Alex Aprile, coach of Pinheiros on Voces SCA, speaks with us after winning the Handball Libertadores title and shares his experience in Asunción.
Following the 2026 edition of the South Central American Club Tournament, we spoke with Alex Aprile, coach of the men’s championship team.
After an intense and unforgettable week for the São Paulo team, which also secured its spot in the 2026 Club World Cup.
The Pinheiros Experience
“The title is very recent. At the club, we’ve been discussing that this edition of the Central American and Southern Club Championship was probably—and I say this with almost complete certainty—the edition with the most qualified teams that made it to the most important matches: the semifinals and the final.”
Aprile said that this hadn’t happened in previous editions.
“It’s great for our continent—more teams are emerging, more players are coming up, and I think the same thing happened in the women’s tournament as well.”
“For two consecutive years, two non-Brazilian teams have won the championship; this is an important sign for us, and we must find ways to continue improving.”
“Uruguay and Argentina have been making progress both at the national team level and at the club level.”
Aprile said that the men’s division was no different—qualified teams also made it to the decisive matches—and he emphasized that the difference came down to physical conditioning.
“… Brazilians and Argentines are in better physical shape, and that’s important in a short tournament with six games in seven days.
The competition was at a high level; it was great for Pinheiros to participate and win the title.”
Tournament Organization
“This event was very well organized; the Paraguayan Confederation, together with Coscabal, did a great job in terms of the hotels that hosted us, the food, transportation, and the gyms
—even though there was a problem at one of them, it was quickly addressed and resolved.”
Alex Aprile commented that it had been a good tournament for all the participating teams, and he noted that while there is always room for improvement.
Hosting a 16-team tournament with such a high level of competition is a reason to congratulate Coscabal and the Paraguayan Confederation.
Paraguayan Evolution
“Paraguay isn’t just making strides in handball; it has also been hosting many sporting competitions, which makes it an important country on our continent
—both for its facilities and for the progress it has made in the development of its sports.”
In addition, Aprile said, for example, that the national soccer team’s performance in this past World Cup helps drive continued progress in various sports across the country.
Esporte Clube Pinheiros
When we asked him how long Pinheiros has been preparing to win the SCA Club Championship, Aprile replied that the club has been preparing to win the SCA ever since the competition began.
Pinheiros is the club that has participated in every edition since 2021 (when it won the title) and also competed in previous editions when the tournament was known as the Pan American Championship.
“We’re the team that has competed the most, but we haven’t won as many times as we’ve competed; there are teams that have won more than Pinheiros, and we’ve been chasing the title for a long time.”
“Pinheiros is a multi-sport club; it offers many Olympic sports in which top athletes compete, and we have phenomenal facilities—perhaps the best on the continent.”
The institution has a physical training department, as well as a physical therapy department and a handball department with eight coaches.
Positive exchange
One of the highlights of the tournament is the interaction with other coaches; in this case, Aprile said that they were staying at the same hotel as San Fernando and Colegio Ward and that the conversation was very positive.
“We talk a lot about handball, but also about how we can improve on our continent, and that’s great.
It’s a short week; we should be able to set up a South American league and increase the number of games throughout the year—that would improve things not only at the national team level but also at the club level.”
What does this image mean?
“That image captures a very happy moment—winning the title. Pinheiros is unique in that winning a title doesn’t distract us from everything we still need to work on and improve.”
“Each of these athletes knows that in two or three years, they might be playing for the Brazilian national team or for a club in Europe, so we’re working to ensure they perform well.”
“Another thing that sets Pinheiros apart is our unity. The team comes before any individual player, any coach, or anything else. We achieved that unity and ended up with a smile on everyone’s face.”
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The team had no time to rest; as soon as they returned to São Paulo, they resumed competition in the Paulista League, while also continuing to play in the National League.
In 2026, the icing on the cake will be our participation in the Club World Cup, “…we’ll go with the same team in search of a good result.”
Remember that you can visit our social media pages and follow the entire competition on Instagram handballsca TikTok handballsca Facebook Handball SC America Coscabal
If you liked Alex Aprile, Pinheiros’ coach on Voces SCA you can also find more information at Handballsca.com
Photos: COSCABAL / Germán Paez / Jorge Olmedo
By Loly Coria
