Layva ready to defend SCA Women's Club Championship title as 12 teams gather in Asunción

12 clubs from four South American nations are set to contest the 2026 SCA Women's Club Handball Championship, which gets underway on Monday, 15 June, and runs through to Friday, 19 June, at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee complex in Asunción, Paraguay.

The competition will be hosted across two venues in Paraguay’s capital - the Ueno COP Arena and the CEO - as the continent's top women's club handball teams return for another edition of South America's premier club competition.

All eyes will be on Uruguayan side Layva, who enter the competition as reigning champions after their remarkable title run in 2025, winning all five of their matches in Santiago de Chile on the way to a historic first SCA Women's Club Championship title. The Uruguayan club will be determined to defend their crown, and their presence adds an extra layer of excitement to a competition that has historically been dominated by Brazilian clubs.

Brazilian giants EC Pinheiros, three-time champions in 2022, 2023 and 2024, return to Asunción eager to reclaim the title that slipped away last year. They will be joined by compatriots FMO Português, Maringá and Torrense, making Brazil the best-represented nation with four sides in the field.

The 12 participating clubs represent four nations - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay - with Argentina fielding three sides: Sedalo, Jockey Club Córdoba and Municipalidad Vicente Lopez. Paraguay, as host nation, will have two teams in the competition: Club Deportivo Internacional and Cerro Porteño. Uruguay complete the entry list with Layva joined by Goes and Scuola Italiana.

The 12 teams have been divided into four groups of three. In Group A, Brazilian side Maringa, title holders Layva and Argentinian challengers Municipalidad Vicente Lopez will lock horns, while in Group B, Brazilian powerhouse Pinheiros face the challenge of two Uruguayan sides – Goes and Scuola Italiana.

In Group C, Paraguayan side Cerro Porteño face Argentinian side Sedalo and Brazilian side Torrense, with the same countries represented in Group D, where Internacional from Paraguay face Brazilian team FMO Português and Argentinian side Jockey Club Corinthians.

Once the preliminary round is completed, the group winners will advance to the semi-finals to determine the champion of each zone. The two winners will then meet in the final to decide the winner, while the semi-final losers will play for the bronze. 

The teams finishing second and third in their groups will compete for positions five through twelve, ensuring every club remains in contention throughout the competition.

2026 SCA Women's Club Handball Championship - preliminary round

Group A: Layva (URU), Municipalidad Vicente Lopez (ARG), Maringá (BRA)
Group B: EC Pinheiros (BRA), Scuola Italiana (URU), Goes (URU)
Group C: Sedalo (ARG), Torrense (BRA), Cerro Porteño (PAR)
Group D: Jockey Club Corinthians (ARG), FMO Português (BRA), Internacional (PAR)

Photo credit: SCA