Egypt under-18s stun France to reach main round at Womens Youth World Championship

Egypt’s under-18 women’s handball team produced a landmark victory over France to book their place in the main round of the Women’s Youth World Championship in Romania.

The Egyptians, competing in the tournament for only the fifth time, defeated France 29-24 in the group stage, overcoming the team that finished fourth at the previous edition of the competition.

Egypt led 14-11 at half-time and maintained control after the interval to secure a second win from two matches in Group A, having opened their campaign with a 27-24 victory over Croatia, the runners-up at the Women’s 17 EHF EURO, on Wednesday.

That perfect start leaves Egypt top of Group A on four points and already assured of progression to the main round after just two rounds of fixtures. They are one of seven teams to have clinched qualification at this early stage.

Abu Youssef named player of the match

Malak Abu Youssef was named player of the match for Egypt following her standout display against France.

France struggled badly in the early exchanges, managing only a single goal in the opening seven minutes – and that came from a penalty throw – as Egypt’s defence set the tone for the contest.

The defeat leaves France and Croatia to battle for second place in Group A and the remaining main-round berth from the pool.

Egypt will complete their group schedule on Friday against Fiji, who sit bottom of the standings.

Main round picture taking shape

In the main round, Egypt will be placed in a group alongside either France or Croatia from Group A, as well as two teams from Group B, which features Czech Republic, Denmark, South Korea and Mexico.

Teams carry forward their results from the preliminary round against the other qualified side from their original group. This means Egypt’s wins over France and Croatia, or over Croatia and France depending on who advances, will continue to count in the next phase.

From Group C, Spain and Germany have already secured progression to the main round, while Hungary and Sweden have advanced from Group E. Slovakia and Japan have claimed the two qualifying spots from Group G.

Tournament background

The 11th edition of the Women’s Youth World Championship is being held in Romania from 29 July to 9 August, with 32 teams split into eight groups of four in the preliminary round.

The top two teams from each group move on to the main round, with the remaining sides contesting placement matches.

Russia hold the record for the most titles at this level with three world crowns, while Denmark have won the tournament twice. South Korea, Romania, Spain and Sweden have each lifted the trophy once. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Egypt’s best performance at a Women’s Youth World Championship came in 2022, when they finished seventh.