Togo capital Lomé will always be special for Tunisian handball as it was the location of the first-ever continental championship gold for the Tunisia men’s beach handball team, who won the inaugural event earlier this year, thanks to six 2-0 wins – a perfect record. 

This added an African title to the trophy cabinet, with the side winning the first two African Beach Games titles, in 2019 in Cape Verde and 2023 in Tunisia.

Their preliminary group campaign in Togo this year saw Tunisia beat Benin (14:10, 24:13), Cote d’Ivoire (20:6, 16:9), Mali (22:9, 20:13) and Togo (22:16, 24:20). Mali were again their opponents, this time in the semi-finals, and in a tighter, defensive game, the North African side ran out 11:5, 23:12 winners. 

But their stiffest test came in the final as host nation Togo – in front of a packed, passionate home crowd – put up a fight. And the Togo side took them all the way, Badis Mohamed scoring the golden goal for Tunisia in the first set (19:18) and specialist Rhimi Bachar sinking home with just a second remaining to take the second (18:16).

At the end of 2025, Tunisia had represented Africa at The World Games Chengdu 2025, finishing seventh after defeating their hosts in the 7/8 placement match which went to a shoot-out. The home side won the first set 21:20, but were then easily dispatched in the second (18:8) by Tunisia who took the shoot-out 8:6 after Ma Huifeng missed China’s fourth shot.

In Croatia, Tunisia will face Puerto Rico, Denmark and Hungary. The North African side beat the Puerto Ricans 2-0 in the 9/10 placement match at China 2024, a tournament where they also faced Hungary, who they lost 2-0 to in the main round. This was the same score by which Tunisia lost to Denmark on stage 4 of the 2023 IHF Beach Handball Global Tour, the finals stage in Qatar and at a friendly tournament held in Tunisia in March 2024.

Coach Mohamed Taboubi has included five young players from the 2008-2009 generation in his squad, a quintet who were part of the team who finished in fifth spot at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth Beach Handball World Championship in Tunis last year and who are now targeting a medal at the upcoming 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.

The players include playmaker Yahya Makhlouf, goalkeeper Hamza Zakhama as well as Yassine Mssaed, Mones Garrach and Ahmed Khlifi. Ibrahim Tennich could feature too – the playmaker was voted into the All-star Team at Tunisia 2025 as best playmaker.

Another player in the squad, Bachar Rhimi, has been called ‘the decisive joker’. Born in 2007, Rhimi was first discovered during national scouting camps held in Tunis, Cap Bon and southern Tunisia ahead of the Deauville International Tournament in June 2023. A few months later, he showed his full talent at the 2023 Tunisian Beach Handball Championship with his club Chebba. His spectacular moves, especially a double-spin pirouette shot, quickly caught the attention of coaches and fans.

Thanks to his athletic profile, speed and strong game IQ, Bachar earned his place in the senior national team during the preparation for China 2024. He also benefited from the experience of veteran player ‘Lallou’, who played in the same position.

Despite his young age, Bachar – who also plays indoor handball for Tunisia’s junior team – already played in major international events such as the IHF Global Tour in Hammamet and The World Games 2025 and his final second, crucial goal in the African championship final sealed the title – one which he and his teammates hope they can add to in the future.

“Winning the African Championship was an historic achievement that secured our qualification for Croatia 2026 and this success is the result of excellent preparation and the hard work of a young and ambitious team,” said player Ouji Nassim to ihf.info.

“This African title has motivated us even more to proudly represent and honour our national flag on the world stage in Croatia. We are proud to keep Tunisia among the best beach handball nations in the world, and we hope to achieve an even better result than in previous international competitions.”

Final preparations for Tunisia include participating in the Lacanau Bechhandball Xpérience in France, a well-known EHF ebt tour stage.

Coach: Mohamed Taboubi
Key Players: Bachar Rhimi, Yahya Makhlouf, Hamza Fellah, Nassim Ouji
Qualification information: 2026 CAHB Men’s African Championship – 1st
History in Tournament: 2004-2022: DNQ, 2024: 11th

Group at Croatia 2026: Group B: Hungary, Denmark, Tunisia, Puerto Rico