16 teams will take to the court in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire between 5 and 12 September, for the 33rd CAHB African Men’s Junior Handball Championship, with the continent’s leading young talents battling for the African title and five places at the 2027 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship.

The field has been divided into four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarter-finals.

Hosts Côte d’Ivoire will begin their campaign in Group A alongside Guinea, Zimbabwe and Rwanda, while reigning champions Egypt headline Group D, where they will face Cameroon, Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Group B brings together Angola, Algeria, Nigeria and Madagascar, setting up one of the most intriguing sections of the preliminary round.

Meanwhile, Tunisia will lead the line in Group C alongside Libya, Kenya and Benin.

The competition schedule sees the preliminary round played over the opening days before the quarter-finals on 9 September, with the semi-finals following on 11 September and the medal matches concluding the tournament on 12 September.

Egypt, champions 14 times, are once again the big favourites, as their latest triumph, two years ago, was also their third consecutive title, having previously won the 2022 edition in Rwanda and in the 2018 edition in Marrakech.

Tunisia are the second-most successful team, with seven titles according to the competition's historical record, while Algeria have also lifted the trophy multiple times. Alongside Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are among only four nations to have won the African junior crown, with Nigeria completing that group.

Five berths at the 2027 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship are at stake, meaning the quarter-finals will already carry enormous significance. Every position in the final ranking could determine whether a generation earns the opportunity to test itself against the world's best.