# 1986 World Women's Handball Championship

The 1986 World Women's Handball Championship took place in the Netherlands between 4–14 December 1986.

## Qualification
### Host nation

* Netherlands

### Qualified from the 1984 Summer Olympics

* Yugoslavia
* South Korea
* China

### Qualified from the 1985 World Championship B

* East Germany
* Hungary
* West Germany
* Czechoslovakia
* Soviet Union
* Norway
* Poland
* Romania
* France

### Qualified from Asia

* Japan

### Qualified from the 1986 Pan American Women's Handball Championship

* United States

### Qualified from the 1985 African Women's Handball Championship

* Congo (later replaced by Austria)

## Preliminary round
### Group A

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Soviet Union | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 68 | 44 | +24 | 5 |
| Yugoslavia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 63 | 43 | +20 | 5 |
| Austria | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 47 | 69 | −22 | 2 |
| Poland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 45 | 67 | −22 | 0 |
| 4 December 1986 18:30 | Yugoslavia | 25–15 | Poland | Heerlen |
| 4 December 1986 18:30 | | (11–5) | | Heerlen |
| 4 December 1986 20:30 | Soviet Union | 30–15 | Austria | Heerlen |
| 4 December 1986 20:30 | | (11–9) | | Heerlen |
| 6 December 1986 18:30 | Yugoslavia | 24–14 | Austria | Weert |
| 6 December 1986 18:30 | | (14–7) | | Weert |
| 6 December 1986 20:30 | Soviet Union | 24–15 | Poland | Weert |
| 6 December 1986 20:30 | | (13–8) | | Weert |
| 7 December 1986 14:00 | Austria | 18–15 | Poland | Sittard |
| 7 December 1986 14:00 | | (9–10) | | Sittard |
| 7 December 1986 16:00 | Soviet Union | 14–14 | Yugoslavia | Sittard |
| 7 December 1986 16:00 | | (9–7) | | Sittard |

### Group B

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| East Germany | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 71 | 39 | +32 | 5 |
| Hungary | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 65 | 48 | +17 | 5 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 55 | 72 | −17 | 2 |
| United States | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 71 | −32 | 0 |
| 4 December 1986 18:30 | Hungary | 30–15 | United States | Groningen |
| 4 December 1986 18:30 | | (13–4) | | Groningen |
| 4 December 1986 20:30 | East Germany | 34–18 | Netherlands | Groningen |
| 4 December 1986 20:30 | | (14–9) | | Groningen |
| 6 December 1986 18:30 | East Germany | 23–7 | United States | Emmen |
| 6 December 1986 18:30 | | (9–4) | | Emmen |
| 6 December 1986 20:30 | Netherlands | 19–21 | Hungary | Emmen |
| 6 December 1986 20:30 | | (6–11) | | Emmen |
| 7 December 1986 14:00 | East Germany | 14–14 | Hungary | Leeuwarden |
| 7 December 1986 14:00 | | (9–5) | | Leeuwarden |
| 7 December 1986 16:00 | Netherlands | 18–17 | United States | Leeuwarden |
| 7 December 1986 16:00 | | (12–8) | | Leeuwarden |

### Group C

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Norway | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 79 | 55 | +24 | 4 |
| Czechoslovakia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 61 | +7 | 4 |
| China | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 66 | −9 | 3 |
| Japan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 55 | 77 | −22 | 1 |
| 4 December 1986 18:30 | China | 20–19 | Norway | Enschede |
| 4 December 1986 18:30 | | (12–14) | | Enschede |
| 4 December 1986 20:30 | Czechoslovakia | 24–17 | Japan | Enschede |
| 4 December 1986 20:30 | | (13–11) | | Enschede |
| 6 December 1986 18:30 | Norway | 27–17 | Czechoslovakia | Apeldoorn |
| 6 December 1986 18:30 | | (11–10) | | Apeldoorn |
| 6 December 1986 20:30 | China | 20–20 | Japan | Apeldoorn |
| 6 December 1986 20:30 | | (13–10) | | Apeldoorn |
| 7 December 1986 14:00 | Norway | 33–18 | Japan | Arnhem |
| 7 December 1986 14:00 | | (20–8) | | Arnhem |
| 7 December 1986 16:00 | Czechoslovakia | 27–17 | China | Arnhem |
| 7 December 1986 16:00 | | (14–8) | | Arnhem |

### Group D

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Romania | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 51 | +23 | 6 |
| West Germany | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66 | 55 | +11 | 4 |
| South Korea | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 65 | 60 | +5 | 2 |
| France | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 75 | −39 | 0 |
| 4 December 1986 18:30 | Romania | 25–22 | South Korea | Leeuwarden |
| 4 December 1986 18:30 | | (10–12) | | Leeuwarden |
| 4 December 1986 20:30 | West Germany | 21–17 | France | Leeuwarden |
| 4 December 1986 20:30 | | (11–10) | | Leeuwarden |
| 6 December 1986 18:30 | Romania | 22–21 | West Germany | Groningen |
| 6 December 1986 18:30 | | (10–9) | | Groningen |
| 6 December 1986 20:30 | South Korea | 27–11 | France | Groningen |
| 6 December 1986 20:30 | | (13–6) | | Groningen |
| 7 December 1986 14:00 | West Germany | 24–16 | South Korea | Emmen |
| 7 December 1986 14:00 | | (15–10) | | Emmen |
| 7 December 1986 16:00 | Romania | 27–8 | France | Emmen |
| 7 December 1986 16:00 | | (16–5) | | Emmen |

## Main round

* Team will compete for Places 1–2
* Team will compete for Places 3–4

### Group E

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Soviet Union | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 114 | 81 | +33 | 9 |
| East Germany | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 117 | 93 | +24 | 7 |
| Yugoslavia | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 99 | 89 | +10 | 7 |
| Hungary | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 93 | 90 | +3 | 5 |
| Netherlands | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 92 | 124 | −32 | 2 |
| Austria | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 85 | 123 | −38 | 0 |
| 9 December 1986 18:30 | East Germany | 25–20 | Austria | Almere |
| 9 December 1986 18:30 | | (14–9) | | Almere |
| 9 December 1986 18:30 | Soviet Union | 27–17 | Netherlands | Den Haag |
| 9 December 1986 18:30 | | (17–6) | | Den Haag |
| 9 December 1986 18:30 | Yugoslavia | 19–18 | Hungary | Hoorn |
| 9 December 1986 18:30 | | (9–8) | | Hoorn |
| 10 December 1986 20:30 | East Germany | 27–17 | Yugoslavia | Apeldoorn |
| 10 December 1986 20:30 | | (14–7) | | Apeldoorn |
| 10 December 1986 20:30 | Soviet Union | 19–18 | Hungary | Delft |
| 10 December 1986 20:30 | | (8–7) | | Delft |
| 10 December 1986 20:30 | Netherlands | 22–17 | Austria | Amsterdam |
| 10 December 1986 20:30 | | (9–9) | | Amsterdam |
| 12 December 1986 18:30 | Soviet Union | 24–17 | East Germany | Den Haag |
| 12 December 1986 18:30 | | (14–5) | | Den Haag |
| 12 December 1986 18:30 | Hungary | 22–19 | Austria | Hoorn |
| 12 December 1986 18:30 | | (10–9) | | Hoorn |
| 12 December 1986 20:30 | Yugoslavia | 25–16 | Netherlands | Arnhem |
| 12 December 1986 20:30 | | (13–8) | | Arnhem |

### Group F

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Czechoslovakia | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 111 | 101 | +10 | 8 |
| Norway | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 117 | 90 | +27 | 7 |
| Romania | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 123 | 112 | +11 | 7 |
| West Germany | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 93 | 96 | −3 | 4 |
| China | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 100 | 118 | −18 | 3 |
| South Korea | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 96 | 123 | −27 | 1 |
| 9 December 1986 20:30 | Czechoslovakia | 19–13 | West Germany | Almere |
| 9 December 1986 20:30 | | (8–5) | | Almere |
| 9 December 1986 20:30 | Norway | 29–16 | South Korea | Den Haag |
| 9 December 1986 20:30 | | (10–7) | | Den Haag |
| 9 December 1986 20:30 | Romania | 32–24 | China | Hoorn |
| 9 December 1986 20:30 | | (16–10) | | Hoorn |
| 10 December 1986 18:30 | Czechoslovakia | 22–21 | Romania | Amsterdam |
| 10 December 1986 18:30 | | (12–11) | | Amsterdam |
| 10 December 1986 18:30 | China | 19–19 | South Korea | Apeldoorn |
| 10 December 1986 18:30 | | (8–12) | | Apeldoorn |
| 10 December 1986 18:30 | Norway | 19–14 | West Germany | Delft |
| 10 December 1986 18:30 | | (9–8) | | Delft |
| 12 December 1986 18:30 | Norway | 23–23 | Romania | Arnhem |
| 12 December 1986 18:30 | | (10–11) | | Arnhem |
| 12 December 1986 20:30 | West Germany | 21–20 | China | Den Haag |
| 12 December 1986 20:30 | Czechoslovakia | 26–23 | South Korea | Hoorn |
| 12 December 1986 20:30 | | (14–13) | | Hoorn |

### Group G

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Poland | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 47 | +12 | 6 |
| Japan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 57 | 53 | +4 | 4 |
| France | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 53 | 46 | +7 | 2 |
| United States | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 45 | 68 | −23 | 0 |
| 9 December 1986 18:30 | Poland | 18–16 | Japan | Veenendaal |
| 9 December 1986 18:30 | | (13–5) | | Veenendaal |
| 9 December 1986 20:30 | France | 21–11 | United States | Veenendaal |
| 10 December 1986 18:30 | Poland | 19–17 | France | Schiedam |
| 10 December 1986 18:30 | | (10–7) | | Schiedam |
| 10 December 1986 20:30 | Japan | 25–20 | United States | Schiedam |
| 10 December 1986 20:30 | | (14–8) | | Schiedam |
| 11 December 1986 18:30 | Poland | 22–14 | United States | Breda |
| 11 December 1986 18:30 | | (11–8) | | Breda |
| 11 December 1986 20:30 | Japan | 16–15 | France | Breda |
| 11 December 1986 20:30 | | (9–7) | | Breda |

## Finals
### Eleventh Place Playoff

| 13 December 1986 | South Korea | 31–30 (ET) | Austria | Utrecht |
| 13 December 1986 | | (13–12) | | Utrecht |
| Utrecht |||

### Ninth Place Playoff

| 13 December 1986 | China | 22–17 | Netherlands | Utrecht |
| 13 December 1986 | | (10–11) | | Utrecht |

### Seventh Place Playoff

| 13 December 1986 | West Germany | 18–17 | Hungary | Utrecht |
| 13 December 1986 | | (9–8) | | Utrecht |

### Fifth Place Playoff

| 13 December 1986 | Romania | 28–26 (ET) | Yugoslavia | Utrecht |
| 13 December 1986 | | (10-13) | | Utrecht |
| Utrecht |||

### Third Place Playoff

| 14 December 1986 | Norway | 23–19 | East Germany | Rotterdam |
| 14 December 1986 | | (14–8) | | Rotterdam |

### Final

| 14 December 1986 | Soviet Union | 30–22 | Czechoslovakia | Rotterdam |
| 14 December 1986 | Kirtschik 14 | (15–12) | Ďurišinová 9 | Rotterdam |

## Final standings

| # | Team |
| | Soviet Union |
| | Czechoslovakia |
| | Norway |
| 4 | East Germany |
| 5 | Romania |
| 6 | Yugoslavia |
| 7 | West Germany |
| 8 | Hungary |
| 9 | China |
| 10 | Netherlands |
| 11 | South Korea |
| 12 | Austria |
| 13 | Poland |
| 14 | Japan |
| 15 | France |
| 16 | United States |
* Qualified for the 1988 Summer Olympics