Once again, Oman ceded continental control to Qatar as they lost in the final of the 2019 AHF Men’s Asian Beach Handball Championship, back in June in P.R. of China.

The final loss against the hosts of the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games has been the case in every edition of the biennial event since 2011, but this time, there was a silver lining – Oman grabbed their continental qualification place with the Qataris having already-qualified as hosts as well as their spot at the 2020 IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championship in Italy.

In a four-year period from 2006-2010, the Hungarian men won silver (2006) and bronze (2007, 2009) at the EHF EURO and silver at the 2010 IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championship.

However, from then onwards they faced a barren run, before a run of finishing fourth three times in a row on the international stage.

Bronze was missed at the 2015 and 2017 EHF EUROs, with a heartbreaking fourth on home sand at the 2016 IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championship in-between, plus the 2017 World Games also ended with a 3/4 placement match loss.

Despite having one of the most developed and largest beach handball cultures in the world, Spain’s men’s team have only shown glimpses on the international stage in recent years of what that culture can produce. 

A gold medal at the 2017 EHF Men’s European championship, followed silver at the previous version (2015), while you have to go back to 2006 for their only World Championship medal, bronze.

With their 2-0 win over Norway in the final in Poland, last July, Denmark not only crowned themselves European men’s beach handball champions but qualified for the debut edition of the ANOC World Beach Games.

The took the continental title after 10 tough games played on the Polish sand, with Martin Vilstrup Andersen top-scoring for his side on 120 points, followed by teammate Simon Moss (117).

Croatia men’s beach team have a glittered history of medals in the sport, having won the European title four times (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015) and the World Championship once (2016) as well as numerous silver and bronze medals in the same competitions as well as the World Games.

One of the hot favourites for the inaugural World Beach Games men’s title is Brazil. The side have won both editions of the World Games since beach handball was formally part of the event (2013, 2017) and won five gold medals at the IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championships, including the most recent, defeating Croatia in the 2018 final in Kazan, Russia.

The self-titled ‘Sand Dogs’ qualified for Qatar 2019 by defeating continental rivals New Zealand at the 2019 Oceania (OCHF) Beach Handball Championships held in Adelaide, Australia, in February.

The result meant it was their fifth continental title, continuing their regional dominance, but also cementing their place on the global stage, having appeared at the past five IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championships and at the two official beach handball competitions at the World Games – in 2013 and 2017. 

Sweden’s men burst onto the global beach handball scene in 2018, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal at the IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championship in Kazan, Russia, after losing to a determined Hungary side, who had finished in fourth spot in their previous four international competitions.

The Swedes, coached by Helene Bernhardtz and Tony Karlsson, lost to eventual champions Brazil in their semi-final, but impressed throughout their stay in Russia – their debut step onto the global stage.

Macedonian club HC Vardar arrive at the 2019 IHF Super Globe champions of Europe’s toughest international club competition, the VELUX EHF Champions League. Last season was something of a miracle for Vardar. The club had some difficulties early on and were not favourites to take the title at the final weekend in Cologne at the start of June.