The much-fancied Pakistan men’s team have won gold in the debut edition of the ‘Commonwealth Beach Handball Championship’.

Governed by the Commonwealth Handball Association (CHA), an organisation set up to promote handball throughout the member countries of the Commonwealth, the event featured six men’s teams and took place across five match days (18 to 22 September) in Kulhudhuffushi City, Maldives, South East Asia.

Alongside hosts Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, India and Bangladesh all sent men’s team who battled it out in an initial round-robin group phase, with the top four teams playing off in semi-finals and then medal matches and the fifth and sixth-placed teams facing off in a ranking match.

The league phase took place over three days, with 15 matches in total played, starting with a cracker of a game in front of packed, noisy and colourful home crowd – plus the TV cameras – as the hosts took a 7:4 shoot-out win over Sri Lanka. The hosts also pushed pre-tournament favourites Pakistan, who recently won bronze at the 2025 AHF Men’s Asian Beach Handball Championship in Oman last May.

By the end of that initial stage Pakistan finished top with five wins from five games, conceding just that one set and winning 10.

Behind Pakistan – the only nation at the event who had previously qualified for an IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championship (2008) – there was a three-way tie for second place, with Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh all sitting on six points each.

In the mini-group to decide the ranking order, all three teams had secured two points each, with the Sri Lankans eventually finishing top thanks to their superior set difference of winning three and conceding two to end with plus one (3/3/+1), followed by the Maldives (3/3/0) and then Bangladesh (2/3/-1). India finished fifth in the preliminary group with one win and two points, while South Africa finished bottom, losing all five of their games.

The semi-finals saw Pakistan continuing their dominance, seeing off Bangladesh with their sixth, straight win, while Sri Lanka bounced back from their opening day defeat to the hosts, to see off Maldives. The host nation did manage to regroup overnight and win bronze, coming from one set down to dominate the second and then take a 7:4 shoot-out win.

With nothing to lose in the final, Sri Lanka gave their all but could not compete with the strong, vastly-experienced Pakistan side who recorded a 2-0 win, scoring 54 points in total – 22 of them coming from the impressive Muhammad Shahid Bashir. Priyantha Chandradasa top-scored for the Lankans, with 10 points.

“Firsts are always special, and today we celebrate the successful culmination of the first ever commonwealth men’s beach handball championship – Maldives 2025,” said Commonwealth Handball Association President, Ruth Saunders at the closing ceremony.

“As we bid farewell we are filled with gratitude and joy. We are deeply thankful to the President of the Maldives for hosting this historic event. Your support has made the foundation of our sport a success. To the Honourable Minister of Sports, your passion for sports development has been inspiring. We are grateful to your tireless efforts in promoting handball in the Maldives. To the volunteers – you have been the heartbeat of this event. As we close this championship we take with us the memories of the stunning beaches and the warmth of the Maldivian people. Thank-you Maldives for an unforgettable experience.

In addition to the action on the sand, a number of side events took place with cultural events, excursions, BBQs and ceremonies, all celebrating Maldivian culture plus IHF Beach Handball Working Group member responsible for officiating, Ioannis Meimaridis – at the event in his role as event delegate – delivered a seminar and professional development session for all officials, including referees from Iran and Thailand who had been nominated by the IHF.

The event also saw a number of dignitaries in attendance throughout the five days of action, including the Maldives Sports Minister Abdulla Rafiu, High Commissioner-Designate of Sri Lanka to the Maldives, H.E. Mohamed Rizvi Hassen and the British High Commissioner to the Maldives, Nick Low, plus Asian Handball Federation (AHF) Secretary General Muhammad Shafiq.

Games and the ceremonies can be watched on the ‘Yes TV’ YouTube channel here, follow Maldives Handball via their Facebook page here.

2025 Commonwealth Men’s Beach Handball Championship

Final Ranking

1 Pakistan
2 Sri Lanka
3 Maldives
4 Bangladesh
5 India
6 South Africa

Results

League Phase

Sri Lanka vs Maldives 1-2 (24:28, 34:26, SO 4:7)
Bangladesh vs South Africa 2-0 (24:7, 29:20)
Pakistan vs India 2-0 (26:9, 34:13)
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 0-2 (18:20, 6:23)
Maldives 2-0 South Africa 2-0 (32:9, 22:13)
India vs Bangladesh 1-2 (28:16, 10:19, SO 3:7)
Pakistan vs Maldives 2-1 (15:16, 22:10, SO 7:6)
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 0-2 (10:26, 14:24)
India vs South Africa 2-1 (21:9, 13:14, SO 5:1)
South Africa vs Pakistan 0-2 (15:24, 5:28)
Maldives vs Bangladesh 1-2 (14:20, 18:20, SO 6:7)
Sri Lanka vs India 2-0 (22:10, 30:17)
Bangladesh vs Pakistan 0-2 (9:30, 13:32)
South Africa vs Sri Lanka 0-2 (12:30, 11:32)
Maldives vs India 2-0 (22:20, 20:19)

Semi-Final: Pakistan vs Bangladesh 2-0 (22:17, 27:5)

Semi-Final: Sri Lanka vs Maldives 2-0 (14:12, 24:14)

5/6 Placement Match: India vs South Africa 2-1 (15:14, 12:14, SO 5:2)

Bronze Medal Match: Bangladesh vs Maldives 1-2 (25:20, 12:22, SO 4:7)

Final: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 2-0 (26:18, 28:18)

Photo credit: Gaafu Photo / Ahmed Reehan / Hussain Ahmed