The draw event for the 2026 IHF Men's and Women's Beach Handball World Championships will be held on Saturday 2 May 2026 at 13:00 (CEST) in Zagreb, Croatia.

The draw will be streamed live via the main International Handball Federation (IHF) YouTube Channel and will feature 32 national teams who will travel from across the world to compete for global glory on the shores of Jarun Lake in the Croatian capital.

The 2026 IHF Men's and Women's Beach Handball World Championships will take place at Jarun Lake, Zagreb, Croatia from 23 to 28 June 2026.

Qualification for the world championships will conclude in late April, with the Africa (CAHB) and North America and the Caribbean (NACHC) continental championships being played, in addition to the South and Central America (SCAHC) final qualification tournament.

2026 IHF Men's and Women's Beach Handball World Championships

Competition Format

The men’s and women’s competitions feature 16 teams each, initially divided into four preliminary round groups of four teams each.

The top three teams in each group (12 in total) move through to two main round groups of six teams each, with the top four in each then moving through to the quarter-finals and subsequent semi-finals, bronze medal, placement and final matches.

The bottom team in each of the four preliminary groups will move into the consolation round.

Match schedule

Once the draw is complete, the match schedule and throw-off times will be decided and communicated in due course via IHF.info. Please note – the IHF reserves the right to change the throw-off times and other details of the match schedule at any time within the principles of the ‘Regulations for IHF Competitions’.

Playing squads

All teams which are already qualified for Croatia 2026 have to confirm their participation in the championships by 31 March 2026 and provide a provisional list of a maximum of 20 players by 10 May 2026. All players must be eligible to play and be a minimum of 16 years old (born by, or earlier than, 2010).

Draw procedure
The draw procedure for the men’s and women’s competition are the same. Teams have been allocated a pot 1, 2, 3 or 4, based on their performances.

The pots are:

Men's Competition
Pot 1: Croatia, Germany, Spain, Hungary
Pot 2: France, Portugal, Brazil, Denmark
Pot 3: Argentina, Oman, CAHB, Islamic Republic of Iran 
Pot 4: NACHC1, Australia, NACHC2, Italy

Women's competition
Pot 1: Germany, Spain, Argentina, Norway
Pot 2: Netherlands, Croatia, Denmark, Greece
Pot 3: Brazil, Vietnam, Philippines, Australia
Pot 4: NACHC1, NACHC2, SCAHC3, CAHB

1. Teams in pot 4 are drawn to groups A-D in row 4.
2. Teams in pot 3 are drawn to groups A-D in row 3.
3. Teams in pot 1 are drawn to groups A-D in row 1.
4. Organiser CRO has the prerogative to assign itself to a group of its choice in row 2.
5. Remaining teams in pot 2 are drawn to groups A-D in row 2.

Participating Teams

Men's competition
1. Hosts and Reigning World Champions: Croatia
2. AHF (Asia): Oman, 1st – Asian Championship
3. AHF: Islamic Republic of Iran, 2nd – Asian Championship
4. EHF (Europe): Germany, 1st – European Championship
5. EHF: Spain, 2nd – European Championship
6. EHF: Hungary, 4th – European Championship
7. EHF: France, 5th – European Championship
8. EHF: Portugal, 6th – European Championship
9. EHF: Denmark, 7th – European Championship
10. EHF: Italy, 8th – European Championship
11. CAHB (Africa): Continental Place to be awarded at the African Championship set to take place in Togo from 24 to 27 April 2026
12. OCHF (Oceania): Australia, 1st – Oceania Championship
13. SCAHC (South and Central America): Brazil, 1st – South and Central American Championship
14. SCAHC: Argentina, 2nd – South and Central American Championship 
15. NACHC (North America and the Caribbean): Continental Place to be awarded at the North America and the Caribbean Beach Handball Championship set to take place in St. Kitts and Nevis, from 24 to 27 April 2026
16. NACHC: (As above)

Women's competition
1. Hosts: Croatia
2. Reigning World Champions: Germany
3. AHF (Asia): Vietnam, 1st – Asian Championship
4. AHF: Philippines, 2nd – Asian Championship
5. EHF (Europe): Spain, 1st – European Championship
6. EHF: Norway, 2nd – European Championship
7. EHF: Netherlands, 4th – European Championship
8. EHF: Denmark, 5th – European Championship
9. EHF: Greece, 6th – European Championship
10. CAHB (Africa) Continental Place to be awarded at the African Championship set to take place in Togo from 24 to 27 April 2026
11. OCHF (Oceania) Australia, 1st – Oceania Championship
12. SCAHC (South and Central America): Argentina, 1st – South and Central American Championship
13. SCAHC: Brazil, 2nd – South and Central American Championship
14. SCAHC: Continental Place to be awarded at ‘SCAHC Final Qualification Tournament event set to take place in Peru from 15 to 17 April 2026
15. NACHC: (North America and the Caribbean) Continental Place to be awarded at the North America and the Caribbean Beach Handball Championship set to take place in St. Kitts and Nevis, from 24 to 27 April 2026 
16. NACHC: (As above)