Hungary part ways with Chema Rodríguez after WCh 2027 Failure
Following the failure in the qualifiers for the 2027 World Championship, the Hungarian Handball Federation has decided to part ways with head coach, Spaniard Chema Rodríguez. The coach, who had been independently leading the national team since the spring of 2022, faced his first major coaching setback in the play-off against Serbia.
The Spaniard had worked as an assistant coach in the national team’s staff since 2019, and from the spring of 2022 he led the team as head coach. Under his guidance, Hungary finished eighth at the World Championships in 2023 and 2025, fifth at the 2024 European Championship, tenth at the 2026 European Championship, and tenth at the 2024 Olympic Games after successfully coming through the qualification tournament.
However, in May this year, the team lost the World Championship play-off against Serbia by one goal on aggregate, failing to qualify for the 2027 World Championship in Germany, which also serves as a qualification event for the Olympic Games.
“Chema Rodríguez worked in the national team’s staff for seven years, more than four of them as head coach. On behalf of the Presidency and the Federation, I would like to thank him for his work, which brought us many unforgettable moments,” said Ferenc Ilyés, president of the Hungarian Handball Federation.
“However, we failed to achieve the desired result in the World Championship qualifiers, our chances of qualifying for the Olympic Games have also been significantly reduced, and during the analysis following the World Championship play-off, the Presidency, taking numerous factors into account, decided that changes were needed in the professional work of the men’s national team. For this reason, Chema Rodríguez is leaving his position as head coach. The team will have the next opportunity to work together in November, but the Presidency naturally wants to find his successor as soon as possible. As soon as we have concrete information on this matter, we will inform the public,” the Federation said in its statement.
Hungary also failed to receive a wild card for the 2027 World Championship. Instead, the two invitations went to Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
