The second edition of the Youth Olympic Games to feature men’s and women’s beach handball will bring together 16 teams in Dakar, Senegal, from 9 to 13 November, with all six IHF continental confederations represented.

Here are six things to know about the Dakar 2026 men’s and women’s beach handball competitions.

Beach handball present at an Olympic Games of firsts

Dakar 2026 represents the first time an Olympic Games has been held in the continent of Africa and beach handball will be front and centre in its final week across five match days at Saly Beach West.

In fact, the men’s gold medal match will be the last event of Dakar 2026 to get underway when it throws-off at 1230hrs, just after fencing and breaking have started their final events.

Dakar 2026 will be full of history-making moments under its motto: ‘Africa Welcomes, Dakar Celebrates’. This includes fully gender-balanced events and athletes, with beach handball’s eight men’s and eight women’s teams featuring exactly 80 athletes in each.

Six IHF continents represented, all bringing their own, unique style

Amongst the total of 16 teams at Dakar 2026, Europe (EHF), North America and the Caribbean (NACHC), Asia (AHF), South and Central America (SCAHC), Oceania (OCHF) and Africa (CAHB) are all represented on the Senegal sand in the beach resort of Saly, a one-hour drive south of the capital, Dakar.

All nations appearing qualified for Dakar 2026, not through a traditional qualification system, but a set of principles and sport-specific eligibility criteria agreed between the International Olympic Committee and the IHF.

Four teams will be playing on continental, home sand with Kenya’s women and Tunisia’s men joining the host nation’s two teams. Five teams from Europe will be present, two each from Asia, South and Central America and North America and the Caribbean while the Cook Islands men will be representing the whole, Oceania continent.

While every nation and team brings their own style and personality, the Cook Islands will be performing a ‘Tila’ traditional chant before their games and it is something worth coming early to witness.

Similar to the New Zealand ‘Haka’, the ‘Tila’ represents the whole Cook Islands delegation at Dakar 2026, slightly different to the ‘Pe’e’ they have performed at IHF World Championships previously, and specific to their beach handball team.

The next generation on show

For some beach handball players, Dakar 2026 will represent their competitive, international debut and for others, it will represent their fifth championship in a row after making their debuts back in 2024.

Whatever their experience, all 160 players (each team is allowed a squad of 10) are representative of the future senior team players in the sport, with some already appearing at senior level.

The growth of beach handball since the 2000s means we now see players entering the court who started their handball careers on sand and not through the traditional, indoor discipline route.

With these changes in player backgrounds, the sport continues its constant evolution both on and off court and we cannot wait to see what lies in store at Dakar 2026.

Beach handball as part of a wider, global sporting celebration

With triathlon, sailing and beach wrestling amongst others all taking place at the same venue that beach handball is based at – Saly Beach West, or ‘SBW’ as the locals call it – the sport is placed right amongst the 1,000s of fans in attendance.

Whether it is through the free, fun sessions of basic beach handball skills on-site for anyone, but particularly schoolchildren, or athletes from other sports watching the beach handball athletes in training ahead of competition, the sport is placed right in the centre of the Saly community across its three playing courts and two warm-up courts.

In the future, could we see players performing in the sport who were inspired by Dakar 2026?

No draws allowed!

For anyone new to the sport, their has to be a winner in beach handball. No draws are allowed. If a match is level after both 10-minute sets have been played then it goes to a shoot-out. 

But do not call it a ‘penalty’ shoot-out – it is different to football. Teams have a round of five shots each to decide a winner with two attacking players (one goalkeeper, one court player) going up against one defending team goalkeeper. If it is equal after the first round, it goes to a second round and continues until there is a winner.

Back at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Thailand beat Argentina 26:24 in a shoot-out after three rounds and a total of 25 shots.

Fair Play always

Since its very beginning as a sport, ‘Fair Play’ has always been at the centre of beach handball and Dakar 2026 is no exception.

The fundamental importance of Fair Play is underlined in the IHF Rules of the Game. appearing right at the beginning:

‘The Philosophy of Beach Handball is based on the principles of ‘Fair Play’. Every decision has
to be taken in accordance with these principles.

Fair Play means:
•    Respect the health, integrity and body of the players
•    Respect the spirit and philosophy of the game
•    Respect the flow of the game, but never tolerate an advantage taken by violating the rules
•    Promote the spirit of true sportsmanship and pursue the cultural and athletic mission of the event

Dakar 2026 is also the first younger age, global beach handball event to feature the amendments to the Rules of the Game for Beach Handball which came into effect on 1 April 2026.