The 26th CAHB African Men’s Handball Championship will see 16 teams fight for the coveted title, in a competition due to take place between 17 and 27 January, in Cairo, Egypt.

The reigning champions of the previous two editions of the competition, Egypt, will be the main favourites, as the hosts, as the winners of the competition will also earn the coveted ticket for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as Africa’s representative.

The top five sides in the final standings will also earn a place at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, therefore the battle will be tough between the sides, as Egypt eye their ninth title in history, which would put the “Pharaohs” only one title behind the most decorated side in the history of the competition, Tunisia.

The 16 sides have been divided into four groups of four teams each for the preliminary round, with the top two sides in each group progressing to the knock-out phase in the quarter-finals, while the bottom two sides in each group are heading to the Placement Round.

Egypt will be heavily favoured in Group B, where they will face Guinea, Cameroon and Congo, teams which finished sixth, 12th and ninth respectively in the previous edition, which also took place in Egypt, in 2022.

In Group A, Cape Verde, which were the runners-up for the previous edition, in 2022, sealing their maiden medal at the CAHB African Men’s Handball Championship, will face DR Congo, Zambia and Rwanda, with the latter side making their debuts in the African premium competition.

Tunisia, the most decorated team in the history of the CAHB African Men’s Handball Championship, with 10 titles, will headline Group D, where they face Angola, Nigeria and Kenya, while Group C looks to be well-balanced, with another heavyweight clash between Morocco and Algeria on the menu, while Gabon and Libya will be looking to deliver a surprise or two.

26th CAHB African Men’s Handball Championship - preliminary round
Group A: Cape Verde, DR Congo, Zambia, Rwanda
Group B: Egypt, Guinea, Cameroon, Congo
Group C: Morocco, Algeria, Gabon, Libya
Group D: Tunisia, Angola, Nigeria, Kenya