Handball Club World Championship opens with Burgan flying the Kuwaiti flag

Injured Japanese player Yasuhiro with an official.

CAIRO, Sept. 23: The Handball Club World Championship opens in Cairo today, with Kuwait’s Burgan making a historic appearance after being crowned Asian champions.

The tournament brings together 10 clubs from around the world, including host Al Ahly of Egypt, defending champion Barcelona of Spain, Füchse Berlin of Germany, Veszprem of Hungary, and Brazil’s Pinheiros.

The preliminary round features Zamalek against Los Angeles, with the winner advancing to the group stage. Veszprem will face the University of Sydney for the other remaining group-stage spot.

Burgan will begin its campaign tomorrow against German powerhouse Füchse Berlin.

Barcelona, Montada Derb Sultan of Morocco, Pinheiros, and the winner of Zamalek-Los Angeles make up Group A. Group B features Al Ahly, Füchse Berlin, Burgan, and the winner of Veszprem-University of Sydney.

Teams eliminated in the preliminary round will play for ninth and 10th place, while the group-stage teams will compete for positions from first to eighth.

Burgan arrived in Cairo after a training camp in Bosnia, where they played several friendlies. However, the Asian champion could be without Japanese player Yasuhiro, who suffered an injury during the team’s final training session before departure.

Club president Anwar Al-Otaibi heads the Burgan delegation, which includes vice president Mohammed Nasser, handball director Abdulaziz Najeeb, coach Yaqoub Al-Mousawi, assistant coach Nasser Bukhadra, fitness coach Saud Al-Sammak, and performance analyst Faisal Al-Nassar.

Al-Otaibi said the Club World Championship represents an important opportunity for Burgan to test themselves against the world’s top teams and gain valuable experience ahead of the new season.

He acknowledged that the club’s financial resources and current preparations do not match the scale of the tournament, but said Burgan’s priority is to maximize the technical benefits of the experience and gain exposure to different international handball styles.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff