The race for the coveted Paris 2024 Olympic Games ticket will have another stop this week, with eight teams fighting for one berth at the 2023 Women’s Pan American Games in Viña del Mar, Chile, between 24 and 29 October.

For the ninth time, handball will take centre stage at the prestigious event, with Brazil winning the competition six times in a row, with their streak starting in 1999, and the United States of America securing the gold medal twice, first in the inaugural edition, in 1987, when they were also hosts, and in 1995.

This edition will be even more important, as the winners will automatically earn a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, joining hosts France, reigning European champions Norway, Asian champions the Republic of Korea and African champions Angola, who have already secured their tickets for the competition.

Four teams which will take part in the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship – Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Paraguay – will also be at the start of the 2023 Pan American Games, as all will be striving to secure the title and progress to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Another four sides – Canada, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Uruguay – complete the line-up, as the eight participating teams, which have sealed their berth to the 2023 Pan American Games via various competitions, have been divided into two groups of four teams each, with the top two sides progressing to the semi-finals.

Brazil, who finished fifth at the 2021 IHF Women’s World Championship and won both the 2022 South American Games and the 2022 South and Central American Women's Handball Championship are the big favourites here too, bringing plenty of talent to the table.

Centre back Bruna Almeida de Paula will surely be one of the players to watch, while another experienced centre back, Ana Paula Rodrigues Belo, is another weapon in Brazil’s arsenal to try and take the title, their seventh in a row at the Pan American Games.

Brazil have been drawn into Group B of the preliminary round, facing Cuba, Paraguay and Uruguay. They have dominated their opponents, beating Uruguay, 32:18, and Paraguay, 47:20, at the 2022 South and Central American Women's Handball Championship in November 2022.

Argentina, who lost the last three finals, are drawn into Group A, and will be favoured against Canada, Chile and Puerto Rico, with Canada sealing their place in the competition thanks to a 44:31 aggregate win against the United States of America in November 2022.

They also beat Chile, 26:18, at the 2022 South and Central American Women's Handball Championship, as they are favourites to sweep their opponents and clinch the first place, thanks to their experience and with players featuring in European club competitions.

The preliminary round will be played between 24 and 26 October, in a round-robin format, with the semi-finals scheduled for 28 October and the final and the bronze-medal game on 29 October.

The winners of the competition will proceed directly to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, while the second-placed side still have another chance, making it to the Olympic Qualification Tournaments, due to be played in April 2024. Cameroon and Japan have already sealed their spots there thanks to their performances in their continental qualifications.