Haitham Al-Rashidi

KUWAIT CITY, July 1: Kuwait Sports Club has officially withdrawn its bid to host the 40th edition of the Arab Clubs Championship (League and Cup Champions League), which closed for applications the day before yesterday. The only two bids submitted were from the Kuwait Club and the Tunisian Handball Federation. With Kuwait’s withdrawal, the Executive Office of the Arab Handball Federation is expected to announce Tunisia as the host either tomorrow or early next week. The tournament is scheduled to take place on September 12.

The withdrawal comes due to a scheduling conflict with the AFC Futsal Championship qualifiers, set for September 20–24, which will occupy the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex, making it unavailable for hosting the handball tournament.

Kuwait Club had previously organized and won the 39th edition of the Arab Clubs Championship in September 2024, defeating Al-Salmiya in the final. This marked its second consecutive title, having also claimed the 38th edition by overcoming Egypt’s Zamalek in the final hosted in Qatif, Saudi Arabia.

The most successful club in the Arab Clubs Championship is Espérance Sportive de Tunis with seven titles, followed by Al Ahly (Egypt) with five, and both Étoile du Sahel (Tunisia) and Mouloudia Club (Algeria) with three each. Several clubs—including Al Ahly (Bahrain), Al Noor and Al Khaleej (Saudi Arabia), Club Africain (Tunisia), Naft d'Oran (Algeria), and Kuwait Club—have each won the title twice. Other former champions include Al Ain (UAE), Al Tasweeq (Algeria), Sporting and Zamalek (Egypt), Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa (Qatar), and Sakiet Ezzit (Tunisia).

Head of Kuwait Club’s handball department, Haitham Al-Rashidi, congratulated the club’s board and fans on securing the local double title this season.

“After a long and demanding season—from August 10, 2024, to June 28, 2025—we achieved significant milestones,” he said. “We won the Arab Championship in Kuwait, followed by the local cup, then went on to compete in the Asian and Gulf Cups, and claimed the Super Cup as well.”

Al-Rashidi emphasized the club’s high standards: “Kuwait Club always plays to win, both locally and internationally. Anything short of first place is a failure in our eyes.”

Looking ahead, Al-Rashidi stated that the team is currently in a rest period, with preseason training camps scheduled from August 10 to 16 in Bosnia, as part of preparations for the upcoming season. The club will participate in the Arab League, the local league, as well as the Gulf and Asian Championships. He stressed that under the leadership of club president Khaled Al-Ghanim, the goal remains to prepare the team at the highest level for continued success.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff