2026 IHF Women's U20 Handball World Championship

The IHF Women's Under-20 Handball World Championship is the premier international competition for the next generation of women's handball talent, bringing together national teams from across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa. The 2026 edition is hosted in China, marking a significant moment for handball development in Asia.

China has been investing in handball infrastructure and youth development programmes as part of a broader effort to establish the sport in a nation more traditionally associated with table tennis, badminton, and basketball. Hosting the U20 World Championship provides a major platform for Asian handball visibility. European nations — particularly those from Scandinavia, France, and the Netherlands — typically dominate the competition, but the tournament format gives emerging nations meaningful match time against the world's best young players.