The Faroe Islands shocked Croatia U20 in Jinzhong: a narrow 22:23 defeat complicated the path toward the main round
The Croatia women’s junior handball team suffered its second defeat in Group H at the 2026 IHF Women’s Junior U20 World Championship, after the Faroe Islands celebrated a 23:22 win on 25 June in Jinzhong. When the score is listed with Croatia as the first team, that match is recorded as a 22:23 defeat, while the official schedule of the International Handball Federation, because of the formal home status of the Faroe Islands, lists the match as Faroe Islands – Croatia 23:22. After the match, the IHF announced that this was the first victory for the Faroe Islands in the history of their appearances at the Women’s Junior World Championship, which gives the result additional weight from the perspective of the development of that national team. For Croatia, however, it was a painful outcome because, after the opening defeat to Norway 21:27, it remained without points after two rounds. The match was played at the Jinzhong University Gymnasium, in the Chinese province of Shanxi, and according to the official IHF schedule it began at 16:15 local time, or 08:15 GMT.
Turnarounds, barren spells and the decision in the final minutes
According to the IHF report, from the beginning the match had the character of a game in which neither national team managed to impose complete control for a sustained period. The Faroe Islands were the first to create a two-goal advantage, but Croatia found an answer midway through the first half and took a 9:8 lead through Mirna Bursać in the 20th minute. That moment did not open a Croatian run; instead, as the IHF states, a period of weaker finishing and too few goalkeeper saves followed, which the Faroe Islands used to return to the lead. Croatia scored only two goals in the final ten minutes of the first half, while the Faroese team, led by Rakul Borgarlid Joensen, found its rhythm and went into the break with a 14:11 advantage. Such an ending to the first half set the framework for the second half, in which Croatia almost constantly had to chase the deficit.
The Croatian players opened the continuation very well and quickly came back to 14:14, making the match completely open again. The Faroe Islands, however, responded with a new mini-run and restored the lead to 19:16, so the impression from the first half was repeated in the continuation as well: Croatia knew how to find a way back, but it could not hold the initiative long enough. In its analysis of the match, the IHF also particularly highlighted the period between the 45th and 55th minute, when both teams entered a long scoring drought, which further intensified the tension and the importance of every following action. In such finishes, attacking discipline, concentration in passing and the quality of decisions under pressure come especially to the fore. Croatia managed to use part of its experience and defensive stability and returned to 22:22 two minutes before the end.
Croatia reached the equaliser, but the final attack ended on the post
The key Croatian comeback came after a defensive action against the Faroese seven-on-six attack. According to the IHF report, Tara Đelekovčan took advantage of the situation with the Faroe Islands’ goal empty and scored for 22:22, giving Croatia another chance in the closing stages to avoid defeat. But the Faroe Islands found one more attacking response, restored the narrow lead and forced Croatia into a final attack under maximum pressure. That attack did not bring an equaliser because the Croatian attempt ended on the post. The minimum difference therefore remained on the scoreboard, and the Faroese bench could celebrate a victory that the IHF described as historic. For Croatia, the defeat was especially difficult because it was not a match in which the deficit was unreachable, but a contest in which several details in the closing stages decided the distribution of points.
In terms of individual performance, the IHF singled out Rakul Borgarlid Joensen and Silja Eystberg as the Faroe Islands’ most efficient players, with six goals each. Goalkeepers Gylta Á Neystabo and Maria Beder, according to the same report, recorded six saves each, which was enough for the Faroe Islands to survive the Croatian pressure in the second half. On the Croatian side, according to the IHF, Mirna Bursać once again stood out with seven goals, confirming an important attacking role in the junior national team. Eystberg was named player of the match, which further shows how much the Faroese victory was the result of a combination of individual efficiency and collective endurance in the closing stages. In a match with such a small margin, every miss, technical error and goalkeeper save had a visible effect on the final outcome.
A historic victory for the Faroe Islands, a serious blow for Croatia in Group H
The IHF marked the Faroe Islands’ victory as their first at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, which meant the result in Jinzhong grew beyond the framework of a single group match. The Faroese national team entered the tournament as the last confirmed participant, after the IHF announced changes to the list of participants on 19 May and stated that the Faroe Islands had received a place after Australia’s withdrawal and the withdrawal of the next possible representatives from the Oceanian qualification line, New Zealand and Fiji. That circumstance makes the victory against Croatia even more interesting, because the team that entered the tournament later achieved a result that opened a real chance for it to continue fighting for the main round. In the first round, the Faroe Islands lost to Japan 22:32, so the victory against Croatia was necessary for them to remain in contention. After two rounds, according to the official IHF table, the Faroe Islands have two points and a negative goal difference, but also direct result capital that keeps them ahead of Croatia.
For Croatia, the situation is considerably more complicated. The official Group H table after two rounds shows Japan at the top with four points, Norway and the Faroe Islands with two each, and Croatia in fourth place without points. Croatia has an overall goal difference of 43:50, or minus seven, after defeats to Norway 21:27 and the Faroe Islands 22:23. According to the format rules published by the IHF, the two top-ranked national teams from each of the eight groups progress to the main round, while the remaining two continue the competition in the President’s Cup. This means that Croatia, in the final round against Japan, no longer has the luxury of relying only on its own victory, but must also follow the outcome of the match between Norway and the Faroe Islands. Although the official mathematics depends on the final results of the last round, the defeat to the Faroe Islands has significantly reduced Croatia’s margin for error.
Group H justified its billing as one of the most unpredictable
The draw for the groups of the World Junior Championship, held in Basel on 18 March 2026, placed Croatia in Group H with Japan, Norway and a then still unknown fourth participant. In its draw preview, the IHF described Group H as very balanced, and the first days of the competition confirmed that this is a group in which the favourites cannot count on routine points. Japan defeated the Faroe Islands 32:22 in the first round, and then on 25 June also beat Norway 26:24, thereby taking the leading position and making a major step toward the main round. Norway had earlier opened the tournament with a 27:21 victory against Croatia, but the defeat to Japan also complicated its position. In such a standings situation, the Faroe Islands’ victory over Croatia is not only an isolated surprise in one match, but a result that changes the entire dynamics of the group before the final round.
The particular feature of Group H also lies in the different handball profiles of the opponents. Croatia relies on the European school with an emphasis on structure, duels and organised attack; Norway traditionally comes from a system with a large base and fast handball; Japan brings high tempo and mobility, while the Faroe Islands have increasingly shown in recent years that they can be competitive in younger age categories. The IHF results from the first two rounds show that the differences between the national teams were not enough for the group to unfold according to the simplest expected scenario. That is precisely why Croatia’s 22:23 defeat carries double weight: it is a sporting failure in a direct battle for points, but also a sign that the breadth of competition in junior handball continues to increase. For the global audience, it is another example of how, in younger categories, the difference between traditionally established national teams and those that are only building continuity on the big stage is being erased ever more quickly.
The tournament in China brings together 32 national teams and is played in four halls in Jinzhong
The 2026 IHF Women’s Junior U20 World Championship is officially the 25th edition of the Women’s Junior World Handball Championship. According to IHF data, the tournament is played from 24 June to 5 July 2026 in Jinzhong, a city in China’s Shanxi province, and 32 national teams are taking part. The IHF stated that the competition is being held in four halls: Jinzhong City Gymnasium, Jinzhong Vocational and Technical College Gymnasium, Shanxi Medical University Zhongdu Campus Gymnasium and Jinzhong University Gymnasium. Croatia and the Faroe Islands met precisely at the Jinzhong University Gymnasium, the hall where Group H matches are played. Such a format, with a large number of national teams in one city, enables a dense schedule and a quick change of competition phases, but at the same time leaves little time to recover after defeats.
In the first phase, 32 national teams are divided into eight groups of four. According to the IHF, the two best national teams from each group continue the competition in the main round, while the third-placed and fourth-placed teams move into the President’s Cup, the placement play-off. After the main round comes the quarter-final stage for the best national teams, followed by the final knockout phase. For national teams like Croatia, which entered the tournament with the ambition of progressing from the group, two early defeats significantly change the sporting plan because the focus shifts from fighting for a more favourable position to saving chances in the final round. The Faroe Islands, on the other hand, after the victory against Croatia, enter the final day of the group with visible confidence and proof that they can compete with an opponent from the highest draw pot.
The final round brings Croatia – Japan and Norway – Faroe Islands
According to the official IHF schedule, the final round of Group H is played on 27 June at the Jinzhong University Gymnasium. Norway and the Faroe Islands meet at 16:15 local time, while the match between Croatia and Japan is scheduled for 18:30. Japan enters that day with a maximum of four points, and Norway and the Faroe Islands with two each, while Croatia is without points. Such a standings situation means that Croatia must seek victory against the best-placed national team in the group and at the same time rely on the outcome of the other match. The IHF table shows that goal difference could also play an important role, because Japan, Norway and the Faroe Islands are separated after two rounds by both points and goal difference.
For the Croatian national team, the duel with Japan will be a test of mental resilience after two unpleasant defeats. Against the Faroe Islands, Croatia showed that it can return from a deficit and withstand the pressure of the closing stages, but it did not manage to turn the comeback into a point or a victory. In the meeting with Japan, it will have to maintain better efficiency throughout all 60 minutes, especially in periods when the match is being decided and when the opponent tries to speed up the rhythm. The Faroe Islands, meanwhile, against Norway have the opportunity to confirm that the historic victory over Croatia was not just a one-off flash. After the match in Jinzhong, one thing is clear: Group H remains open until the final day, and Croatia’s narrow 22:23 defeat against the Faroe Islands could be one of the key results for the final standings.
Sources:
- International Handball Federation – report from the Faroe Islands – Croatia match and summary of events in Group H (link)
- International Handball Federation – official schedule and result of the match from 25 June 2026 (link)
- International Handball Federation – official group table and schedule of the final round of Group H (link)
- International Handball Federation – event page with data on the date, host and participants of the championship (link)
- International Handball Federation – explanation of the competition format, draw and group composition (link)
- International Handball Federation – confirmation of the change to the list of participants and the entry of the Faroe Islands into the competition (link)