One week after winning the title in the women’s event, Brazil were crowned champions in the men’s handball competition at the 2025 Junior Pan-American Games, which took place between 17 and 22 August in Asuncion, Paraguay.
The eight participating teams in the competition were divided into two groups of four teams each, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the semi-finals, with Argentina and Brazil, the two rivals in the South and Central American Handball Confederation, finishing on the top in each group, with three wins in three matches.
In Group A, Argentina dominated Cuba (36:26), hosts Paraguay (35:17) and Uruguay (29:24), in the three matches in the preliminary round, with some strong outings especially in the second halves of these matches, as their depth proved to be decisive.
The battle for the second place in the group was neck and neck, with the other three sides each finishing with three points, as Paraguay emerged as the top team in the three-way ranking, after beating Uruguay, 20:17, in a fantastic comeback, while losing against Cuba, 33:35.
Cuba lost against Uruguay, 22:25, therefore Paraguay had a +1 goal difference, Uruguay had a tied goal difference, while Cuba had a -1 goal difference, with the hosts progressing to the semi-finals by a single goal.
In Group B, Brazil were the dominating force, with clear wins over Mexico (40:27), Chile (30:19) and the United States of America (32:22), securing double-digits wins against all of their three opponents.
The United States of America clinched the second place, thanks to a crucial win against Chile (26:23) and Mexico (35:39), with Chile ending up third and Mexico fourth.
There was no question, though, about the finalists, as both Argentina and Brazil recorded easy wins. The former dominated the USA, limiting their opponents to only 13 goals in a clear 28:13 win, where Lucas Obregon scored six times.
In the other semi-final, Brazil took a 20:10 lead at half-time against Paraguay and went on to secure a 45:20 win, as Vinicius Bertoldo and Vinicius Perin scored seven goals each to propel Brazil in the final.
The battle of the titans between Argentina and Brazil was one to watch and it did not disappoint, after two years ago, Brazil took a 26:24 win in the final. This time around, Argentina took a 14:11 lead at the break, but Brazil proved again stronger.
A fantastic comeback, led by Mikael Candio Lopes, who scored nine goals, and Bertoldo, who added five goals, saw Brazil outscore Argentina in the second half by five goals and secure the title with a 29:27 win.
USA dished Paraguay another loss in the bronze medal match, finishing on the podium, with Benjamin Edwards, who also played at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, scoring 11 times, to lift his side to a 39:29 win.
Two Cuban players, Freddy Lafontan (44 goals) and Osmany Miniet (36 goals) were the top scorers of the competition, followed by USA’s Benjamin Edwards (32 goals).
Brazil made the double over Argentina, having won the women’s competition one win earlier, again in the final against their rivals.
Final standings – 2025 Junior Pan-American Games Men
1. Brazil
2. Argentina
3. United States of America
4. Paraguay, 5. Mexico, 6. Cuba, 7. Chile, 8. Uruguay
Credit photo: Handball SCA / Fede Pancaldi