The 2025 edition of the traditional EuroHand4All wheelchair handball competition took place between 19 and 21 June in Ecully, France, with six teams from two continents at the start. 

The six participating teams were divided into two groups of three teams each, with France, the United States of America and Hungary in Group A, while Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands were in Group B.

Therefore, three of the eight participants at the 2024 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, which took place in Egypt, were at the start, with silver medallists USA, fourth-placed France and seventh-placed Portugal entering the fray in the 2025 edition of the EuroHand4All tournament.

With a round-robin format in place, Group A was won by hosts France, which took a 2:0 win against the USA, after winning the first set, 6:4, and the second one, 7:6. France then proceeded to a 2:0 win against Hungary, 11:5 and 9:8, with the USA finishing second, thanks to a 2:0 win against Hungary.

In Group B, Portugal secured the first place, with a clear 2:0 win over Spain (10:2 and 14:8) and another 2:0 win over the Netherlands (9:4 and 10:3), as Spain finished second thanks to their 2:0 (8:4; 4:3) win against the Netherlands.

In the play-offs, the USA clinched a 2:0 win over the Netherlands, while Spain delivered Hungary their third loss, 2:0, qualifying for the semi-finals. In the first semi-final, Portugal took a 2:1 win against the USA, after a heavy-fought match, while France clinched the second final spot, with a 2:0 win against Spain.

The final was again a heavily-contested match, with Portugal taking the first set, 9:8, while France took the second set, 9:5, to push the match into the decider, where Portugal were more efficient and took a 6:4 win to secure the title.

This is the third title in four editions won by Portugal, with the only mishap coming in 2024, when Spain secured the win, as Ricardo Queiros was named the top scorer of the competition, with 36 points.

“The outcome of the tournament could not be more positive. On the first day we were at a very high level, today we had some gaps that cannot happen at this level, in terms of technical errors and shooting. But we were always fighters, we always wanted to win, we always believed, we fought against adversity and that is what defines someone who has the makings of a champion. So, congratulations. My team was exceptional, I have nothing to say about my athletes,” said Portugal’s coach, Danilo Ferreira, for the official website of the Portugal Handball Federation.

The bronze medal match was won by USA, 2:1, after Spain clinched the first set, but conceded the next two.

Photo credit: EuroHand4All