Hosts Italy mounted a spirited comeback after conceding a loss in the preliminary round to clinch the title in the women’s handball competition at the 2026 Mediterranean Games, beating Tunisia in the final, 25:23.

The bronze medal was secured by Greece, who shook off their disappointment of missing out on the final and beat Algeria, 29:25, to end up on the podium.

Six teams – four European sides and two African sides – faced off in the women’s competition, which had a round-robin preliminary round, with the top two sides qualifying for the big final, while the third and the fourth sides in the standings progressed to the bronze-medal match.

Only one team stayed undefeated, providing the best attack and the best defence in the competition and that was Tunisia, which swept their opponents. The African side, which had Pablo Morel on the bench, the women’s senior national team coach, started off with a strong display against hosts Italy, taking a 25:22 win.

They followed up with a dominating performance against North Macedonia, 43:11, and another big win against Greece, 41:28, with Fadwa Aouij being the top scorer in the first and the third match.

The statement win against Greece was followed by another big win against Kosovo, 37:10, while Tunisia ended the preliminary round with the fifth win in a row, 26:21, against fellow African side Algeria, to clinch the first place in the standings.

The battle for the second place was between Italy and Greece, with both sides securing three wins until the final match of the preliminary round, a do-or-die clash, with the winner progressing to the final.

Backed by a raucous crowd in the Fasano Sport Hall, Italy dominated the match and started off with a 17:12 run in the first half, with Giada Babbo scoring nine goals throughout the 60 minutes. Greece, spurred by Olympia Andritsou, failed to mount a comeback and eventually conceded the match, 27:24, which meant that Italy qualified for the final.

The last act was dramatic. Italy took control of the match early, leading 8:5 after 15 minutes, but Tunisia came back and tied the score at the break, 12:12.

Italy relied once again on Babbo, who scored eight goals, but Tunisia’s attack was too haphazard at times, with the number of turnovers finally putting a dent in their gold medal hopes.

While Sondes Hachana and Fadwa Aouij each scored six goals, Italy used a 5:0 unanswered run to turn the match on its head, and take a 25:23 win, as well as the gold medal.

It was Italy’s second title in history in the women’s handball competition at the Mediterranean Games, after the one in 1987, and the third medal, after the bronze secured in 1979.

Greece won the bronze, with a 29:25 win against Algeria, sealing their maiden medal in the competition.

Photo credit: Sara Bozzoli | FIGH