Los Angeles, CA, WPH Press –
Enter the March 20-22, 2026 Race 4 Eight LAAC HERE
The World Players of Handball and the Los Angeles Athletic Club are thrilled to present the 2026 LAAC R48/WR48/SR48 at the famed Los Angeles Athletic Club in downtown Los Angeles. The LAAC is located at 431 W. 7th St., Los Angeles, CA 90014.
The Race 4 Eight returns to the LAAC for the second time since 2012, as the world’s best with take aim at the “City of Angels.” The 2026 Race 4 Eight LAAC will feature the R48 Men’s Pros, WR48 and SR48, promising an incredible weekend of action at one of the county’s most historic and iconic venues.
“The 2026 Race 4 Eight produced many of the season’s best matches, a testament to the great crowds and great competition the LAAC attracted,” stated the WPH’s David Fink. “We are so excited to be returning to the LAAC for the second consecutive year. Los Angeles is one of the best handball communities in the country, with many of the game’s top stars living in the Los Angeles area. We cannot wait to showcase the best players in the world at one of the best venues in the world. Thank you to tournament directors Vic Perez and Rafa Martinez and the LAAC handball committee for bringing the Race 4 Eight back to the LAAC.”
Entries
R48 Men’s Pro will cap at 32 players
WR48 will cap at 16 players
SR48 will cap at 16 players
*Players can only enter one division at the 2026 Race 4 Eight LAAC
The entry page went live on April 13, 2025, so players have more than eleven months to beat the entry cap
Ball: WPH Red 21
Memberships: All players entering the 2026 LAAC R48 Men’s Pros, WR48 and SR48 must be current WPH members. No exceptions
Gear: All players entering the 2026 Race 4 Eight LAAC must wear approved WPH gear in ALL LAAC matches. No exceptions. Purchase your official WPH gear at thehandballstore.com
Hotel: The LAAC will block rooms with a tournament player rate at the LAAC. Contact Vic Perez for hotel reservations
Tournament directors: Vic Perez and Rafa Martinez and the WPH
Ranking point and prize money payouts: to be administered by the WPH
Enter the March 20-22, 2026 Race 4 Eight LAAC HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s Race 4 Eight Powered by ESPN features six Race 4 Eight stops around the country, all culminating with The Player’s Championship in Utah each May. Similar to NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and the FedEx PGA Playoffs, players earn points in the Race 4 Eight’s regular season stops to qualify for the season-ending Player’s Championship and bonus prizes. The top 8 elite men will receive bonus cash after the season-ending rankings are tallied up; meanwhile, the top 4 Sr 40+ and Women’s ‘Fab Four’ will also receive bonuses. The amount of these bonuses fluctuate from year-to-year… Please contact the WPH for this season’s bonus structure. Email the WPH for detailed explanations regarding the ranking system, seeds and bonus pay-outs at season’s end: info@wphlive.tv
For more information on the WPH Race 4 Eight title sponsor opportunity, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at info@wphlive.tv or World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv
Tournament seeds reflect rankings at the time of the event but are not the sole determining factor. The WPH retains the discretion to seed players based on their skill level, recent performance, and injury status.
The Executive Director will seed each tournament in a manner that respects the objectivity of the WPH rankings, while acknowledging that some unranked players are strong enough to disrupt the integrity of a draw if not seeded subjectively. Therefore, the seeding process will involve the objective constraint that no ranked player may be seeded ahead of a higher ranked player, while allowing for the subjective seeding of any unranked player the Executive Director deems strong enough to disrupt the draw.