Continued Struggles for Algerian Handball Youth
The disappointing results for the Algerian handball youth continue at the 2026 African Championship, held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
The Under-19 team will now fight for the 9th and 10th places in the 22nd edition of the African Youth Handball Championship, after the U21 team finished its continental campaign in 10th place, losing the 9th place playoff against Cameroon.
The "Greens" started strong in Group B with a significant victory over Madagascar, winning 36-15.
However, they suffered two consecutive defeats against Nigeria, 25-26, and then against Tunisia, 31-33, which eliminated them from contention for the top spots and shifted their focus to the battle for positions 9 to 12.
Yesterday, the U19 team achieved its first victory in the ranking matches against Congo, winning 35-23, setting up a meeting tomorrow, Monday, with Burundi, which also defeated Libya 33-25, in a match to determine the 9th and 10th places.
The disappointing performance at the continental level comes just days after the U21 team had a lackluster showing, finishing third in their group, winning against Ivory Coast in the first ranking match for positions 9 to 12, before losing to Cameroon in the 9th and 10th place playoff.
With these results, the participation of both the U21 and U19 teams falls short of expectations, as the goal has always been to compete for at least a spot in the semifinals.
