Belgium Claims Victory at IKF Beach Korfball World Cup (Africa) 2026 in Egypt
The sun-soaked beaches of Hurghada played host to an exhilarating edition of the IKF Beach Korfball World Cup (Africa) 2026, which concluded yesterday on July 4. Teams from across continents brought high-energy mixed-gender beach korfball action to Egypt’s Red Sea coast, showcasing the sport’s unique blend of skill, strategy, and athleticism in the sand.
Belgium emerged as champions, defeating strong competition in what proved to be a thrilling tournament. Hong Kong China secured a well-deserved silver medal in second place, while Hungary claimed bronze in third, marking impressive performances for all podium teams.
The event featured intense pool matches and knockout stages under not always ideal beach conditions due to the wind.
The Belgian squad demonstrated exceptional teamwork, defensive solidity, and attacking flair throughout the competition. They faced tough challenges, including a Day 1 encounter against Hungary that ended in a 1-1 draw resolved by a shoot-out in Belgium’s favor. Belgium also powered past Zimbabwe with a convincing 2-0 victory (10-2 / 9-1). Their consistent excellence culminated in a strong final showing to claim the title.
Hong Kong China delivered standout performances, advancing through competitive matches and proving their growing prowess in beach korfball. Reaching the final highlighted their tactical adaptability and endurance in the demanding beach format.
Hungary impressed with resilient play, building on recent momentum from other beach events. Their third-place finish adds to their rising profile in international korfball.
This first official IKF tournament in Egypt emphasized korfball’s core values as a mixed-gender sport, with teams combining speed, precision shooting, and tactical passing on the sand. Spectators and participants enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere in Hurghada, supported by the Egyptian hosts.
Final Ranking
Results
Looking ahead, this African edition serves as a key event in the 2026 international beach korfball calendar, following the Asia edition earlier in the year and preceding the Europe edition scheduled for July 11-12 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Congratulations to all participating teams, organizers from IKF Africa and the Egyptian Federation for Recreational Sports and Games and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and volunteers who made the event a success. Beach korfball continues to grow as a dynamic, accessible, and exciting variant of the sport.
Stay tuned to IKF channels and beachkorfball.sport for full statistics, match reports, full matches videos and upcoming events.
On socials
All fans around the world will be able to follow this tournament on www.worldkorfball.sport (with live results, statistics, scorers, play-by-play …).
The internet connection at the venue wasn’t sufficiently reliable or of a high enough quality to support live broadcasting. Instead, each match was recorded and then transferred to the IKF Broadcast team as quickly as possible after completion by the LOC to be published on the IKF YouTube channel: youtube.com/ikfchannel
Fans could join the conversation using hashtags #BKWC, #beachkorfball and #korfball to catch the best images, clips, and highlights from the championship.
You can find all this content, all image galleries and much more visiting the following official main IKF profiles (see below):
IKF Beach Korfbal profiles:
Website: www.beachkorfball.sport
► instagram.com/beachkorfball
► facebook.com/beachkorfball
► x.com/beachkorfball
► tiktok.com/@beachkorfball
IKF main profiles:
► instagram.com/korfball_org
► facebook.com/korfball.org
► x.com/korfball
► tiktok.com/@korfball.sport
Day 2 Second Phase & Finals
Photos by Mohamed Sabry Agoor (full match galleries available on facebook.com/ikfafrica)
