Ghana’s Under-20 Men’s Handball Team claimed a bronze medal at the 2026 IHF Zone III Trophy in Lomé, Togo, bringing their title defence campaign to a close with a 34–25 victory over Burkina Faso in the third-place playoff.

The defending champions announced their intentions early with a commanding 45–34 win over hosts Togo in their opening group game, where Pius Komasi was named Player of the Match.

Ghana followed that performance with another dominant display, brushing aside Niger 32–20 to secure qualification to the semi-finals with a game to spare.

Despite a 37–40 defeat to Benin in their final group match, Ghana progressed to the last four. Their quest to retain the title, however, was halted in the semi-finals by Nigeria, who edged the encounter 21–19.

The U-20 side responded strongly in the playoff match, overpowering Burkina Faso 34–25 to clinch third place, with Mubarak Bashiru adjudged Man of the Match.

The Under-18 Men’s Team experienced a mixed campaign. They opened with a 27–32 loss to Ivory Coast, but rebounded to defeat host Togo 28–27 and advance to the semi-finals. 

Their ambition of going beyond the silver medal achieved in the previous edition was dashed by Nigeria, who recorded a heavy 42–22 win, Ghana’s widest margin of defeat in recent times.

In the third-place match, Ghana led 19–8 at halftime against Niger but failed to hold on, eventually losing 28–27 to miss out on a podium finish.

Speaking after the tournament, U-20 Head Coach Hillary Mills admitted the challenges of defending a championship title, stating:
“our performance wasn’t enough, and as defending champions, opponents always come at you strongly with different tactics and players. We apologise to our leaders and our loyal supporters for not defending the title, and we promise to do better next time.”

The IHF Trophy is organised every two years by the International Handball Federation in collaboration with its regional associations across the various zones.