Egypt finish fourth at Women’s U18 World Championship after Denmark defeat

Egypt’s women’s under-18 handball team finished fourth at the World Championship after losing 23-19 to Denmark on Sunday.

The result represents the best finish in Egypt’s history at the Women’s U18 World Championship, despite a strong defensive display from Denmark deciding the contest.

The two sides were closely matched during the first half, with Denmark taking a narrow 12-11 lead into the interval. Egypt remained within reach, but Denmark’s young players established a clear advantage after the restart and secured victory.

Egypt had already beaten Denmark 23-22 earlier in the competition during the main round. That result was part of an unbeaten campaign which saw Egypt finish top of their group with a perfect record.

The Egyptian team also secured qualification from the group stage by taking first place with maximum points, following a victory over Denmark in their final group match.

Their fourth-place finish improves on the country’s previous best performance at the tournament. Egypt had finished seventh at the 2022 edition in North Macedonia, which had previously been their strongest showing in the competition.

The Egypt squad for the championship was:

Goalkeepers: Jana Ahmed, Gidaa Salama, Retag Mohamed.

Left wings: Gowairia Tamer, Mai Sherif.

Left backs: Judy Metwally, Sondos Essam, Farah Farag.

Playmakers: Mirna Ashraf, Reem Ehab, Yasmine Hassan.

Right backs: Malak Amr, Mariam Salah, Habiba Mahmoud.

Right wings: Malak Khamis, Farida Abou El Magd.

Pivots: Zeina Amr, Zeina Mahmoud.

Denmark’s disciplined defence proved decisive in the final stages of the match, preventing Egypt from recovering after the half-time deficit. Egypt’s players nevertheless leave the tournament with a historic result, having gone further than any previous national under-18 women’s side at the World Championship.

The campaign included two victories over Denmark at different stages of the competition: Egypt won their main-round meeting 23-22 before Denmark reversed the result in the match that determined the final positions.