Egypt make history by reaching Women’s Youth World Championship semi-finals

Egypt’s under-18 women’s handball team have reached the semi-finals of the World Championship for the first time in their history after edging past China 30-29 in a dramatic quarter-final.

The match was decided in a tense closing period, with Egypt holding on to secure a landmark victory. They led 17-13 at half-time before China mounted a strong challenge after the interval.

Egypt’s previous best performance at the Women’s Youth World Championship came in 2022 in North Macedonia, when they finished seventh. Their latest achievement guarantees the country its first appearance in the competition’s last four.

The quarter-final success completed an unbeaten run that has included a series of notable victories. Egypt began their campaign by defeating Croatia 27-24, before following that result with a 29-24 win against France.

They then produced their biggest score of the tournament by overwhelming Fiji 83-17. Egypt also staged a remarkable comeback against South Korea, recovering to win 29-28.

The team completed their under-18 group fixtures with another narrow victory, beating Denmark 23-22 in the final round. That result confirmed their qualification after they finished top of the group with a perfect record.

Egypt also ended the main round at the summit of their group, again maintaining a 100% record before progressing to the quarter-finals. Their victory over China has now taken them beyond the country’s previous best result in the competition.

The Egypt squad is:

Goalkeepers: Jana Ahmed, Gidaa Salama, Retag Mohamed.

Left wings: Gowairia Tamer, Mai Sherif.

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

Centre backs: 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.

The quarter-final victory over China marks the latest step in a campaign that has seen Egypt remain unbeaten against Croatia, France, Fiji, South Korea, Denmark and China. Their progress has been built on both high-scoring performances and close finishes, including one-goal wins against South Korea, Denmark and China.

With a place in the semi-finals secured, Egypt’s under-18 women’s team are now guaranteed the best World Championship finish in the history of the country’s women’s youth handball programme.