Asian Club Handball Championship draw set for Saturday as Burgan begins Cairo preparations

A file photo of players battling for the ball.

KUWAIT CITY, May 14: The draw for the 28th Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship will be held on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at Al Raya Hotel ahead of the tournament scheduled to take place in Kuwait next month.

The competition, postponed from 2024, will be hosted by Kuwait SC from June 6 to 15 at the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex and will also serve as a qualifier for the 2026 IHF Men’s Super Globe in Egypt.

Eight teams will compete in the tournament: Kuwait Club, Burgan Club, Al-Arabi, Al-Duhail, Sharjah Club, Al-Khaleej, Al-Noor, and China’s CHA Club. The clubs will be divided into two groups, while the technical meeting is set for June 5.

Meanwhile, Burgan Club departed for Cairo today to hold an external training camp as part of preparations for the continental event. The team is due back in Kuwait on May 31.

Burgan will play three friendly matches during the camp to evaluate player readiness and fine-tune tactical plans ahead of the championship.

The delegation is headed by club president Anwar Al-Otaibi and includes vice president Mohammed Nasser, the administrative staff, and 17 players.

Handball director Abdulaziz Najeeb said the club is aiming for a strong showing in its first appearance at the Asian championship, stressing that the management, technical staff, and players are all determined to compete for the title.

He added that the club administration has provided full support to the team and expressed hope that Kuwaiti fans would stand behind Burgan throughout the tournament.

Burgan recently signed Egyptian coach Hussein Zaki to lead the side in the Asian competition. Japanese professional Yasuhira is also expected to join the squad after completing his loan spell with a Macedonian club later this month.

The club is additionally studying several foreign player options in hopes of signing three professionals before the tournament begins.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff