The first day of the second stage of the 2025 IHF Beach Handball Global Tour (BHGT) saw host nation Spain and their recent European Championship-winning women’s side end with two wins out of two, just like Portugal’s men who ended the opening day with a perfect record.

The two-day event is being held in the northern Spanish town of Laredo with men’s and women’s teams from Spain, Portugal, Poland and United States of America competing.

EURO women’s champions celebrating homecoming with two wins from two on opening day

Appearing on home sand for the first time since being crowned European champions earlier this month, Spain showed their fighting spirit as they won both of their games via shoot-out.

Their opener against Poland was a repeat clash of their match at the first-ever BHGT stage, back in 2022 in Gdansk, Poland, which Spain won 2-0 (22:14, 12:6). In 2025 though, it was much tighter. After the hosts won the first set 16:14, Poland took the second via a Kinga Bogacka golden goal (20:18) to take it to a shoot-out. 

Oliwia Gierszewska missed Poland’s first attempt after Maria Asuncion Batista Portero in the Spain goal closed her down. Her strike hit the post, with the ball scraping across the line and ending up sat in the middle of the goal, agonisingly for Poland. All following shots were scored, leaving Mireia Torra Parera to score a single point and seal the win for the hosts.

Earlier, the opening game of the women’s competition had seen new USA women’s coach Lyndon Suvanto and his side lose 2-0 (22:6, 24:10) to Portugal, Margarida Oliveira scoring 14 points for the Portuguese. It was a repeat scoreline from last year in Brazil, when the Europeans saw off their North American rivals in the opening stage (2-0, 18:6, 28:2).

The evening session saw the USA well-beaten again, Malgorzata Rawicz-Grotowska’s 24 points ensuring a 2-0 (22:6, 28:12) victory for Poland. The final women’s game of the day went to a shoot-out, with neighbours Spain and Portugal competing hard on the Playa La Salve as the sun set.

Both sets were won by three points, Portugal taking the first (13:10) and Spain the second (23:20). The resulting shoot-out saw Portugal’s Joana Oliveria shoot over with her sides’ second shot. With the next shots scored, all Spain’s Parera needed to do was score a single point to put her side 9:6 ahead, Maria Marques seeing Portugal’s final shot saved by Miriam Sempere Agullo in the Spanish goal.

Spain and Portugal had previously met in the preliminary round of the finals stage, stage 3, of the 2024 IHF BHGT in Qatar, with the Spanish taking a 2-0 (19:18, 16:9) victory.

The results on day one in Laredo mean that Spain ended the day top of the table, on four points, followed by Poland (2 points), Portugal (2) and USA (0).

Portugal upset hosts and confirm top spot after day one

Returning to competitive action for the first time since the 2024 IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championships in China last year, the United States of America faced Poland in the opening game of stage 2 in Laredo.

In a tight game, Cody Dominik (18 points) did his best for the North Americans but 13 points each from Rafal Renicki and Tymon Laszewski were enough to keep the Europeans just in front as they took a 2-0 (22:18, 23:20) victory.

The neighbouring clash between Spain and Portugal was the only game to go to a shoot-out in the men’s competition on day one, with Portugal upsetting the hosts thanks to their 2-1 (18:28, 25:20, SO 10:6) victory.

A dominant first set from the hosts, won by 10 points seemed to pave the way for Spain to ease to their first win of the day, but Portugal came back in the second, impressing with a five-point (25:20) victory. 

Two missed shots from Spain in the shoot-out, first from Alberto Castro Duarte, who lobbed over goalkeeper Joao Pedro Morais Furtado but missed and then Manuel Ramirez Dominguez who saw Furtado save his final shot to seal a 10:6 win for the Portuguese, despite an impressive 24 points from Spain’s Pablo Martin Ruiz. Spain beat Portugal last year on the tour, 2-0 (16:14, 23:20) in the preliminary group of their home stage in Cadiz (stage 2).

The evening games were both close, Portugal winning 2-0 (25:24, 32:25) against Poland, Rodrigo Gomes’ single point score with five seconds left in the first set paving the way for the win, assisted by Tiago Costa’s 20 points.

The hosts got back on track against the USA in their second game of the day, 26 points from Mario Miranda Sirvent helping Spain to a 2-0 (26:22, 23:22) victory, Duarte’s single point after a time out with four seconds left of the second set breaking American hearts.

Portugal top the table after the opening day of action, sitting in first place with four points. They are followed by Spain (2 points), Poland (2) and USA (0).

The second and final day of action on Wednesday 30 July will see the last preliminary games played with the top two in each men’s and women’s group playing for gold and silver, while the third and fourth placed teams in the group will play for bronze.

All BHGT S2 games are being streamed live and free on the IHF Competitions YouTube channel HERE.

RESULTS

Tuesday 29 July – Day 1

Preliminary round

Men’s competition
Poland vs United States of America 2-0 (22:18, 23:20)
Spain vs Portugal 1-2 (28:18, 20:25, SO 6:10)
Portugal vs Poland 2-0 (25:24, 32:25)
United States of America vs Spain 0-2 (22:26, 22:23)

Women’s competition
United States of America vs Portugal 0-2 (6:22, 10:24)
Poland vs Spain 1-2 (14:16, 20:18, SO 8:9)
Poland vs United States of America 2-0 (22:6, 28:12)
Spain vs Portugal 2-1 (10:13, 23:20, SO 9:6)

Match Schedule
(all times local)

Wednesday 30 July – Day 2

Preliminary round

Men’s competition
1000 Portugal vs United States of America
1200 Spain vs Poland

Women’s competition
1100 Poland vs Portugal
1300 Spain vs United States of America 

Finals
Men’s competition
1700 Bronze medal match
1900 Final

Women’s competition
1800 Bronze medal match
2000 Final

About the IHF Beach Handball Global Tour

The IHF Beach Handball Global Tour was launched at the 2022 IHF Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball World Championships in Greece and debuted in Gdansk, Poland, with Croatia winning the men’s tournament and Spain taking the top spot in the women’s tournament.

The following year, in 2023, the IHF Beach Handball Global Tour visited Brazil, Tunisia and Poland before the Finals Stage was held in Qatar with Qatar’s men and Brazil’s women taking the overall titles.

The 2024 IHF Beach Handball Global Tour was held in Brazil, Spain and finals, again in Qatar, where Brazil won both the men’s and women’s events.

2025 represents the fourth edition of the IHF Beach Handball Global Tour, with Stage 1 taking place in Hammamet, Tunisia, won by Spain’s women and Croatia’ men’s teams in June. Stage 2 is played in Laredo, Spain in July, with Stage 3 – Finals taking place in João Pessoa, Brazil in November.

In a senior IHF Beach Handball World Championship or The World Games year, the IHF Beach Handball Global Tour Team consists of three stages, with non-event years reverting back to four stages. This year, The World Games will take place in August, in the People’s Republic of China.

Photo credit: RFEBM