With the preparations for the 2023 Pan American Games, which will take place in Santiago, Chile, between 20 October and 5 November 2023, in full fledge, the North American and Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC) organised a play-off match to determine the North American representative for the women’s handball tournament of the competition.

Canada and the United States of America faced off in a doubleheader in Lansing, Michigan, on Thursday 10 November, and in Quebec, Canada, on Sunday 13 November, with the winner earning the tickets for the 2023 Pan American Games.

Canada took a strong option to progress to the tournament with a 21:14 win in the first leg, dominating the second half after the first part ended with a one-goal advantage (9:8) for the guests.

With a strong display in the second half, during which they outscored the United States of America by 12:6, Canada took the win, taking advantage of a huge 10:0 unanswered run, where they prevented the USA from scoring for 20 whole minutes.

Boasting a seven-goal lead after the first leg, Canada were favourites in the second match, which they dominated from start to finish, taking another clear 23:17 win after they pulled away in the last 10 minutes of the first half and never looked back.

With a 44:31 aggregate win, Canada earned their tickets for the 2023 Pan American Games, qualifying for the tournament for the eighth time in history and for the fifth time in a row. They finished in 5th place in 2011, in 6th place in 2007 and in 7th place in 2015 and 2019.

Canada’s Myriam Zimmer and Emily Routhier each scored ten goals in the doubleheader, while Maksi Pallas added six goals, with the three combining for 59% of their team’s goals.

USA’s Kathy Darling scored 12 goals in the two matches, but her excellent performances, including a nine-goal outing in the second leg, were not enough for the team to qualify.

Five teams already qualified for the women’s tournament of the 2023 Pan American Games, with hosts Chile as well as Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay joining Canada. Two other spots will be decided after the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games, due to take place in El Salvador, while another team will progress via a play-off.

In the men’s tournament, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina are the only teams qualified for the tournament, which will take place between 21 October and 1 November 2023.

Photo: Greater Lansing Sports Authority