California Eagles have secured back-to-back trophies at the NACHC Men’s Club Championship and will represent the North American and Caribbean Handball Confederation at the 2025 IHF Men’s Club World Championship, which will take place in Egypt.

Seven teams representing five countries – the United States of America, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Greenland and Canada – lined up at the start of the 2025 NACHC Men’s Club Championship, a record attendance for this competition, which took place this year in Las Vegas, the United States of America.

The seven teams were divided into two groups – one of three teams and one of four teams – with the top two sides in each group progressing to the semi-finals. The winners of the two semi-finals progressed to the final, where the winner was crowned on 8 July.

In Group A, the California Eagles saw off the challenge of Puerto Rican side, Caciques de Palmer, 23:21, in the first match, while securing the first place in the group with a clear 40:27 win over Greenland champions GSS Nuuk. The second-placed side, which advanced to the semi-finals, was decided in the last day of the preliminary round, when GSS took a 35:27 win over Caciques de Palmer.

Group B was more contested, but the winner was clear, as Los Angeles Team Handball Club clearly beat their three opponents to clinch the first place in the standings. After a 30:22 win over fellow American side New York Athletic Club, LATHC continued their quest for glory with a 31:19 win over Mexican side Kraken and a 36:27 win over Canadian side Club de Handball de Lévis.

The second place was sealed by Club de Handball de Lévis, which beat Kraken, 31:23, and New York Athletic Club, 25:22, seeing off the challenge of the two sides in style to clinch a historic result.

In the semi-finals, the tables turned for Los Angeles, which went behind early against GSS and, despite all their efforts, missed out on securing a place in the final, after a 31:32 loss in the dying seconds. The California Eagles set up a rematch with GSS, clinching their third consecutive win in the competition against Club de Handball de Lévis.

The Eagles were favoured in the final, having an experienced coach like Dani Gordo on the bench, as well as several experienced players in the squad, and that proved to be decisive, as they took a 37:31 win, securing the continental title at the NACHC Men’s Club Championship and also clinching their ticket to the 2025 IHF Men’s Club World Championship for the second edition in a row.

Only one American team made two appearances at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, the San Francisco CalHeat, which finished 10th in 2021 and 2023.

Credit photo: California Eagles