2 H1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 G2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9–12th place semifinals
4 H2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13–16th place semifinals
First match(es) will be played: June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

Placement matches

29th place bracket

 
29–32nd place semifinals29th place game
 
      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
31st place game
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

25th place bracket

 
25–28th place semifinals25th place game
 
      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
27th place game
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

21st place bracket

 
21st–24th place semifinals21st place game
 
      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23rd place game
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

17th place bracket

 
17–20th place semifinals17th place game
 
      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19th place game
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

13–16th place bracket

 
13–16th place semifinals13th place game
 
      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15th place game
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

9–12th place bracket

 
9–12th place semifinalsSleventh place game
 
      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ninth place game
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Knockout stage

Bracket

Championship bracket

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Third place
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

5–8th place bracket

 
5–8th place semifinalsFifth place game
 
      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Seventh place game
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Final ranking

Rank Team
1st place, gold medalist(s)
2nd place, silver medalist(s)
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32

Notes

See also

References

External links

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