Argentina qualified for the 2026 world championship, where they will face neighbours Brazil, The World Games title-holders Germany and debutants Italy in the preliminary group, after finishing as runners-up at the 2026 SCAHC beach handball championships held on home sand in Rosario.

They lost to perennial continental heavyweights Brazil in the final 2-0 (17:14, 17:12), despite beating them earlier in the competition in the preliminary group round 2-0 (24:22, 19:18). Right wing Santino Sposito and pivot Juan Bautista Dirr were named in the tournament All-star Team.

Argentina also faced Brazil’s men at the 2025 IHF Beach Handball Global Tour: Finals in South America last year.

At the event in Brazil, Argentina played their neighbours in the preliminary group, losing 2-1 (22:16, 14:15, SO 12:10), eventually overcoming world champions Croatia for bronze, 2-1 (24:8, 14:17, SO 7:6), highlighting their potential and current quality.

Last time out, at the 2024 IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championship in China the South American side recorded their highest-ranking in four appearances, finishing eighth on Pingtan Island.

Just one win – against Puerto Rico – was recorded in the preliminary group stage, with two 2-0 losses against Portugal and Croatia following. But this was enough to reach the main round where they faced Croatia 2026 opponents Germany, losing 2-0 (21:14, 18:12), but won shoot-outs against Qatar and the USA to make it through to the quarter-finals.

From the last eight onwards they lost all three games, all against European nations – Denmark (0-2), Spain (0-2) and Hungary (1-2).

“The draw placed us in a very demanding group, with two European teams and Brazil, the current South and Central American champions, but we also believe these kinds of challenges are a great benchmark for our team: they allow us to discover what we want, how far we can go, and how much we are willing to compete in order to keep growing,” said coach Ferraro to handballargentina.com.

“The last world championship was extremely important for us. Finishing in eighth place and achieving the best result in our history was no coincidence; it was the outcome of many years of hard work. Two generations of developing players joined a group that gradually started believing it could compete on equal terms with anyone. We feel that the result should not be a ceiling, but rather a starting point. We want to keep growing and continue pushing the limits of beach handball in Argentina.”

Ferraro’s squad includes Marco Gorgo, Santino Sposito, Nahuel Baptista, Lucas Coronel, Joaquin Guillamon, Nicolas Millet, Francisco Nunez Muller, Santiago Vidondo plus world championship debutants Juan Bautista Dirr and Ezequiel Rozitchner.

“I believe we will come out on top,” said Baptista to local media about Croatia 2026. “We are aware that we can beat anyone, especially being Argentinian, because Argentinians always have that extra edge."

To prepare for Croatia 2026 Argentina’s men – with their women’s team who are 2024 World Championship silver medallists and current The World Games title-holders – will head to Ismaning, Germany for a training camp (17 to 20 June) where they will play friendly matches against the strong German sides.

Coach: Sebastian Ferraro

Key Players: Jorge Nahuel Perez Baptista, Santino Sposito, Juan Bautista Dirr

Qualification information: 2026 South and Central America (SCAHC) Men’s Championships – 2nd 

History in Tournament: 2004-2012: DNQ, 2014: 10th, 2016: DNQ, 2018: 11th, 2022: 11th, 2024: 8th

Group at Croatia 2026: Group C: Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Italy