Asunción will host the SCA / Trophy U-18 and U-20 Men’s Tournaments. From November 10 to 14, both tournaments will be held at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee’s facilities.
For five days, the best in handball comes to Asunción, Paraguay. Two competitions, 17 national teams, two venues: the Arena COP (1) and the CEO COP court (2).
The tournaments serve as qualifiers for the World Championship and the intercontinental phase in each category.
Handball SCA / IHF U-18 Trophy
The U-18 tournament serves as a qualifier for the IHF Youth World Championship, awarding three spots and one berth in the IHF Trophy Intercontinental Phase.
Championship will be contested by teams divided into two groups of four teams each, with the groups determined based on merit and ranking according to the most recent competition (Managua 2024).
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Uruguay
- Chile
- Nicaragua
- Colombia
- Venezuela
- Guatemala
The teams from the IHF Trophy Central America qualifying zone enter the tournament with the following rankings:
+ Nicaragua
+ El Salvador
Meanwhile, the teams from the South America zone are ranked as follows:
+ Paraguay
+ Colombia
Group configuration settings:
1. Teams from the same IHF Trophy qualifying zone may not be placed in the same group.
2. The winner of the Central American zone and the winner of the South American zone may not be placed in the same group.
Therefore, the groups are organized as follows:
Group A: Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua, Colombia, and in Group B are Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and El Salvador.
Colombian and Salvadoran national teams have switched positions to comply with the rule that teams from the same IHF Trophy qualifying zone may not face each other.
Match Schedule
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SCA U-20 Championship / IHF Trophy
In the U-20 category, the tournament serves as a qualifier for the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, awarding 3 spots, and for the IHF Trophy Intercontinental Phase, awarding 1 spot.
Tournament will feature 9 teams divided into 3 groups, with team placement determined by merit and ranking (Managua 2024).
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Uruguay
- Chile
- Nicaragua
- Colombia
- Venezuela
- Nicaragua
Teams from the IHF Trophy Central America qualifying zone will advance as follows:
+ Nicaragua
+ Guatemala
Meanwhile, the following teams are enteringfrom South America:
+ Colombia
+ French Guiana
Reserves to determine the groups:
1. Teams from the same IHF Trophy qualifying zone may not be placed in the same group.
2. The winner of the Central American zone and the winner of the South American zone may not be placed in the same group.
Here is how the competition’s three groups are set: Group A consists of Argentina, Colombia, and Guatemala. Group B with Brazil, Nicaragua, and French Guiana. Finally, Group C consists of Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay.
Consequently, the national teams from Guatemala, French Guiana, and Paraguay will switch positions, in accordance with the rule that teams from the same IHF Trophy qualifying zone may not face each other.
Check the match schedule
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Tournament Format for Both Tournaments
Once the group stage is over, every match must have a winner, and the game cannot end in a tie. If a tie occurs, a winner must be determined.
Teams competing in the Championship Round—that is, in the semifinals and the 1st- through 4th-place games—will play one overtime period. If the score remains tied, a second overtime period will be played.
If it is still not possible to determine a winner, a series of 7-meter throws must be conducted in accordance with IHF regulations.
Meanwhile, in the case of a tie among the teams competing for 5th through 8th place, the match will proceed directly to a 7-meter shootout, in accordance with IHF regulations.
During a 7-meter throw contest, one team gains an insurmountable lead over its opponent and not all throws in the series have been taken, the series will end with the team that has gained that lead being declared the winner.
Match Results and Standings in Both Competitions
The participating teams will be ranked based on their total number of points. A win is worth 2 points, a tie is worth 1 point, and a loss is worth 0 points.
If two or more teams have earned the same number of points after the group stage matches have been completed, the standings will be determined as follows:
- Point total between the tied teams
- Goal difference in matches played between the tied teams
- Higher number of goals scored in matches played between the tied teams.
After successively applying the criteria listed above, the teams remain tied, a decision will be made by applying the following criteria to the teams with the same number of points:
- Goal difference based on all matches played
- Highest number of goals scored, considering all matches played.
If, after applying these criteria, it is still not possible to determine the teams’ final standings, a draw will be held among the teams tied in points to decide the ranking.
Important: Allocation of Spots for the IHF World Championship in Both Competitions
The teams that finish in the top 3 positions will qualify for the IHF World Championship in that category, while if teams from the Trophy Zone finish in the top 3, they will qualify directly for the IHF World Championship.
In addition, they will compete for the available spot in the IHF Trophy Intercontinental Final.
If a team from the IHF Trophy Zone secures one of the qualifying spots and is the highest-ranked team among those from the IHF Trophy Zone, it will also be eligible to compete in the Intercontinental Phase.
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Photos: COSCABAL / Carlos Montealto
