The men’s and women’s teams of Spanish club ‘Fundacion Fomento y Deporte CBMP Ciudad de Malaga’ have both taken gold at the EHF European Beach Handball Tour Finals, known as the ‘ebt Finals 2026’.

Trapani in Sicily, Italy hosted the four-day (18 to 21 June) event which featured 32 teams from across Europe consisting of players from around the world competing for glory in the 2025/26 season finish.

2024 champions Malaga return to women’s summit
The women’s final saw Spain take on Hungary with Malaga facing off against Red Velvet BHC Budapest for gold.

And it was a game for defence with goalkeepers Sonora Solano (Malaga) and Dalma Matefi (Budapest) – later voted into the All-star Team – doing battle at either end of the court, Malaga eventually running out 2-0 (22:20, 16:14) victors.

Budapest had the initiative throughout most of the opening 10 minutes, keeping their noses ahead, but Malaga’s Cayetana Martin Lopez had other ideas, helping spark a comeback with three minutes left as her side edged the first set 22:20.

The points difference was the same in the second set, Budapest missing a chance to draw the score level with just seconds remaining, but they missed and Malaga took a 16:14 win and, with it, the gold. Their player Celia Garcia Sanchez top-scoring in the match with 18 points.

It was yet another ebt Finals gold going back to Spain – the sixth in the last 10 editions.

A Hungarian team did end up on the podium though as OVB Beach Girls BHC beat 2025 Champions Cup runners-up GRD Leca – Love Tiles from Portugal in the bronze medal match, 2-0 (17:10, 20:19). 

The Hungarian side dumped out defending champions CATS Playas de Fuengirola in the quarter-finals 2-0 (20:10, 15:10) but had not won the ebt Finals title since 2014. 

That stretch was continued this year as compatriots Budapest squashed their dreams for gold with a semi-final defeat, but Hungarian international Renata Csiki rose up to guide her team to another medal.

All-star Team
MVP: Renata Csiki – OVB Beach Girls BHC (HUN)
Goalkeeper: Dalma Matefi – Red Velvet BHC Budapest (HUN)
Defender: Catarina Oliveira – GRD Leca - Love Tiles (POR)
Top scorer: Cayetana Martin Lopez – Fundacion Fomento y Deporte CBMP Ciudad de Malaga (ESP) 164 points
Fair play: AZS AWF Warszawa (POL)

Final Ranking
1 Fundacion Fomento y Deporte CBMP Ciudad de Malaga (ESP)
2 Red Velvet BHC Budapest (HUN)
3 OVB Beach Girls BHC (HUN)
4 GRD Leca - Love Tiles (POR)
5 Caipiranhas Bartenbach (GER)
6 Hiekka Hauskaa (NED)
7 CATS Playas de Fuengirola (ESP)
8 Niteroi Rugby FC (IRL)
9 BHC Dubrava (CRO)
10 CYEB Budakalasz BHT (HUN)
11 Goteborg Beach Handball Club (SWE)
12 Blue Team (ITA)
13 Copenhagen Beach (DEN)
14 London GD (GBR)
15 AZS AWF Warszawa (POL)
16 Wasserschloss Beachqueens (SUI)

Malaga men follow in women’s golden footsteps

Led by Brazilian legend Gil Pires – who has not been selected for the national side ahead of the World Championship starting this week – Malaga made it a club double as their men’s side repeated the success of their women earlier on the Italian sand, beating Goteborg Beach Handball Club via shoot-out in the final, 2:0 (24:20, 26:29, SO 9:8).

The de-facto Swedish side Goteborg had taken out defending champions BHC Zagreb in the semi-final and came back strongly to take the second set in the final against the Spanish side, leading by double figures at one point.

But the shoot-out was to prove a step to far as Martin Kack missed allowing Alberto Iglesias García to score the winning point, the Swedes losing once again to the Spanish team in the competition after suffering a main round defeat to them earlier. Alvaro Perez Catala was top scorer in the game, scoring 20 points for Malaga.

The Brazil v Croatia bronze medal match saw a shoot-out go to a second round of shots with title-holders BHC Zagreb ensuring another podium place, winning 2-1 (20:23, 27:22, SO 13:12). The result is an important step for the Croatian side’s new generation with captain Ivan Juric and Lucian Bura both missing, due to the world championship starting in Zagreb on Tuesday (23 June).

One team which competed at the ebt Finals and who will be in Croatia for the global event next week were Blue Team – the club name of the Italian men’s national team. They impressed, finishing sixth and look in good from for their global debut on the sand in Zagreb after winning all their games up to the quarter-final stage.

All-star Team
MVP: Domagoj Kulis – BHC Zagreb (CRO)
Goalkeeper: Max Dahlen – Goteborg Beach Handball Club (SWE)
Defender: Thiago de Oliveira – Fundación Fomento Deporte CBMP Ciudad de Malaga (ESP)
Top scorer: Victor Paldanius – Goteborg Beach Handball Club (SWE) 165 points
Fair play: BHC Harena (CRO)

Final Ranking
1 Fundacion Fomento Deporte CBMP Ciudad de Malaga (ESP)
2 SWE Goteborg Beach Handball Club (SWE)
3 CRO BHC Zagreb (CRO)
4 Niteroi Rugby FC (IRL)
5 BMP Algeciras (ESP)
6 Blue Team (ITA)
7 Associacao Desportiva OSN (POR)
8 Alba Fehervar (HUN)
9 SC Squadra Buda (HUN)
10Requins Affames (FRA)
11 GRD Leca – Spar (POR)
12 Rotterdam Handbal (NED)
13 Aarhus Beach (DEN)
14 12 Monkeys Köln BHC (GER)
15 BHC Harena (CRO)
16 C4H10 Melluzhi Jurmala (LAT)

The ebt Finals 2026 was the first to be played under the amendments to the IHF Rules of the Game for Beach Handball, which came into effect on 1 April 2026.

Photos: EHF/Joe Pappalardo