USA’s youth team snatch gold at the Men's IHF Trophy – North America and the Caribbean

The United States of America men’s youth team secured the title at the 2026 Men's IHF Trophy – North America and the Caribbean, with a dramatic 26:25 win over Martinique in the final of the competition which took place at the Puerto Rico Olympic Training Center in Salinas between 6 and 10 October.

Eight teams lined up at the start of the competition, which were divided into two groups of four teams each. The top two sides in each group progressed to the semi-finals.

In Group A, Canada and Guadeloupe were the two teams securing their semi-finals berths, after the former clinched three wins, with Guadeloupe dropping only the match against Canada.

Canada started off strong, with a 62:17 win over Trinidad and Tobago, following up with a narrow 29:28 win over Guadeloupe and a 29:27 win over Mexico, therefore providing excellent resilience in the closing stages of their matches.

Guadeloupe then beat Mexico, 32:27, and Trinidad and Tobago, 65:19, to secure the second place, with Mexico finished third and Trinidad and Tobago fourth.

In Group B, USA finished on the first place, with a narrow 31:28 win over Puerto Rico, a 33:24 win over Greenland and a 29:28 win over Martinique, in a preview for the final. Martinique ended up second, having lost against Greenland (28:29), but winning against Puerto Rico, 43:22.

Puerto Rico’s win over Greenland, 36:34, was not enough to see the hosts finish higher than the last place in the group, with Martinique winning the three-way tie, thanks to a superior goal difference.

In the semi-finals, USA beat Guadeloupe, 24:15, with a strong defensive performance, but the big surprise was Canada’s big loss against Martinique, 22:31, in a match where Canada did not have any chance, after going down 4:1 after six minutes and 18:9 at the break.

The final between the USA and Martinique was a true roller-coaster, with Martinique taking an early lead, 7:5, after 17 minutes, constantly denying USA’s goal scoring chances. Jorge Gomez De Santiago inspired a 5:0 run for the USA until the break, with the match turned on its head and USA leading by four goals, 13:9, after 30 minutes.

Martinique came back and with Mézyann Clamart and Miguel William combining for 14 goals, they managed to exert pressure on the USA. A three-goal lead, 23:20, in the 50th minute for the American side was cancelled by a 3:0 run from Martinique, but Jorge Gomez De Santiago was superb in the closing stages of the final.

Scoring 13 goals, including the last two for USA, the centre back helped his side take a 26:25 win, and the title, with USA holding strong in the last four minutes, denying a goal for Martinique.

In the bronze medal match, Canada beat Guadeloupe, 37:27 and secured the last place of the podium.

USA’s Jorge Gomez De Santiago was the top scorer of the competition, with 50 goals, followed by Greenland’s Noah Duus, with 45 goals, and Martinique’s Mézyann Clamart, with 42 goals.

The youth competition of the 2026 Men's IHF Trophy – North America and the Caribbean was a qualification event for the 2027 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship. The top two teams qualified for next year’s world handball flagship competition.

Due to its status as an affiliated member of the IHF, Martinique is not eligible to participate in the IHF World Championships. Therefore, the United States of America and Canada, the third-placed side in the event, will represent North America and the Caribbean at the 2027 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship.