Jarun Cup 2026 set the tone for beach handball season

A total of 58 men's and women's senior sides took the start on 30 April to compete on sand for the yearly Jarun Cup trophy. 102 teams across 11 different events lit up the sand on the shores of Lake Jarun, Croatia, in one of Europe's biggest beach handball tournaments, which marks an exciting beginning to the ebt 2025/26 season.

Westsite Amsterdam rise to glory once again

After lifting the trophy back in 2024, Westsite Amsterdam returned to the top step of the podium to clinch the Jarun Cup title for the second time, after defeating Portugal’s AD IASPORTS in the final (25:10, 16:22, SO 6:4). The Dutch side stayed undefeated for the whole tournament to add another achievement to their collection — a very challenging task, with 28 women's sides taking the start in the competition.

Rianne Mol stole the spotlight with her performance to be named the best defender of the tournament, and she opened up about what this title means for her and the team: "We love being here, and this is already our ninth time attending. This year, we managed to win the women’s senior competition, which was extremely strong, featuring 28 highly reputable teams. We are absolutely thrilled to have reached the final and to have won the gold medal."

After losing in the semi-final against AD IASPORTS, The Danish Beach Handball Dream quickly got back on their feet to secure the bronze medal and complete the podium with a thrilling victory over OVB Beach Girls.

BHC Zagreb stun in front of home crowd

The fans could not have been happier as they witnessed their home team BHC Zagreb's impressive performance, boosting them to the hard-fought trophy. Despite a loss in one of the early matches of the group phase, BHC Zagreb returned to winning ways and continued to keep their momentum until the end.

On Sunday 3 May, the home side first got past Aarhus Beach in the semi-finals after a nail-biting shoot-out, only to face another Danish opponent in the trophy game: HEI Beach Handball. Finally, BHC Zagreb came out victorious from a fierce battle on sand to become the 2026 champions.

BHC Zagreb's Josip Dukes and Ivan Jurić were among the standout players of the tournament, being named in the All-star Team as best pivot and best left wing, respectively. The title-winning campaign is one to remember for BHC Zagreb: "Our primary goal was to secure a large number of points that the Jarun Cup offers, and winning it was the cherry on top," admits Ivan Jurić.

The beach handball star also shone a light on the fantastic atmosphere of the tournament: "We are truly delighted that the Jarun Cup brings together beach handball enthusiasts and many of my friends whom I don’t get the chance to see during the year, which makes the whole experience even more enjoyable in such a positive atmosphere."

The men's podium was completed by Aarhus Beach, who clinched third place following their decisive shoot-out win against Club Balonmano Playa Algeciras (19:14, 26:28, SO 6:0).

ebt season to reach thrilling peak in the summer

The next event on the beach handball calendar will take place in Germany, with all eyes turning to the BHC Beach-Cup between 22 and 24 May. Germany stay in the spotlight with the Karacho Beach Cup 2026 scheduled to take place from 29 to 31 May, the same weekend when the Diego Carrasco Cup Torrox in Spain gets underway.

A full list of the past and upcoming beach handball competitions is available here.

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