Argentina were crowned champions for the fourth time in the men’s handball competition at the South American Games, going unbeaten over five matches, with a draw against Chile, 27:27, sealing the deal, after a dramatic last match between the two sides.

The two favourites for the top place on the podium were Argentina and Brazil, the only sides which won the gold medal since handball was introduced at the South American Games, but Chile were also in with a chance, bringing an experienced team in the competition.

The first day saw the three favourites earn clear wins, with Chile opening up with a 40:21 win against Peru, while Brazil beat Uruguay, 29:20, after a slip in the first half, where they were down one goal, 11:12, and Argentina took a 27:17 win against Paraguay.

The second day already scheduled the big clash between Argentina and Brazil, and this match became a hard-fought battle, an oldschool style of clash, where the two sides combined for only 35 goals.

While Brazil led, 6:5, after 17 minutes, Argentina bounced back and took a 10:8 lead just before the break, entering half-time with a two-goal lead. The two sides went toe-to-toe until the end, as Brazil tied the score, 15:15, with 10 minutes to go.

But Argentina secured the 18:17 win, with no goal scored in the last 210 seconds of the match, with Pedro Martinez Cami scoring seven goals and goalkeeper Agustin Forlino saving 17 shots for a 50% saving efficiency.

Brazil bounced back against Paraguay, 26:21, but hit another snag on their way to the silver medal, after conceding a 30:31 loss against Chile. Brazil – without players featuring in Europe and Pinheiros players who are at the 2026 IHF Men’s Club World Championship – led by four goals, 6:2, after seven minutes, but Chile staged an interesting comeback.

Chile’s most experienced player, Erwin Feuchtmann, scored seven goals, seconded by Nicolas Morales, who also had seven goals, as they turned the match on its head, leading 17:13 at the break.

After a Brazil comeback, the second half was closer, but Chile managed to keep their cool and took a 31:30 win, adding their fourth win, having previously beaten Uruguay, 36:22.

With Argentina also securing clear wins against Peru, 41:11, and Uruguay, 31:17, the battle between the two sides, which closed the tournament in Santa Fe, was the decider, as Argentina needed only a draw to secure the first place.

Four lead changes in the 19th minute, and the teams were still tied, 10:10, as Chile provided an entertaining answer for Argentina’s performance, with the score still deadlocked, 15:15, after 30 minutes.

Argentina used a 4:1 run to start the second half and pull away, but Chile were still not giving up. Feuchtmann had eight goals and pushed Chile into a great position, but they never managed to grab the lead.

With Argentina still in control and Tobias Torossian scoring eight goals, the South American powerhouse led by two goals, 27:25, with 79 seconds to go, but Chile saved a draw, 27:27, as Maximiliano Cabrera scored the last goal of the match at the buzzer.

Argentina and Chile finished with the same number of points, nine, but Argentina had a +55 goal difference, ten goals better than Chile in this competition.

With six points, Brazil finished third, followed by Uruguay, Peru and Paraguay.

Uruguay’s Cristhian Rostagno and Brazil’s Washington Silva were the top scorers of the competition, with 27 goals, one goal more Chile’s Feuchtmann, who played four goals.

Argentina, therefore, did the double at the South American Games, after their women’s team also finished first.

Argentina won the competition for the fourth time in history, after the titles in 2002, 2006 and 2022, while Chile managed their second silver medal, the same result as in 2022.

Argentina and Chile also secured their places at the Pan American Games 2027, a qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Uruguay will progress to a repechage for the qualification in the event.

Photo credit: Fede Pancaldi / SCA