Puerto Rico will be competing in their third, successive IHF World Championship, after competing at the 2022 and 2024 editions, finishing last in both without winning a single game.

To qualify for Croatia 2026, they finished second at the North America and the Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC) Men’s Beach Handball Championships, held in the Caribbean island nation of St Kitts and Nevis in April.

They won three of their four preliminary group games – against the host nation, as well as Antigua and Trinidad and Tobago – and lost once, against Cuba. This set up a semi-final against Mexico and the Puerto Ricans really stepped up, taking one of the continental powerhouses to a shoot-out, which they won 7:4.

The final was a step too far, where they faced the USA just like in 2024, but this time, it was much closer, with just three points difference in the final, won by the Americans 2-0 (18:16, 17:16).

As beach handball begins to take hold in Puerto Rico at a youth level – with the team also qualified for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal – the younger generation are now transitioning to the senior squad and looking to make an impact at the top level, with any ranking higher than their last two highlighting that progress.

“This generation of athletes has played an important role in the development of beach handball in Puerto Rico,” explained Puerto Rico Handball Federation President Dayna Venesa Milete Robles to ihf.info.

“Several players in our squad previously represented Puerto Rico at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth Beach Handball World Championship in Tunis, Tunisia, and also secured qualification for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. Their international youth-level experience has significantly contributed to the growth and competitiveness of our senior national team.”

Led by coach Camilo Estevez and captained by Luis Gratacos, the Puerto Ricans are looking forward to seeing just how far they have progressed as a nation as they prepare to face Hungary, Denmark and Tunisia in their preliminary group after losing 2-0 against Argentina, Croatia, Portugal at the same stage last time out, at China 2024. This was followed by a 2-0 (22–16, 19–16) 13-16 round loss to the Tunisians, 2-1 loss to Australia and, finally, a clear 2-0 15/16 placement loss to Oman.

“We feel highly motivated and excited because we have a young team that we have been developing for more than three years, not only in beach handball but also indoors,” explained coach Estevez to ihf.info.

“We believe we have a strong offensive team; however, we recognise that we must continue strengthening our defensive side. Ahead of the world championship, we will be making some adjustments to improve certain areas where the team still has room for growth. We fully understand the magnitude of this tournament and know that we will be competing against the best teams in the world – our expectations are to improve upon the position obtained at China 2024 and to continue providing our young athletes with exposure at the highest international level.

“We come from an island where we are accustomed to this type of climate and environment, which we believe can work in our favour,” he added. “We are deeply grateful for the constant support from our fans, as well as from our federation and Olympic Committee. Without their support, our participation in Croatia would not be possible.”

Coach: Camilo Estevez
Key Players: Antwan Garcia, Dylan Andreu, Luis Gratacos, Kervin Colon
Qualification information: 2026 North America and the Caribbean (NACHC) Championship – 2nd 
History in Tournament: 2004-2018: DNQ, 2022: 16th, 2024: 16th

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