Handball - Team Spain

General
Spain first appeared at the Olympic Games in 1972, and competed in every men's tournament from 1980 to 2012. They claimed bronze medals at the Games in 1996 and 2000 and added a third in 2008. They narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games on head-to-head goals scored difference.

The Spanish team arrive in Tokyo as back-to-back European champions, having defeated Sweden and Croatia in the finals of the 2018 and 2020 tournaments, respectively. They secured their berth in Tokyo with a 22-20 win over Croatia in the final of the 2020 European Championship. They also won four silver medals and two bronze medals between 1996 and 2016.

Spain are two-time world champions, claiming titles in 2005 and 2013, as well as bronze medals in 2011 and 2021. At the most recent World Championship played in Egypt in January 2021, Spain led their preliminary stage group with two wins and a draw and then put together a run of three wins in the main round to qualify for the quarterfinals. They defeated Norway in the last eight but were beaten 35-33 by Denmark in the semifinals. In the third-place playoff, they emerged as 35-29 winners over France.