The World Games Chengdu 2025: Beach Handball gets underway at global sporting extravaganza
06 Aug. 2025

The seventh edition of The World Games to feature beach handball gets underway on the shores of Xinglong Lake in south-eastern Chengdu, China on Thursday (7 August).
Two courts will feature a morning and early afternoon session totalling eight games â four in the menâs competition and four in the womenâs competition.
To watch the games live or follow beach handball at The World Games, click HERE.
World, The World Games and European champions do battle in opening day of womenâs competition
Many players and coaches consider The World Games to be one of the toughest beach handball competitions to win due to the high-quality of talent on show on the sand and the opening day of the womenâs competition ably illustrates that.
âThat's a really tough question,â said Germanyâs Lena Klingler to ihf.info when asked who she thinks will be the toughest teams in Chengdu. âThe level here at this tournament is probably the highest it has ever been because of the new qualification pathway â you can't compare it to the last The World Games as itâs totally different.Â
âBut Spain, Argentina; these two are really top teams but then also Denmark and Portugal; you can't cut them out. We had a tough shoot-out loss against Denmark in at the EURO.â
Newly-crowned European champions Spain will face Klinglerâs The World Games (2022) and World Championship (2024) title-holders Germany in an all-European clash which should highlight just what the sport of beach handball can offer in the second set of womenâs games throwing off at 1140am.
Spain â who are one of the few teams in China to be able to select a full-strength squad â were the last delegation to arrive in Chengdu and spent all day on Wednesday acclimatising to the travel, time difference and humidity.
And with medals galore in recent weeks, they are looking to add another one by this time next week.
âWe're approaching this competition with great enthusiasm and desire because it's one of the season's major goals and one of the biggest challenges ahead,â said Spain coach Juan Pablo Morillo to rfebm.com.Â
âThe great results we're getting reinforce our style of play and the approach we want for the matches. Our goal is to focus first and foremost on ourselves, on reaching that level of play, that level of competitiveness, so we can confidently face matches that, in principle, are very difficult in the group.â
But the long journey and adaptation to conditions for Spain has been the same for most of the teams coming to Chengdu, Germany spending 25 hours getting to the Asian nation.
âIt's certainly stressful, but it affects all the teams there,â said Germany womenâs coach Alexander Novakovic to handball.net, who revealed that his side ââŠare forced to adapt our system a bit," as they are in Chengdu without a recognised specialist in the squad. They played Argentina in a friendly match on Wednesday as they completed their final preparations.
Spain against Germany is one of a quartet of games on offer, along with ANOC World Beach Games title-holders Denmark â complete with five debutants â taking on three-times-in-a-row, and current Asian champions, Vietnam, who are appearing in the event for the first time.
âIt is always exciting to go to such a big tournament with many debutants,â said Denmark coach Morten Frandsen Holmen. âBut I have great faith that they â together with the experienced players â will do well in China.â
The first set of games at 1000am sees relatively unknown quantity China open their home event against Croatia, while 2017 silver medallists and 2022 bronze medallists, plus 2024 world championship silver medallists, Argentina look to take a first winning step on the full-The World Games medal collection when they take on debutants Portugal.
âWe begin a new challenge in a competition we're participating in for the first time,â said coach Agustin Collado Rodriguez to fpa.pt. âWe are eager and excited to experience a unique experience. We will begin the competition against Argentina, the 2024 world championship runner-up, where our main objective is to start well. Then, we will face a constantly improving Chinese team as hosts and, finally, Croatia, who will help us define our quarter-final matchup.â
âAny team can win the tournament,â added Argentinaâs experienced Luciana Scordamaglia to ihf.info, ââŠbut we have confidence.â
Can Croatia keep their seat at the top table?
Like Germanyâs women, Croatia are current The World Games and IHF World Championship title-holders and like the Germans, they also open their Chengdu 2025 campaign against the recently-crowned European Champions â this time Germany, who are re-appearing in the competition of their last appearance at home at Duisburg 2005.
âAt World and European Championships, the processes aren't as gigantic as here, with long distances, lots of hustle and bustle in the village, and many other sports,â said German head coach Marten Franke to handball.net about what makes The World Games so different to the continental and global handball-only events.
Franke welcomes back Lennart Wormann to his squad, after the key player missed their European championship title win last month.
âCroatia will obviously be a tough opponent to begin with,â added Franke about his opening opponents who have brought in a number of new, young players. âWe'll be watching to see what lineup they field, but everything will be demanded of you right from the start.â
The same with the only ever-present team in beach handball at The World Games â Brazilâs men. They open their account with a match against Portugal, while China take on Tunisia and Denmark face Spain to wrap up day one.
âI hope it is Brazil, because when I start a competition, I always think every time about the gold medal,â said Brazilian magician Bruno Oliveira to ihf.info. âCroatia is the most difficult team as they four world championship title, but, really, I don't know, because I don't see the teams yet. Croatia, Germany, Denmark all have new players, so to say who is the hardest I donât know. I am just focusing on Brazil.â
Brazilâs opening clash will be a fascinating one against 2024 world championship bronze medallists Portugal.
âThe World Games represent the pinnacle of the competition, the culmination of a rigorous qualifying campaign that has brought us here,â said Pedro Serrano, coach for Portugalâs menâs team to fpa.pt.
âExpectations are high, but we're determined to leave our mark and be remembered for the best reasons. Our goal is clear: we want a medal, and we'll fight with all our might to achieve it. We're prepared to give our all and make this moment unforgettable.â
To watch the games live or follow beach handball at The World Games, click HERE. https://www.ihf.info/media-center/news/world-games-chengdu-2025-how-followÂ
The World Games Chengdu 2025 â Beach Handball: Day 1 schedule
(All times local, CST)
Thursday 7 AugustÂ
Preliminary Group
Womenâs Competition
1000 Â Â CHN vs CRO, ARG vs POR
1140 Â Â GER vs ESP, DEN vs VIE
Menâs Competition
1050 Â Â CRO vs GER, POR vs BRA
1230 Â Â CHN vs TUN, DEN vs ESP