2026 Women's Beach Handball World Championships
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The 2026 Women's Beach Handball World Championships will be the 11th edition of the championship, held in Zagreb, Croatia, under the aegis of International Handball Federation (IHF).[1][2]
Qualification
16 teams will participate.[3]
| Qualification | Vacancies | Qualified |
|---|---|---|
| Host | 1 |  Croatia |
| Defending champion | 1 |  Germany |
| 2025 Asian Beach Handball Championship | 2 |  Vietnam Philippines |
| 2025 European Beach Handball Championship | 5 |  Spain Norway Netherlands Denmark Greece |
| 2025 Oceania Beach Handball Championship | 1 |  Cook Islands |
| 2026 South and Central American Beach Handball Championship | 3 |  Argentina Brazil Uruguay |
| 2026 NACHC Beach Handball Championship | 2 |  United States Puerto Rico |
| Africa | 1 |  Benin |
- Australia withdrew and the Cook Islands were invited.[4]
Draw
The draw took place on 2 May 2026.[5][6]
Seeding
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany Spain Argentina Norway |
Netherlands Croatia Denmark Greece |
Brazil Vietnam Philippines Cook Islands |
United States Puerto Rico Uruguay Benin |
Preliminary round
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Main round |
| 2 | Netherlands |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | Vietnam |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | Uruguay |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Consolation round |
First match(es) will be played: 23 June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Main round |
| 2 | Croatia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | Cook Islands |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | Puerto Rico |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Consolation round |
First match(es) will be played: 23 June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Main round |
| 2 | Greece |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | Brazil |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | United States |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Consolation round |
First match(es) will be played: 23 June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Main round |
| 2 | Denmark |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | Philippines |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | Benin |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Consolation round |
First match(es) will be played: 23 June 2026. Source: IHF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Consolation round
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2 | B4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 3 | C4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 4 | D4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
First match(es) will be played: June 2026. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Main round
Points obtained against teams from the same group are carried over.
Group I
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | B1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | A2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | B2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | A3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | B3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
First match(es) will be played: June 2026. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Group II
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | D1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | C2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | D2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | C3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | D3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
First match(es) will be played: June 2026. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head set difference; 4) Head-to-head points won; 5) Set difference; 6) Points won; 7) Draw.
Knockout stage
Bracket
- Championship bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| I1 | ||||||||||
| II4 | ||||||||||
| II2 | ||||||||||
| I3 | ||||||||||
| I2 | ||||||||||
| II3 | ||||||||||
| Third place | ||||||||||
| II1 | ||||||||||
| I4 | ||||||||||
- Fifth place bracket
| 5–8th place semifinals | Fifth place game | |||||
| Seventh place game | ||||||
- 9–16th place bracket
| 9–16th place quarterfinals | 9–12th place semifinals | Ninth place game | ||||||||
| Best 5th MR | ||||||||||
| CR4 | ||||||||||
| 2nd best 6th MR | ||||||||||
| CR1 | ||||||||||
| 2nd best 5th MR | ||||||||||
| CR3 | ||||||||||
| Eleventh place game | ||||||||||
| Best 6th MR | ||||||||||
| CR2 | ||||||||||
- 13–16th place bracket
| 13–16th place semifinals | 13th place game | |||||
| 15th place game | ||||||
Final ranking
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
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|
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| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
| 7 | |
| 8 | |
| 9 | |
| 10 | |
| 11 | |
| 12 | |
| 13 | |
| 14 | |
| 15 | |
| 16 |