Kuwait Club Chairman Khaled Al-Ghanim celebrates with players.

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 25: The 39th Arab Handball Clubs Championship concludes with the highly anticipated Kuwaiti "derby" between the defending champion Kuwait Club and Al-Salmiya at 8:15 pm at Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Complex Hall. Earlier in the evening, at 6:15 pm, Al-Qadsiya will face Qatar’s Al-Gharafa in the third-place match.

Two additional matches will take place at 2:00 pm, Iraq's Al-Karkh will play Qatar’s Al-Ahly for seventh and eighth place, followed by Egypt's Al-Ahli Bank against Iraq’s Al-Hashd at 4:00 pm for fifth and sixth place. Meanwhile, Maliha from the UAE secured ninth place, with Yemen’s Al-Qoton finishing in tenth.

This final is unique as it marks the first time two Kuwaiti teams, led by coaches Haitham Al-Rashidi (Kuwait Club) and Yaqoub Al-Moussawi (Al-Salmiya), have reached the championship final. Al-Moussawi, at 29 years old, is the youngest coach to lead a team to the final in the Arab Championships. The qualification of three Kuwaiti teams to the semi-finals, and two reaching the final, highlights the remarkable progress of Kuwaiti handball at the club level. Kuwait Club, the reigning champion, aims to retain its title, having defeated Egypt's Zamalek 31-30 in last year’s final. Kuwait Club has been dominant locally and internationally, winning the Asian Championship in July 2022 and the Gulf Clubs Championship in March 2023.

Tunisian Esperance holds the most titles with seven championships, followed by Egypt’s Al-Ahly with five. Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel and Algeria’s Mouloudia each have three titles, while Al-Khaleej, Al-Nour (Saudi Arabia), Naft Wahran (Algeria), and the African Club (Tunisia) each have two titles. A variety of other clubs from Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE have won the championship once.

Meanwhile, Al-Salmiya is aiming for its first-ever Arab Championship title. Kuwait Club Chairman Khaled Al-Ghanim congratulated Kuwait’s sports community and the handball family on the historic achievement of having three Kuwaiti teams reach the semi-finals. He expressed gratitude to the Kuwait Handball Federation for its efforts in organizing the championship and supporting local clubs, both domestically and abroad.

Al-Ghanim emphasized that the most important outcome is ensuring the "Arab Cup" remains in Kuwait, regardless of which team wins the final, and wished all participants success.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff