MANAMA, Nov 9: The draw for the 21st Asian Handball Championship is set to take place in Manama, Bahrain. The championship, scheduled from January 11-22 in Manama, will feature 16 teams divided into four groups, following the regulations of the Asian Handball Confederation. The participating teams, categorized by levels designated by the "AFC," include Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iran in the first group; Kuwait, South Korea, Iraq, and the Emirates in the second group; Sultanate of Oman, Hong Kong, and India in the third group; and Japan, China, Taipei, New Zealand, and Kazakhstan in the fourth group. The top four teams at the end of the Asian Championship will secure qualification for the 2025 Handball World Cup finals in Croatia, Denmark, and Norway.

On a disappointing note, Al Kuwait lost to Germany's Fox Berlin 28-37 in the Club World Cup Handball Championship. Despite the loss, they secured second place in the group, two points behind leaders Berlin with four points, while Argentinian Fernando remained without credit. The first-place finisher from the four groups qualifies for the semi-finals

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti national handball team resumed training today at the Al-Ittihad Hall in Daiya. This marks the first preparation stage ahead of their participation in the 21st Asian Championship. The team's training will continue until December 7, the date of their departure for the European training camp, which includes Slovenia, Croatia, and Hungary. Notably, the national team secured third place and a bronze medal at the World Championships in China last September and participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers, where they finished seventh. Algerian coach Saeed Hegazy, assisted by Mohamed Masoudan, leads the team. Players currently engaged in the World Club Championship and those in the Doha camp, along with injured players Mohamed Amer and Abdulaziz Yassin, will be absent from the training.

On the club level, Al-Qadsia Club's handball team drew 32-32 with the Qatar reserve team in a friendly match during their training camp in Qatar. Their next friendly match is against Qatar’s Al-Gharafa before returning to Kuwait. The team is gearing up for the 26th Asian Club Championship, hosted by Al-Qadsia from 17-27 of this month at the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Complex in the Sabah Al-Salem suburb. The draw placed "Yellow" in the second group, competing against teams from India, Qatar, Iraq, Lebanon, and the UAE. The team has also welcomed new signings, including Argentine Lucas Muscarello and Tunisian goalkeeper Aseel Namli, along with Japanese player Kosyoko Yasuhira.

Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff