African Handball Championship 2024: Rwanda, the newcomers aiming to cause a surprise

Twenty-eight players began training on 15 December 2023. Today, there are eighteen. They will fly out to Egypt on Tuesday 9 January, where they will continue training. If nothing changes, three friendlies are on the schedule, according to Rwandan Handball Federation president Twahirwa. "We plan to play Congo, Morocco and probably Egypt, and the matches will take place in Egypt. We had wanted to play these games outside Egypt, but the coach suggested we play our matches in Egypt to acclimatise. We are going to Egypt to learn, since we will host the next African Handball Championship in 2026. Even if I say we are going to learn, that doesn't mean we are going to this competition as tourists, far from it. Our first aim is to get out of our group, which is made up of Zambia, DR Congo and Cape Verde. If we manage that, we will then take it one game at a time. I hope we will have a very good tournament because we have good players and a coach who played at the highest level and has a winning mentality."

Coach Rafael's players say they are in good hands when it comes to training. The team captain, Jean-Paul Muhawenayo, told Sport News Africa that it is easy to train with a coach who has clear ideas. "It's a privilege to train with Rafa. He is teaching us how modern handball is played. The way we attack and defend has changed. We are enjoying training and I hope we will be ready for this continental event."

A coach impressed by the level of Rwandan handball

There is a good-natured atmosphere during training sessions. The players work hard and repeat the same drills several times to get used to the coach's methods. A former handball player with Barcelona and the Spain national team, voted world handball player of the year in 1999, he is an outstanding tactician. He is highly regarded by his players and by the sport's officials in Rwanda.

He told SNA that he has been impressed by the level of Rwandan handball. "We have a team preparing for the African Handball Championship for the first time, but frankly I have found players with a good level. They have to work hard because the African Handball Championship is quite a high standard. They understand what I tell them, which is very important for a coach. They have to repeat it several times, which is why I need enough time. They are young and dynamic. Tactically, I am teaching them how we must score goals without forgetting to defend. Communication is going very well and I am confident about my team's future."

Coach Rafael Guijosa also says that it is by playing several matches against teams with different tactics that you can assess yourselves. "With the friendlies planned in Cairo, I think that is undoubtedly when I will see where we really stand. Playing teams who are used to taking part in this competition will let us assess ourselves and correct the mistakes we make. That is how you gain experience. After that, we will just have to start the tournament in the best possible way."

Read also: Handball friendly: Tunisia beat Bahrain

Sixteen teams will take part in this 26th edition of the African Handball Championship, which starts on 19 January and ends on 29 January in Cairo, Egypt. The teams are split into 4 groups of four.

Désiré Hatungimana

The make-up of the African Handball Championship groups

Group A: Rwanda, Zambia, DR Congo, Cape Verde
Group B: Congo, Cameroon, Guinea, Egypt
Group C: Libya, Gabon, Algeria, Morocco
Group D: Kenya, Nigeria, Angola, Tunisia

Egypt hosted the previous edition in 2022, and they went on to win it. They beat Cape Verde in the final, 37 goals to 25.