Last December, Uruguay’s women pulled off a big upset, beating Brazil at the 2024 South and Central American Handball Confederation (SCAHC) Youth (U17) Women’s Beach Handball Championships in Chile.

The result, combined with wins against Chile and Paraguay, plus a loss to Argentina, meant that the Uruguayans ended the round-robin tournament joint top with six points, alongside rivals Argentina and Brazil – the two powerhouses of South American beach handball.

However, just two places were available to qualify for Tunisia in Chile, so one team would be disappointed. Once results against each other were taken into account, Uruguay had made it with Argentina left disappointed, their +3 period set difference not as good as Uruguay’s, who finished in second place with +4 or Brazil at the top with +5.

It was a significant moment in Uruguay’s beach handball history, with coach and men’s senior player Francisco Gallo saying at the time, the result against Brazil – the first time they had beaten them a “monumental achievement”, before going on to explain the wider implications of the qualification.

“The historic achievement is not only the merit of the players, but also of the teamwork, preparation and winning mentality that we managed to forge in each of them,” said Gallo to local media at the time. “It was a tournament in which we demonstrated the growth of beach handball in Uruguay, and that we will continue fighting to leave our country at the top.

“What we are trying to do is a long-term project, transferring everything we have experienced and learned in this sport to young people. We want the new generations not only to know how to play well, but to have a deep understanding of what it means to be on a sand court, of the quick decisions that must be made, of the importance of physical and psychological preparation. For us, who have already come a long way in this sport, the idea is that they do not have to go through the same obstacles, but can advance more quickly and with a solid foundation.

"This teaching work goes beyond just training. It is a continuous process of sharing experiences, of being mentors and of making them see that this is a path that is travelled with effort, but also with passion and enjoyment. If we achieve that, the projection of beach handball in Uruguay will be even more promising.”

Just over six months later, Gallo has selected his provisional squad of 14 for North Africa – including all eight players who sealed qualification in Chile – led by captain Josefina Henaise Rompani who will hope her side can see off the all-European threat of their preliminary group – Croatia, Spain and Bulgaria – to move into the main round and hope for a better ranking than their only other time in the competition; a 13th-place finish in 2022.

“We're very excited,” said Heinze before departing for Tunisia. “We have very high expectations because, given our level of play and our results in previous competitions, we can achieve very good goals.”

Heinze and her teammates have been training in the southern municipality of Ciudad de la Costa and have partly funded themselves the estimated US$4,000 per person cost of the trip.

“We believe these are strong opponents who challenge us to bring out the best in ourselves and we will face them with great respect but remain firm in our goals,” said Gallo to ihf.info. “Our first objective is to reach the Main Round well-positioned and confident. By achieving that, we aim to go in strong and win as many games as possible to achieve the best possible outcome for Uruguay and allow us to keep fighting for a spot at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games.”

Back at Greece 2022, Uruguay’s debut in the competition, they lost all three preliminary group games against Hungary, Poland and Thailand before beating Hong Kong and India in the consolation round, in addition to a shoot-out loss against Romania. Their final round of games, in the 13-16 placement round, opened with a shoot-out loss to Ukraine, followed by another victory against Hong Kong and then India in the 13/14 placement match.

Whatever happens in Tunisia, Uruguayan Handball Federation (FUH) President Gustavo Modernell knows the importance of the side – along with the men’s team too – appearing on the global stage once again.

“For the Uruguayan Handball Federation, participating in the 2025 IHF Youth Beach Handball World Championships in Tunisia represents both a tremendous challenge and an invaluable opportunity,” explained Modernell to ihf.info.

“We are fully aware of the economic and logistical effort involved in being part of an event of this magnitude, but we are also deeply conscious of what it means for the development of beach handball in our country.

“All of our teams and coaching staff have worked with dedication and commitment in preparing for this competition, and we trust that their passion and determination will allow us to compete at the highest level. We are hopeful that we can achieve meaningful sporting results and proudly raise Uruguay’s flag on the international stage.”

Coach: Francisco Gallo
Key players: Fiorella Olmos Jarque (Left Back), Josefina Henaise Rompani (Specialist), Julietta Villar Logo (Specialist)
Qualification information: 2024 Women’s SCAHC Beach Handball Championship – 2nd
History in tournament: 2017: DNQ, 2022: 13th
Group at Tunisia 2025: Group D – Croatia (CRO), Uruguay (URU), Spain (ESP), Bulgaria (BUL)