Zagreb, Croatia will host the opening stage of the 2026 IHF Beach Handball Global Tour (BHGT) – the fifth edition of the worldwide competition showcasing the very best beach handball players on the planet.

The event will take place across two matchdays – Thursday 30 April and Friday 1 May – and feature Serbia, Poland, Portugal and host nation Croatia competing in both the men’s and women’s competitions. 

The venue will also host the upcoming 2026 IHF Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball World Championships in June and is home to the prestigious ‘Jarun Cup’ beach handball tournament, which will be running alongside the opening tour stage.

The men’s and women’s tournaments at Stage 1 will comprise of eight games each. An initial four-team, preliminary group in each competition will feature round-robin games across the two days, with the finals being played in the afternoon session on the Friday.

“We will face some great teams in the opening stage in Zagreb,” said Croatia men’s team coach Mladen Paradžik to ihf.info upon the announcement.

“Portugal and Poland are frequent participants in almost every big competition and I am also glad that we will, once again, have Serbia as part of the international scene, since they have some great players and people, plus this stage could be a nice stepping stone for their rebirth again.

 

“They have had a great history with medals from big competitions, and they know how to play beach handball so I expect a great competition and great overture for the upcoming competitions that we will have in Croatia this year.”

For Croatia’s women’s coach Tihana Mikelic, she is looking forward to the challenge her and her side will face.

“These will be very demanding games. Each team has its own qualities, and in beach handball small details often make the difference, especially in transitions, decision-making, and consistency,” she said.

“Our focus is on our own performance. We want to be disciplined, consistent, and play with confidence in both defence and attack. For us, this is a great opportunity to compete at a high level, show our character, continue to grow as a team and an important preparation for the world championship.

“Playing at home means a lot to us. It gives us extra energy and motivation with the support of our fans and families. At the same time, it’s a responsibility as we want to represent our country with pride and show our character in every match.”

Brazil are the current IHF Beach Handball Global Tour title-holders, having won both the men’s and women’s gold medals in the finals last year.

All matches from Zagreb will be streamed live on the IHF Competitions YouTube channel. 

Match Schedule
(all times local - CEST)

Thursday 30 April

Preliminary round – Men
11:00 Portugal vs Serbia
13:00 Croatia vs Poland
18:30 Poland vs Serbia
20:30 Croatia vs Portugal

Preliminary round – Women
10:00 Serbia vs Poland
12:00 Portugal vs Croatia
17:30 Poland vs Portugal
19:30 Croatia vs Serbia

Friday 1 May
Preliminary round – Men

11:30 Poland vs Portugal
12:30 Serbia vs Croatia

Preliminary round – Women
09:30 Croatia vs Poland
10:30 Serbia vs Portugal

Finals

Men
16:30 Bronze medal match
18:30 Final

Women
15:30 Bronze medal match
17:30 Final