A Kuwaiti is well defended by Iraqis.

RIYADH, Nov 17: Kuwait’s national handball team faces a critical test today against the host nation, Saudi Arabia, in its quest to reach the semifinals of the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games, taking place in Saudi Arabia until November 21. The decisive match is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. as part of the final third round of the preliminary Group B stage.

Earlier in the day, Bahrain faces Iraq at 2:00 p.m., while Group A action sees Qatar take on the Maldives at 10:00 a.m., followed by Iran versus the UAE at noon.

Saudi Arabia leads Group B with two consecutive wins over Iraq and Bahrain. Kuwait’s “Blue Team” currently holds a single victory against Iraq after losing its opening match to Bahrain. With qualification for the semifinals still undecided, Kuwait must win today—by at least a three-goal margin—to secure a spot. Any draw or defeat will eliminate them from the tournament.

Commenting on the team’s prospects, Kuwait’s delegation head, Retired Major General Mohammed Al-Khalfan, praised the timely victory over Iraq, which has revived hopes of advancing after the opening loss to Bahrain. He expressed confidence in the team’s ability to deliver a strong performance against Saudi Arabia and achieve a result worthy of Kuwait’s sporting stature.

Elsewhere in the Games, Kuwait’s Ali Al-Marri will compete in the 2 km camel race at 7:45 a.m., while the national fencing team continues its foil event with Abdullwahab Mohammed and Ali Nassar participating in individual qualifiers at 9:00 a.m. In athletics, Moudawi Al-Shammari will compete in the 100 m qualifiers, while Asian champion Ibrahim Al-Dhafiri and Badr Sweid contest the 800 m preliminary heats.