Montenegro secured 1st place while Croatia finished 2nd in Group A of the World U18 Championships Division 1, qualifying directly for the quarterfinals. These neighboring countries will join Spain and the USA, which secured the top two spots in Group B and earned tickets to the Top 8 yesterday.
Montenegro beat Hungary very convincingly – 20:13. Roganovic and Durutovic scored half of Montenegro’s goals. Each found the net five times.
Croatia secured second place in the group by defeating Serbia 15:11. The teams were closely matched during the first half, with Croatia holding a slim 9:8 lead after 16 minutes. However, the Croats made a crucial move in the third period, scoring five goals while conceding two, which was vital for the outcome. Galusic and Skejic each scored four goals for the winning team.
Spain blew Team USA away in the derby of Group B, 15:6, with four goals from Carrio.
2026 World U18 Championships, Rio Maior Day 3
Division 1
Group A
Hungary – Montenegro 13:20 (2:5, 6:6, 3:5, 2:4)
Croatia – Serbia 15:11 (4:3, 5:5, 5:2, 1:1)
Standings: 1. Montenegro 9, 2. Croatia 6, 3. Hungary 3, 4. Serbia 0.
Group B
Spain – USA 15:6 (5:2, 2:3, 4:0, 4:1)
China – Italy 8:29 (2:8, 2:8, 4:7, 0:6)
Standings: 1. Spain 9, 2. USA 6, 3. Italy 3, 4. China 0.
Division 2
Greece and Turkiye showed no mercy to their rivals today and completed the list of participants in the Crossover round.
Group C: Colombia – Singapore 15:16. Standings: 1. New Zealand 6, 2. Singapore 3, 3. Colombia 0.
Group D: Turkiye – Hong Kong 29:5. Standings: 1. Turkiye 6, 2. Brazil 3, 3. Hong Kong 0.
Group E: South Africa – Greece 5:33. Standings: 1. Greece 6, 2. Australia 3, 3. South Africa 0.
Group F: Argentina – Portugal 11:13. Standings: 1. Canada 6, 2. Portugal 3, 3. Argentina 0.
Crossover round
Stage 1 (Tuesday)
Match 1: Turkiye – New Zealand
Match 2: Greece – Canada
Stage 2 (Wednesday)
Hungary – losing team in Match 1
Italy – losing team in Match 2
Serbia – winning team in Match 1
China – winning team in Match 2
The teams ranked 2nd and 3rd in the Division 2 groups will play in the 13th – 20th place classification.
Articles about World men’s junior and youth championships
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