Argentina beach handball circuit nearing conclusion as sport continues growing

21 Feb. 2023

Argentina beach handball circuit nearing conclusion as sport continues growing

The fourth edition of the Argentina Beach Handball Circuit (Circuito Argentino de Beach Handball) for teams of adults and under 17s concluded its fifth of seventh stages – also known as 'Arena 1000' events – last weekend in Posadas, the capital city of Misiones province.

After launching in 2020, the circuit has gone from strength-to-strength with seven stages on the circuit as well last year and the subsequent Copa Argentina in February acting as a qualification tournament for the South and Central American Beach Handball Championship.

For 2023, the Copa Argentina has been moved to December to spread the sport throughout the year and coincide with the start of summer.

The circuit opened with a three-day event in Neuquén at the end of January, with six men's teams, five women's teams and four U17 men's teams competing. IFES Fly Summer were dominant, their teams winning all three titles.  

The following weekend, the circuit visited two separate venues in Buenos Aires city and San Juan. In the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, the event was open to adult men and women only, with the event in San Juan open to U17 teams exclusively.

Lomas beat Los Buitres via shoot-out in the men's competition in Buenos Aires, with Municipalidad de la Costa taking the women's title. In the youth competition, Municipalidad de Alta Gracia made it to both finals, with their women's team beating Vial San Juan in the final to take the title. At the same time, their men's side lost to Maipú de Mendoza.    

11 and 12 February then saw the circuit move to Viedma with five teams in the women's competition, four in the men's and three in the U17 men's. Sol de Mayo, the Copa Argentina men's title-holders, won their competition, with Deportivo Mitre de Viedma women's side taking the women's honours. Only Beach won the men's U17 category

Last weekend (18 and 19 February), the circuit moved to the city of Posadas in Misiones, with teams facing the penultimate opportunity to qualify for the Copa Argentina. 

Posadas Sporting Club won the women's competition and AEMO Oberá Beach won the men's tournament. Club Gimnasia de Montecarlo took the women's honours and Deportivo Pinareño the men's title in the youth competition.

Just one qualification stage of the circuit remains now, with San Luis welcoming teams on the weekend of 25 and 26 March.

All winning teams of each stage of the 2023 Argentina Beach Handball Circuit qualify automatically for the end-of-year Copa Argentina, with other placements and accumulated points at the stages also counting towards qualification.

2023 Argentina Beach Handball Circuit
Click on each event to view the full results and rankings

27 to 29 January: Neuquén  

4 and 5 February: City of Buenos Aires and San Juan 

11 and 12 February: Viedma  

18 and 19 February: Posadas 

Next stages:
25 and 26 March: San Luis

December: Copa Argentina (Argentina Cup)

The 2022 Copa Argentina was held last February in Puerto Madryn, Chubut, with women's team IFES de Neuquén (Neuquén) taking home their third successive title, while the men's side of Rio Negro won their first national title after finishing fourth in 2021 and second in 2020.

Open event likely to attract 100s of players
This week (21 to 24 February 2023) sees the 'Copa Argentina Open' take place on Las Toscas, the central beach of Mar del Plata city in Buenos Aires province.

Open to any adult or under 17 team in the South American country, the event attracts 100s of players from across Argentina and is a celebration of all things sandy.

International teams in town, too
To finish off a week of beach handball action in Mar del Plata, the Argentina Handball Federation have arranged two parallel tournaments for their men's and women's national teams following the conclusion of the Copa Argentina Open.

Across two days (25 and 26 February), the men's team will take on Uruguay and Brazil, while the women will face Uruguay and Paraguay. 

Men's coach Sebastián Ferraro and women's coach Leticia Brunati – who takes charge of the team for the first time since being announced as the new coach earlier this month – have both named strong squads as they prepare for the South American Beach Games in July.