The International Handball Federation (IHF) confirmed the dates of the 10th IHF Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball World Championships as well as the second edition of the IHF Men’s and Women’s Youth (U18) Beach Handball World Championships.

The two events will take place over two weeks in Greece – in Heraklion, Crete – with the IHF Men’s and Women’s Youth Beach Handball World Championships taking place between 14 and 19 June, while the IHF Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball World Championships are set to be played between 21 and 26 June in the same venue.

Greece 2022 will be the first IHF Beach Handball World Championships since the 2018 IHF Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball World Championships in Kazan, Russia. The ninth edition, which was due to take place in Pescara, Italy, in 2020, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brazil’s men, the most decorated team in the history of the senior competition with five gold and two silver medals, will try to defend their title won at Kazan 2018, after a disappointing start, with two losses in the first three games of the preliminary round.

In the women’s competition, hosts Greece will aim to defend the title won in 2018 in a crunch final against Norway, 2:1. It was the first-ever medal secured by Greece in both the men’s and women’s competitions, setting up a great tournament in Heraklion this June.

This will also be the first IHF Men’s and Women’s Youth Beach Handball World Championships since 2017, when Spain won the inaugural men’s competition, while Hungary beat the Netherlands in the final of the women’s competition.