The 2026 South and Central American Men's Club Handball Championship is set to deliver a week of high-quality handball in Asunción, Paraguay, from June 21 to 27, as 16 clubs from across the continent compete for the title and, crucially, a berth at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship.

The competition brings together the strongest men's club teams from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, divided into four groups of four teams. The battles project to be tough ones, with only the top two teams advancing to the knockout phase, which sees the top eight teams battle in the quarter-finals before the semi-finals and final.

Brazil enters the competition as the dominant force in the tournament's history. Handebol Taubaté are the most decorated club in the competition’s short but intense history, having lifted the trophy in 2019, 2022, 2024 and 2025, making them the team to beat once again. 

EC Pinheiros, three-time runners-up and one-time champion from 2021, return as dangerous challengers, alongside fellow Brazilians FMO Português and Nacional, who have both featured on the podium in previous editions, with the latter one announcing to be a dangerous challenger.

Argentina arrives with a strong contingent of seven teams, including San Fernando, champions in 2023 after a dramatic final against Taubaté, and SAG Villa Ballester, Dorrego, River Plate, Universitario de Córdoba, Colegio Ward and Argentinos Juniors. Dorrego, who finished fourth in 2025, will be eager to improve on that result on home soil.

Paraguay's representatives — Luque, Triunfo and Villa Elisa — will carry the expectations of the host nation, while Uruguayan sides Pontevedrés and Scuola Italiana complete the field.

The draw saw reigning champions Taubaté Handebol enter Group C, alongside two Argentinian sides - Universitario de Córdoba and Argentinos Juniors – plus Paraguayan side Luque.

The runners-up from the previous season, EC Pinheiros, also have two Argentinian opponents - Colegio Ward and SAG Villa Ballester, while Uruguayan side Scuola Italiana completes the Group A.

Three Argentinian sides – River Plate, Dorrego and the 2023 champions, San Fernando HB – will do battle for the first two places in their group, as Villa Elisa, from Paraguay, will try to stop them.

In Group B, Nacional and FMO Português are the headliners, with Uruguayan side Pontevedrés and Paraguayan side Triunfo complete the group, the only one without an Argentinian side in its composition.

The preliminary round will see the 16 teams compete on 21, 22 and 23 June, with a rest day before the quarter-finals scheduled for 25 June. The semi-finals will be played one day later, while the last day sees the finals being played on 27 June.

2026 South and Central American Men's Club Handball Championship - preliminary round

Group A: EC Pinheiros (BRA), Colegio Ward (ARG), SAG Villa Ballester (ARG), Scuola Italiana (URU)

Group B: FMO Português (BRA), Pontevedrés (URU), Nacional (BRA), Triunfo (PAR)

Group C: Universitario de Córdoba (ARG), Argentinos Juniors (ARG), Taubaté (BRA), Luque (PAR)

Group D: Dorrego (ARG), San Fernando (ARG), River Plate (ARG), Villa Elisa (PAR)