The penultimate matchday of the men’s and women’s beach handball competitions at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will see eight games played, including four semi-finals at Saly Beach West on Thursday (12 November).

All 16 teams in Saly will feature across the day. The morning session starts with the women’s semi-finals and ends with the men’s, while the afternoon session will see half of the teams at Dakar 2026 finish their campaigns with the 5/6 and 7/8 placement matches taking place.

For information on how to watch and follow beach handball at Dakar 2026, click HERE.

Day 4 – Thursday 12 November 2026
All times UTC, local

Women’s competition
Semi-Finals
1000 Spain v Senegal
1050 France v Uruguay

• First semi-final – Spain v Senegal – is a repeat of 2025 IHF Women’s Youth Beach Handball World Championship main round clash in Tunisia which saw the European side win dominantly, 2-0 (26:8, 15:11)
• Spain are current world champions and have won all four games at Dakar 2026, dropping just one set
• Senegal impressed in their 2-0 quarter-final victory against Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games silver medallists Croatia, but have one loss to their name – a shoot-out defeat against Uruguay in their preliminary group
• In the second semi-final, France and Uruguay meet again at Dakar 2026, after the South Americans won their preliminary group clash 2-1 (18:29, 25:24, SO 8:6)
• Uruguay also beat France via shoot-out at Tunisia 2025 in the 5/6 placement match, 2-1 (25:22, 14:15, SO 5:4)

Placement Match 5/6
1530 Croatia v Mexico

• The teams end their Dakar 2026 campaign with a rematch of their first game in Senegal, won by Croatia 2-0 (25:14, 22:10)

Placement Match 7/8
1530 Kenya v People’s Republic of China

• After impressing in the preliminary group stage by taking world champions Spain to a shoot-out and beating both Croatia and Mexico, China have lost their last two games via shoot-out to end in the play-off to avoid last place
• China beat Kenya in the preliminary group stage of Tunisia 2025, 2-0 (16:10, 28:15)
• Kenya are yet to win a set at Dakar 2026 but came within three points of taking a set off of Spain in the quarter-finals

Men’s competition
Semi-Finals

1140 Germany v Senegal
1230 Hungary v Brazil

• Tunisia 2025 world championship silver medallists Germany have won all four of their games so far 2-0 and have the best defence at Dakar 2026
• Senegal have won three of their games, losing once, against Brazil in the preliminary group
• Second semi-final is quickly becoming an iconic match-up at youth level, with Brazil taking on Hungary in a repeat of the 2025 world championship bronze medal match
• At Tunisia 2025 the South American side took the medal in an epic match which saw over 100 points scored, winning 2-1 (24:18, 18:20, SO 14:12)
• The two teams have already met at Dakar 2026, Brazil winning 2-0 (22:18 18:16) in the preliminary group
• Hungary are the sole remaining team who were present at the first inclusion of beach handball at the Youth Olympic Games (Buenos Aires 2018) who are still in contention for a medal at Dakar 2026 (Thailand men and Croatia women are in the 5/6 placement matches)
• The 2026 Hungary team have already secured one place better than their fifth-placed 2018 team

Placement Match 5/6
1620 Thailand v Tunisia

• Rematch of Dakar 2026 preliminary group clash, won by Tunisia 2-0 (28:16, 19:12)
• Two teams also met twice at the Tunisia 2025 world championship, the host nation beating the Asian side, in the preliminary group, 2-0 (20:16, 20:12) and 5/6 placement match 2-0 (18:16, 22:12)

Placement Match 7/8
1620 Puerto Rico v Cook Islands

• Both sides are yet to win a game at Dakar 2026
• Puerto Rico have won one set (v Thailand)