Historically, Uruguayan beach handball has been in the South American shadows of Brazil and, more recently, Argentina, but with the emergence of a new generation of strong Uruguayan women, that shade has been put to the side in the younger age group in recent time by a group of talented players.

The Uruguayan youth squad have a history of upsets dating back to 2024 when they defeated Brazil at the 2024 South and Central American Handball Confederation (SCAHC) Youth (U17) Women’s Beach Handball Championships in Chile, the first time they had beaten the Brazilians, and which coach Francisco GALLO later called a “monumental achievement”.

The following year, at the 2025 IHF Women’s Youth Beach Handball World Championship in Tunisia, ‘La Celeste’ (‘the Sky Blue’ in reference to Uruguay’s football shirt colours), finished just off of a podium place, in fifth, well above Brazil in eighth – all the more impressive, considering that the Uruguay players had part-funded the trip to Hammamet themselves.

Uruguay had dominated their preliminary group campaign with shoot-out victories against the mighty European nations of Spain (7:6) and Croatia (9:4), both games in which the South American side had won the first set. They went on to secure top spot in the first stage with a 2-0 victory over Bulgaria.

Further tests came in the main round, where they suffered just one loss – a clear 0-2 (8:18, 18:23) defeat to Hungary, but followed it up with an African 2-0 double, against Tunisia and Senegal.

But they came unstuck against the record-breaking Germans in the quarter-finals, losing 0-2 (14:21, 16:19) to see their hopes of a medal disappear. However, in a show of their mental strength, they bounced back to take only victories from then on, against Brazil 2-0 (20:14, 17:14) and France 2-1 (25:22, 14:15, SO 5:4) to seal a top five finish.

Those victories against France and Senegal will give the Uruguayans confidence as they are two of the three teams (alongside Kenya) who they will face in the preliminary group stage of Dakar 2026.

Coach GALLO can count on six players from that Tunisia 2025 squad in Senegal; with Florencia BENITEZ, Valentina CHAMPRET, Serena EPHERRE, Melina PEREZ, Julian ROTUNDO and Julietta VILLAR all part of his Olympic squad.

ROTUNDO is one to look out for. The Cevven (beach) and Scuola Italiana (indoor) club player was also part of the senior Uruguay squad who finished in the top 10 of the 2026 IHF Women’s Beach Handball World Championship earlier this year in Zagreb and will be key to any success in West Africa in November.

Vice-captain CHAMPRET made her debut with the indoor national team in 2022, moving onto the sand two years later and has racked up a number of continental and global event appearances in both disciplines.

“This is something that makes me very proud. All these experiences helped me grow as a player and learn from every competition,” said the 17-year-old to IHF.info about her dual national team career.

“I started playing handball thanks to a teacher I had in high school, who introduced me to the sport. Over time, it became a very important part of my life. I never imagined I would end up representing Uruguay in international competitions, and today, I am truly happy to have the opportunity to do so.

“We’ve been placed in a competitive group, and we will have to give our absolute best against these teams,” added the goalkeeper/defensive specialist about the preliminary group draw. “We already know France and Senegal, so we have an idea of what to expect. Kenya will also be a challenge. 

“We are very eager to compete, showcase our level of play, and go as far as we possibly can. Our goal is to contend for a medal, and we are going to work hard to achieve it. We are excited to represent Uruguay in the best possible way, to contend for a medal, and to dream of bringing the gold medals home – why not? We know it won’t be easy, but we have great confidence in who we are and what we can achieve as a team.”

Fellow vice-captain EPHERRE also represents her country in two handball disciplines and echoes her teammates thoughts about setting her sights high.

“We’ve been drawn into a good group, one where we can really compete and aim for the highest possible standing,” said the 17-year-old defender. “We’re already familiar with Senegal and France and since all the participating teams, including Kenya, are strong, we’ll have to give it our absolute all to reach the final.
I’m certain these matches will be highly entertaining and great to watch.

“Competing in the Olympic Games is one of the best things that can happen to an athlete,” she added. “When I was a kid, I used to watch them on TV and think how incredible it must be to actually be there and compete at that level. It still feels a bit surreal—but we’re going to make the most of this opportunity, as it’s not something that comes around every day.”

Influential Tunisia 2025 captain Josefina HENAISE ROMPANI and All-star Team playmaker is one crucial loss for Dakar 2026 (age restrictions) but she, like the rest of the country, will be cheering on the team from afar, hoping they can get on the podium under the guidance of former men’s international player, GALLO, who has been head coach of the Uruguay U17 women’s beach handball team since 2022.

During that period, the 35-year-old has led the team to two IHF Women’s Youth Beach Handball World Championships (Greece 2022, Tunisia 2025) two South and Central America championships (Argentina 2022, Chile 2024) and the ODESUR Youth Games (Argentina 2022).

“It is a very tough group, but we will fight to finish as high as possible,” said the coach about Uruguay’s preliminary group. “We have players with a great deal of experience in the sport, and fortunately, several players who went to the world championship in Tunisia are returning.

“Our expectation is to compete for a medal. Our style of play involves aggressive defense and finding the best possible shot when on the attack. Training for an Olympic event is a huge responsibility, and I am very proud of this group.

“Being part of Dakar 2026 is a huge source of pride for Uruguayan handball,” he added. “These young athletes have earned the chance to represent our country on one of the biggest stages in world sport, and they reflect the commitment, enthusiasm and sporting values we want to promote through handball.”

GALLO took his team to Mejillones in Chile just a week before heading out to Senegal for the invitational ‘International Cup’ series as he made final preparations for Dakar 2026. On the Chilean sand they faced Argentina, Chile and IDEC-Brazil twice, winning the title by defeating IDEC in the final 2-1. VILLAR was named MVP of the tournament, with ROTUNDO selected for the All-star Team.

“Dakar will be an extraordinary sporting and personal experience for them,” added President of the Uruguay Handball Federation (FUH), Gustavo MODERNELL to ihf.info. “Beyond the results, taking part in the Youth Olympic Games means meeting people from different cultures, sharing the values of the Olympic Movement, and understanding both the privilege and the responsibility of representing Uruguay.

“We also hope this participation will inspire people back home. We want other girls and young athletes to see themselves in this team, discover handball, and realise that from Uruguay it is also possible to aim high, compete internationally and dream of reaching the biggest stages in world sport.”

Coach: Francisco GALLO
Key players: Valentina CHAMPRET (Goalkeeper), Julia ROTUNDO (Pivot/Defender), Julietta VILLAR (Left/Right Back)
Qualification information: Tunisia 2025 – 5th, Highest-ranked South and Central America representative
History in tournament: 2018: DNQ
Group at Dakar 2026: Group B – France (FRA), Kenya (KEN), Senegal (SEN), Uruguay (URU)