Arab Handball Federation logo.

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 26: The Arab Handball Federation has officially unveiled the logo for the 40th Arab Clubs Championship, featuring the league and Cup winners, scheduled to take place in Kuwait from September 12 to 22.

The tournament will feature 10 teams competing in the “Land of Friendship and Peace”: Kuwait Club (host), Kazma, Al-Sulaibikhat, National Bank of Egypt, Al-Hashd Al-Riyadi (Iraq), Al-Taliaa, Al-Nawaeer, Al-Shabab (Syria), Al-Ahli, and Qatar SC.

Kuwaiti teams are preparing for the championship through overseas training camps. The Kuwait Club and Al-Sulaibikhat are training in Bosnia, while Kazma is based in Izmit, Turkey. Teams have also reinforced their lineups with professional players. Al-Kuwait added Montenegrin Vladan Lipovina and Portuguese Victor Ituriza to join current Qatari professional Francis Marzou, under the guidance of Algerian coach Said Hejazi.

Al-Safeer signed Slovenian Lapain Ganus alongside Tunisian professionals Anwar Ben Abdallah and Mohamed Farad, guided by Serbian coach Bozo. Al-Sulaibikhat, coached by national coach Walid Salmeen, brought in French-Algerian Nouri Ben Halima and Portuguese Gonzalo Ribeiro, while continuing to seek a third professional player.

Al-Kuwait enters the tournament as the defending champion, having defeated Egypt’s Zamalek in the 2023 final in Dammam and overcoming Al-Salmiya in last year’s final. The team aims to complete a three-peat by capitalizing on home advantage and thorough preparation.

Meanwhile, the Burgan handball team has returned from its training camp in Bosnia, where it participated in several friendly matches.

Additionally, the Kuwait Handball Federation conducted physical fitness tests for referees, utilizing the Shuttle Run exercise at the federation's hall. The tests saw strong participation and commitment, with referees demonstrating excellent physical readiness ahead of the new season.