For the seventh edition in a row, handball will be present at the South American Games, with six men’s teams and six women’s teams lining up at the start of the competition.

The women's tournament will open the handball programme from 16 to 20 September, before the men's competition runs from 22 to 26 September. Both tournaments will be played in a round-robin format, with every team facing the other five sides. 

The 2026 South American Games will bring together more than 4,000 athletes from 15 countries across 43 sports and 60 disciplines, and for handball the stakes are even higher than the medals in Santa Fe.

The top two teams in each handball tournament that have not already qualified will secure direct places at the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima. The next-best eligible team will move into a repechage for the remaining qualification opportunity. This makes every match particularly significant, with the tournament serving as an important step towards the next major continental event, which is a qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

One of the notable features of the women's tournament is the absence of Brazil, who won the women's handball competition at the 2022 South American Games in Asunción. Brazil went on to win the 2023 Pan American Games after qualifying through that South American Games title.

Brazil will not be part of the six-team women's field in Santa Fe, which instead features Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. That opens the door to a different winner and, more importantly, gives the remaining teams a bigger opportunity to secure a place on the podium.

Argentina will have particular motivation as hosts. Led by a mixture of experienced players and younger faces, La Garra will be looking to make home advantage count and secure their third title after the ones in 2006 and 2010.

The men's field features Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay, meaning the region's established powers will meet over five rounds of action.

Brazil remain one of the major forces in South American handball, but arrive with a squad virtually with domestic players, while Argentina will be looking to make the most of playing at home. Chile and Uruguay have also established themselves as regular contenders in the region, while Paraguay and Peru will be looking to challenge the more established sides.