Handball has been one of the most spectacular sports at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu and captivated the fans with fast rhythm and dynamic movement as well as the close matches on the sand. Men and women competitions in beach handball have also been exemplary of exciting matches with top teams fighting each other to earn every point and medal. The tournament did not only underline the current champions but also provided newcomers an opportunity to challenge the status quo so that in every match a step to the podium could be made.

The 34 sports in which more than 4,000 athletes took part were a preview of a possible taste of what is likely to happen at Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, as handball dominated, with the event getting the most buzz. Medals were awarded starting 8 August and the medal rounds of handball were among the most looked-forward to matches that allowed fans around the world to follow live coverage.

European Champions Spain and Debutants Portugal Made Their Mark in Women’s Beach Handball

Although the home crowd added their passionate support to Vietnam, it was unable to beat Germany, a team with back to back successes in The World Games and World Championship titles, and won 2-0 (26:16, 24:12). Although promising in the start of the second set when the game stood at 6:6, a direct red card handed to Quynh Do Thi Nhu was a difference maker. Germany took no time to capitalize, scoring 14:2 in the next several minutes and stamping the victory. 

Observers following handball betting could understand how rapidly the flow of the game can be changed during such high-quality games since the German team demonstrated persistence and power and four of them even reached into a double-digit score, Isobel Kattner being the one that even imbued the Vietnamese defense. In the performance, Gettwart attributed her performance not only to her teammates but also to the additional cheer-up provided by the German fistball team as she says the atmosphere pushed her further.

In other matches, Spain recovered their lost victory over Germany in the initial match against Denmark in a 2-0 (13:12, 19:18) win. The first one resolved itself in favour of the golden goal by Jimena Laguna Contreras because of misguided attempts on the part of the Danish side. Spain dominated in the second set more firmly but was still leading at the end of the match which gave them their first victory in the tourney. Maria Batista led with 12 points and Spain remained in striking distance. At the same time, the debutants Portugal also started their journey on the world stage with points in their balance to make a historic first step of the women beach handball team.

What was the recording of the women beach handball match (day 2)?

• In Germany vs Vietnam, two goals were scored in a rather one-sided match (26:16, 24:12) in which Germany triumphed after a red card of Vietnam.
• Spain-Denmark: 2 -0 (13:12, 19:18) - Contreras scored a golden goal in the first set.
• Portugal (Debut): Their tournament debut was an opening affair and marked their first points at The World Games.

Key Takeaways

• Germany continued to win and pulled out superiorly.
• Spain took revenge against their defeat in the first match and narrowly overcame Denmark by beating 2-0.
• Portugal started their debut performance quite well cracking into the competition.

Growth and Expansion in Handball at The World Games 2025

In the evolution strategy paper Growth Beyond Excellence, the poster highlighted some of the guidelines that the sports programme and participation at The World Games 2025 would follow that highlighted the increase in the opportunities of handball and other sports. The overall participant target was expanded to 5,000 (including sports personnel and technical officials) which gave more participation to handball teams and players. Among them 4,000 participants were assigned to sports suggested by the IWGA Member Federations, and the rest were distributed the following way:

• The Participants will be a total of 400 participants representing disciplines to be determined in consultation with the Host City.
• 400 participants of the disciplines identified in cooperation with the IOC.
• Viability of 200 participants in para disciplines that were not part of the Paralympic Games as established with the IPC.

Chengdu was set in a full state to welcome this expansion with superior quality facilities and infrastructure that had the capacity of supporting the new number of athletes. The city was used to playing host to major multi-sporting events, such as the 2019 World Police and Fire Games and the 2023 FISU World University Games, and so the handball competitions could be conducted without resort to new buildings.