In the past four competitions for the generation competing at Dakar 2026, Hungary’s younger age men’s team have competed for medals four times.

At the U16 European Championship in 2024 the team took gold, beating Spain 2-1 in the final. Fourth place was the result at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth Beach Handball World Championship, with the same ranking registered at the U17 European Championship a few weeks later, and with the same competition repeating earlier this year, due to calendar changes, another medal was finally secured – bronze in Zagreb, Croatia.

Highlighting not only the depth of talent available to Hungary, but also the change necessary due to age restrictions, none of the players from the 2024 or the world championship in 2025 are in the Dakar 2026 squad, with just two from the 2026 European Championship making it – Alex KLINGER and Mate HAJDU. That pair are two of 10 who will be coming to Senegal with that European bronze medal in their pockets from earlier this year.

One constant throughout the process has been coach Ference CSASZAR and he will be in the hotseat for Dakar 2026.

From Siklos in Hungary, CSASZAR has been coaching since 2014 and has a full trophy cabinet to show for it, laden with both indoor and beach titles. Working with younger age groups in Hungary, he has won titles with Vaci KSE, Kispest NKK and PLER-Budapest and has three continental golds with the younger age national beach teams (2022, 2024 – U16 European Championship, 2023 U17 European Championship).

As a player, he played for a variety of Hungarian teams in the indoor discipline, but tasted success as a national team beach player, winning European silver (2006) and bronze (2007, 2009), The World Games silver (2009) and world championship silver (2010). He also won a number of Hungarian titles on the sand and two silvers (2006, 2015) at the European Beach Handball Tour Finals (ebt).

At Dakar 2026, his side will face Brazil, Puerto Rico and Senegal, in a quadruple-continent preliminary group.

“Brazil has been one of the strongest beach handball nations since the very beginning, and they will certainly come to the competition with a very strong and talented team,” said CSASZAR to IHF.info.

“We do not have much information about Puerto Rico, but we can see that their senior national teams have been developing very well, so I assume it will not be easy to beat them either. Senegal will be the host nation, and we also have reliable information that they have been preparing for this competition for the past two years and have a very good and experienced coach.

“We have been working with these players for about a year,” added the 43-year-old. “They performed exceptionally well at the European Championship this summer. I expect them to continue improving and deliver an even better performance. Our goal is clear; we want to win a medal. If possible, the brightest one. We will certainly face challenges due to the difficult conditions, but I am confident that we will overcome them and achieve success.

“Taking part in any major international competition as a coach is an incredible experience. I have competed in many events as both a player and a coach, but I have never been to the Olympic Games. I am really looking forward to it. It will be an experience of a lifetime.”

CSASZAR describes his team identity as one with “…dynamic attacking play built primarily around the playmaker’s decision-making, combined with ball-oriented defence that constantly adapts its strategy,” with captain Zeteny ZARAY leading them on the Senegal sand.

“It is a tremendous honour and a source of pride to represent Hungary at the Olympic Games. It is a unique experience that stays with you forever. I am really looking forward to sharing it with my teammates, meeting athletes from other countries and gaining new experiences. As captain, it is especially important to me that we stay united, support one another and represent Hungary with pride both on and off the court. I want all of us to look back on this experience with pride and fond memories,” said the player, who plays as a specialist for Hungary, to IHF.info.

“None of our matches will be easy. Brazil bring a very strong team year after year, and we also lost to them in the bronze medal match at the 2025 World Championship last year. Senegal will certainly have extra motivation playing at home, while Puerto Rico could also pose a serious challenge, as we have less experience playing against them. We respect all three opponents, but we believe in ourselves and want to deliver our best possible performance as a team.”

After joining the national team in May 2024, ZARAY made his debut at the European Championship this year and has credited tennis, which has played for many years as valuable experience he can use in Dakar 2026 as head of a strong team. 

“I would describe us as a close-knit, energetic and determined group, where everyone contributes their own personality and strengths to our shared success,” says ZARAY about the Hungary team at Dakar 2026.

“Beach handball is about more than technical skills and speed: it also requires trust, fighting for one another and responding to difficult situations as a team. I am proud that we are more than just a group of players—we are a community in which we can always count on each other. On the court, we love to compete, celebrate and play spectacular handball. Off the court, we develop together and support one another. I think that is what makes us truly special.”

So, what does the HE-DO B.Braun Gyongyos club player enjoy most about the sport?

“I love beach handball because it is fast-paced, spectacular and unpredictable, and every moment matters,” he says. “What I enjoy most is the team spirit, the creative plays and the fact that we always need one another on the court. The beach atmosphere and the community also make it special for me. For me, it is more than a sport: it is an environment where I can keep improving and share both successes and challenges with my teammates.”

At Tunisia 2025 Hungary defeated Croatia and Kenya in the preliminary group stage and lost to Germany. In the main round they lost to Spain, were taken all the way in the first set against Dakar 2026 opponents Puerto Rico but ran out 2-0 (25:24, 26:14) winners and beat Oman 2-0. A 2-0 quarter-final win against the hosts set up a semi-final against Germany, with the Germans winning 6:4 via shoot-out, setting up a bronze play-off against the South Americans, Brazil winning via shoot-out, 2-1 (24:18, 18:20, SO 12:14).

“Over the years we have learned in beach handball there is no such thing as an easy group or an easy opponent,” said Hungarian Handball Federation Secretary General Gabriella HORVATH to IHF.info.

“The teams are closely matched, and the rules and dynamics of the game tend to produce highly competitive and more equal matches. Brazil is a powerhouse in both indoor and beach handball, while Senegal has been preparing for this tournament for years, supported by an excellent coaching staff. We will, of course, show Puerto Rico the same respect, as we will to every team we may face beyond the group stage.”

HORVATH has had a long association with beach handball and currently serves on the European Handball Federation Executive Committee (EXEC) as Chair of the Beach Handball Commission and is in no doubt about the important of not only Hungary being represented in the beach handball competition, but the sport itself in an Olympic Games.

“Being part of the Olympic Games is undoubtedly of great importance. Olympic status is something that sports and sports professionals aspire to, and it can also make it considerably easier to secure funding -0 not only for participation in the Games themselves, but also for the wider development of the sport,” she explains.

“Beach handball is a fantastic game with enormous potential to promote handball as a whole and can contribute to player development in so many ways. Olympic recognition would help many others, who may not yet fully appreciate this potential, to see and believe in it as well.

“For more than a decade, the Hungarian Handball Federation has actively supported the development of beach handball, both nationally and internationally, embracing its responsibility to help the sport grow,” she added.

“However, there are times when sustaining this growth becomes more challenging, particularly when it comes to securing the necessary sport-professional- and financial support. This is precisely why it is so important to establish a stable and recognised place for beach handball within the broader handball landscape and its competition structures, ensuring the conditions for its long-term development.

“In Hungary, several handball clubs start introducing beach handball to children as early as the age of 10–12. The first centrally coordinated, organised activities take place when county handball associations hold regional beach handball tournaments for players aged 14–16. The next step is to hold selection trials for future youth national teams, which typically attract around 150 players per gender. After this, the players compete for senior beach handball teams, and those selected for the national squads represent Hungary at international tournaments as A and B national teams.”

Hungary’s men are one of just three teams at Dakar 2026 who will be appearing in consecutive Youth Olympic Games appearances, after they finished fifth at Buenos Aires 2018.

In Argentina, they beat Spain, Thailand, Venezuela, Chinese Taipei and Uruguay in the preliminary group stage before losing to Portugal, Croatia and Argentina in the main round to set up a 5/6 placement match in which they saw off Thailand again.

Coach: Ferenc CSASZAR
Key players: Alex KLINGER (Right Back), Mate HAJDU (Right Wing), Zeleny ZARAY (Specialist), Milan SZAKA (Defender)
Qualification information: Tunisia 2025 – 4th, European representative place
History in tournament: 2018: 5th
Group at Dakar 2026: Group B – Brazil (BRA), Hungary (HUN), Puerto Rico (PUR), Senegal (SEN)