There is a particular quality to Fatih Cuhadar’s game that makes him easy to spot. It is there when he spins towards goal and when he throws himself into the fast-paced exchanges that make wheelchair handball so distinctive.

From goalkeeping to shooting immediately after he gets possesion, he is the heart and soul of the France team, which won their group at the 2026 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, with two consecutive wins in the preliminary round against Libya and Spain.

At just 21 years old, the French international is already playing in his second edition of the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship. After helping France finish fourth in Egypt in 2024, when he was only 19 years old he has returned to Spain as one of the key figures in a team that has reached the quarter-finals with two convincing wins.

And Cuhadar has played a significant role in getting them there.

France opened their campaign with a 2:0 victory against Libya, winning the two sets 15:0 and 10:2. Cuhadar scored 10 points, converting seven of his eight shots, while also making an impact as France's goalkeeper. His 88% shooting efficiency underlined the attacking threat he brings to the team.

 

Later that evening came the much more demanding test.

France faced hosts Spain, with the winner securing first place in Group A. The French prevailed 2:0, taking the first set 11:3 before edging a tense second set 7:6 after Spain had fought back. Cuhadar and Mathieu de Cillia both finished with eight points, with the pair providing the platform for France's comeback. The result sent France through as group winners and set up a quarter-final against Portugal.

Cuhadar enters that match as one of the tournament's leading scorers, sitting third in the scoring standings with 18 points. But the numbers only tell part of his story.

Cuhadar's sporting journey began in Lons-le-Saunier, in eastern France, and he was introduced to handball at the age of eight.

His path into the sport was shaped by an accident at an early age. According to a personal profile published by Vision Sport, Cuhadar became an incomplete paraplegic at the age of three following complications during an operation. Five years later, he began playing wheelchair handball in Lons-le-Saunier. And he took to it immediately.

By the age of 12, he had already joined the first team and begun playing in national tournaments. His development continued rapidly, eventually taking him to the French national team.

Asked what attracts him to the discipline, his answer is straightforward.

 

“I like this sport because it’s spectacular,” he says. “We don’t know much about it on the planet, but we try to be better and I enjoy it a lot, it has a lot of pace and a lot that can change in just a few minutes,” says Cuhadar.

And the young player has already accrued some performances in his career. Cuhadar was named France's best player in 2024, while collecting French championship titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

But what are the most important parts of wheelchair handball for Cuhadar and what does the France team train the most? For Cuhadar, the answer is simple and it is one of his weapons.

“The spinshots. It’s something we work a lot on in training. It’s better to score a spinshot that with a normal shot. to gain more points,” says France's player.

“Whether it’s a 360 or a goal from the goalkeeper, that’s what we work on the most,” he says.

Now, France will face Portugal in a crunch quarter-final and Cuhadar hopes that the experience France got over the last years will help them pull through and progress once again to the semi-finals, just like in 2024.

 

"Two years ago, we had only one year of training, the team existed, basically, for only one year. Now, we are ready and we take it match by match, and our objective is clearly to get in the final and fight for the title," says Cuhadar.

But with Cuhadar and Thomas Dauzet Vangeon, who is only 18 years old, France brings also a lot of youth to the table, with the pair being the youngest players in the competition.

“He is the future of French wheelchair handball. You will see in a short time, there will be a beautiful duo. France has a bright future in this sport," says Cuhadar.

But there is another layer of Cuhadar's identity that he speaks about with equal clarity. His father was born in France and his mother in Türkiye. Cuhadar describes himself as being of Turkish origin, but there is no hesitation when he talks about the country he represents.

“I’m of Turkish origin, but I’m French, I play for France and I’m proud to be French,” he said after France's victory over Spain.

And that Turkish origin also is part of his sporting heritage. Cuhadar speaks proudly about supporting a Turkish football club - Galatasaray Istanbul - and one of its former players whom he sees as an idol - Mauro Icardi - a natural born-scorer striker, just like Cuhadar is here on the court.

Two years ago, the French player was the fourth best scorer, with 47 points. Now he is third in the standings, therefore maintaining a consistency which France need to secure a medal. 

And with France now into the quarter-finals, Cuhadar has another stage on which to demonstrate exactly how far that journey can go.