If current The World Games and continental champions Argentina want to add the world Championship title to their ever-increasing list of honours then at some point at Croatia 2026 it is likely they will have to face Germany – the team who beat them in the world championship final two years ago in China.

In fact, with the last two global women’s beach handball finals being between the two sides, a fledgling rivalry is developing at the very top level pushing each side to perform even better.

At China 2024, Argentina showed the world what they are capable of, winning all their games up to that final.

They started with preliminary group victories against Croatia (2-0), Vietnam (2-0) and Spain (2-1) and then main defeats of China (2-0), Croatia 2026 preliminary group opponents Philippines 2-0 (20:16, 23:12) and Portugal (2-0). The knock-out rounds started with neighbours Brazil seen off via shoot-out (2-1), then Netherlands in the quarter-finals by the same way (2-1) before Germany stopped them in their track in the gold medal match (0-2).

China was also the location for the second global gold medal clash between the two sides, when the South Americans did see off their European rivals, at The World Games at Xinglong Lake in Chengdu.

In China last year they defeated defending champions Germany 2-1 (14:20, 22:12, SO 7:2) thanks to a save from Alma Molina and Fiorella Corimberto scoring the single point for glory. On their way to gold they beat Portugal, Croatia, China and Vietnam 2-0 and Spain in the semi-final, 2-1.

Following The World Games success Argentina then finished as runners-up on the IHF Global Tour Finals stage after losing to Brazil 2-0 (17:16, 22:16) in the final. They beat Spain 2-0 (15:10, 25:24) but lost to Poland (1-2) and Brazil (1-2) in the preliminary group stage.

Argentina will need all their quality and experience to medal at Croatia 2026 where they will face three different continents in the preliminary group, including ANOC World Beach Games title-holders Denmark, Asian silver medallists Philippines and world championship debutants and African champions Benin.

They made it through to Zagreb after winning the 2026 SCAHC Women’s Beach Handball Championships at home in Rosario earlier this year. Argentina beat Paraguay (2-0), Uruguay (2-1) and Chile (2-0) but lost to Brazil (0-2) in the preliminary group stage, with defender Zoe Turnes, attacker Lucila Balsas and Gisella Bonomi (75 points – top-scorer) named in the All-star Team.

That continental title came less than 200 days after that The World Games triumph.

“To be at the world championship again is very important for the development of the sport in Argentina as we need more and better matches: we need to play against the best teams in the world,” said coach Leticia Brunati after qualification was secured. “For me, each world championship is gaining experience and growing.”

Despite that victory, The World Games 2025 is likely to rank as Argentina’s greatest-ever moment on sand, although many will feel their gold at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games on home sand in Buenos Aires is more important, particularly as the backbone of their successful squad in recent years – plus that at Croatia 2026 – features a number of 2018 players plus coach Leticia Brunati, all now pulling the strings at senior level.

"Our country is known for its craziness and it's unpredictability, so we are unpredictable too. That's not something bad. It's more a virtue than a negative thing,” said Bonomi to ihf.info after winning gold last year.

“The only time I have had a gold medal in my hands, was the (2018) Youth Olympic Games one and my head did a movie with all the sacrifices, all the people that was cheering me up at home, all my teammate - and we are not just this part of the team - we are a bigger team. When I hold the gold medal in my hand, I will have another movie and I will value that and do this 1,000 more times again."

Hoping to help Bonomi get her hands on another gold medal will be coach Leticia Brunati, well-versed in topping the podium.

“The dream of becoming world champions is there every single day, but we know it’s a difficult goal,” she said to handballargentina.com ahead of the event.

“First, we have to focus on reaching the quarter-finals. We know both our preliminary group and the main round we could face will feature very tough matchups. It will be important to carry points over and arrive at the second phase with an advantage, especially considering we could be facing former world champions such as Norway, Brazil and Greece.

“We’ve been testing and giving playing time both to new players and to others who returned to the squad. During the Global Tour, The World Games and the latest South and Central American Championship, we had the chance to evaluate many of them.”

“I don’t know if we arrive as favourites, but we did come with experience, which is what we needed in the last tournaments to be able to play a final, in our own way, to enjoy it and we lacked that in China 2024 but achieved it the following year,” added Bonomi to DeporTV.

“We're arriving at Croatia 2026 with a lot of experience. The main round will be very difficult and it is what determines our fate. It's preferable to have a tough group stage to then position ourselves for the main round. In any case, it will be a complicated tournament.”

Coach: Leticia Brunati 

Key Players: Fiorella Corimberto, Lucila Balsas, Gisela Bonomi

Qualification information: 2026 SCAHC Women’s Beach Handball Championships – 1st

History in Tournament: 2004-2012: DNQ, 2014: 11th, 2016: 7th, 2018: DNQ, 2022: 7th, 2024: 2nd

Group at Croatia 2026: Group D: Argentina, Denmark, Philippines, Benin