Thursday, 18 April was the last day of the group stage at the Central American Zone men's youth and junior tournaments of the IHF Trophy South and Central America in Managua, Nicaragua, so all the semi-finalists were determined.

In group A of the youth (U18) competition, El Salvador were down 13:14 at half-time but ultimately beat Panama 35:26 in a crucial encounter and finished second with two points behind Guatemala, who won both matches. And in Group B, Honduras defeated Costa Rica 33:30 and also went through with two points, while home team Nicaragua won the group with four points.

On Friday 19 April, Panama and Costa Rica, who both ranked bottom of their groups, will fight for the fifth overall position at 8:00 (local time). On the same day, both semi-finals will be played: Guatemala face Honduras at 14:00, and Nicaragua meet El Salvador at 18:00. 

In the junior (U20) event, Costa Rica took a commanding win against El Salvador 34:8 and finished second in Group A behind Nicaragua. And in Group B, Guatemala claimed their second straight win, 39:16 against Panama, and grabbed top position, while Honduras ranked second.

On Friday, El Salvador and Panama play for the fifth place at 10:00, and a few hours later, the semi-finals will be held: Costa Rica meet Guatemala at 16:00, and Nicaragua play Honduras at 20:00.

The finals as well as the bronze-medal games in both competitions are scheduled for Saturday, 20 April.