Seven men’s teams and seven women’s teams from three different continents took part in the 2024 FISU World University Championships Handball, which took place between 24 and 30 June in Antequera, Spain with hosts Spain securing the titles in both competitions.

In both competitions, the teams were divided into two groups, one of four teams and one of three teams, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the semi-finals.

In the women’s competition, Spain and France were the top two sides in Group A, both finishing with three points, after beating India, but Spain secured the first place, due to their superior goal difference. In Group B, Poland clinched the first place with wins over Czechia and Chile, but drew against the Netherlands, which meant that Czechia finished second.

In the first semi-final of the women’s competition, France comfortably disposed of Poland, 40:28, while Spain also beat Czechia, 28:14, with a rematch of their group match now set for the final.

This time around, Spain had an overwhelming advantage, leading from start to finish and they secured the title by taking a clear 32:24 win, while Poland secured the bronze medal, with an excellent match from the MVP of the competition, Lucyna Sobecka.

In the men’s competition, Spain had a fantastic performance, led by the MVP of the competition, Pablo Urdangarín y de Borbón, a former Barça player, currently playing at Fraikin BM Granollers. 

Spain had three clear wins in the group, 35:27 against Poland, 42:15 against India and 33:17 against Brazil, securing the first place, ahead of Poland, who also made it to the semi-finals.

In Group B, Czechia beat both France and Chile to secure the first place, as a crunch semi-final was expected between France and Spain. Nevertheless, the hosts delivered an excellent performance, to take a 33:27 win, while Poland shocked Czechia and set up a rematch of the opener against Spain in the final.

This time around, Poland got closer, but they could not secure the win, which went to Spain, 33:30, as well as the title.

Credit photo: FISU