Fiery start awaits Asian Handball Championship

Players are preparing for the championship.

KUWAIT CITY, May 19: The Asian Handball Federation has released the schedule for the 28th Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship, which Kuwait SC will host at Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex from June 6 to 15, with eight clubs taking part.

Opening-day fixtures promise strong early clashes, as Burgan faces China’s CHA, Bahrain’s Al-Najma meets Saudi Arabia’s Al-Khaleej, host Kuwait Club takes on Qatar’s Al Arabi, and UAE champion Sharjah plays Qatar’s Al Duhail.

The preliminary stage runs until June 9, with the quarter-finals scheduled for June 11, before the tournament concludes on June 15.

The draw, held recently in Kuwait, produced highly competitive group line-ups. Kuwait Club was placed in Group B alongside Al-Najma, Al-Khaleej, and Al Arabi, while Burgan SC was drawn in Group A with Sharjah, CHA, and Al Duhail.

Under the competition format, the top team in Group A will face the fourth-placed team in Group B, while the second-placed team will play the third-placed team across groups, with the winners advancing to the semi-finals.

Kuwait Club has reinforced its squad with Macedonian player Filip Kuzmanovski, its fourth foreign professional for the tournament. The squad also includes Qatari Frankis Marzo, Montenegrin Vladan Lipovina, and Portuguese Victor Iturriza.

Burgan, meanwhile, features Japanese professional Yasuhiro and is exploring further reinforcements from the Egyptian league as it continues its training camp in Cairo.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff