The Spanish men's handball team, Los Hispanos, secured their ticket to the 2027 World Championship after defeating Israel 29-36 in the second leg of the qualifying playoff. The match was played in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as a neutral venue. With a 32-27 lead from the first leg, Spain defended their five-goal advantage. The tournament will be held in Germany from January 13 to 31, 2027. Israel put up a fight, especially in the second half, managing to level the score on several occasions.
Tactical analysis: the 6-0 defense as the system's foundation 🤾
Spain secured their qualification thanks to a compact 6-0 defense that minimized Israel's interior spaces. In attack, fluid ball movement and quick rotations created superiorities at the pivot position. The Spanish goalkeeper, with a 35% save rate in the first half, cut off the opponent's transitions. However, the second half revealed problems in defensive recovery, allowing Israel to level the score at several stages. The management of timeouts and offensive changes proved key to regaining the advantage.
Trip to Argentina to play against Israel: the logic of handball 🌍
That Spain and Israel face each other in Buenos Aires to decide a World Championship sounds like a low-budget movie script. But handball has these things: due to geopolitics, an Argentine arena hosted the duel. Los Hispanos, however, took the victory without needing a GPS to find the opponent's goal. That said, if the World Championship is played in Germany, at least there won't be a need to change hemispheres. Unless FIFA decides otherwise.