Kuwait Club, Kazma & Sulaibikhat Lead the Charge as the Arab Handball Clubs Championship Begins
The 40th edition of the Arab Handball Clubs Championship for League and Cup Winners kicks off today at the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex in Kuwait, as 11 teams from across the region converge in a contest that will run through September 22.
The tournament draw has placed Kuwait Club (host), Kazma, Al-Ahli (Qatar), Naft Al-Basra (Iraq), and Al-Talia (Syria) in Group A. Meanwhile, Group B includes National Bank of Egypt, Al-Hashd (Iraq), Qatar Club, Sulaibikhat, Al-Shabab, and Al-Nawaeir (Syria).
In the opening round of matches, Al-Shabab faces Qatar Club, Al-Hashd takes on Al-Nawaeir, Al-Ahli will meet Kazma, National Bank of Egypt meets Sulaibikhat, and Kuwait Club begins its campaign against Al-Talia. The tournament follows a single round-robin format in the preliminary stage, with the top four teams from each group progressing to the quarterfinals, all building up to the final on September 22.
Kuwait Club enters the competition as the two-time defending champion, having defeated Zamalek in the 2022 final in Dammam and Al-Salmiya in the 2023 final held on home ground.
Sameh Al-Hajri, the tournament director, stated: “We welcome all participating clubs and take pride in hosting this important Arab sporting event in the land of friendship and peace.” He commended the efforts of Kuwait Club’s management, led by Khaled Al-Ghanem, and acknowledged the support of the Public Authority for Sport and the Kuwait Handball Federation.
Fakher Al-Ghashi, Secretary-General of the Arab Handball Federation, reaffirmed confidence in the successful organization of this edition, citing Kuwait’s proven capabilities in hosting major tournaments.
Meanwhile, Sulaibikhat team director Hussein Siywan spotlighted the strength of Kuwaiti teams in this year’s contest, saying: “Kuwaiti clubs stand strong chances of reaching the quarterfinals,” and emphasized the significance of Sulaibikhat’s return to international competition after a 15-year absence.
In terms of historical achievements, Esperance of Tunisia tops the roll of honor with seven titles, followed by Al-Ahli (Egypt) with five. Clubs like Étoile du Sahel (Tunisia) and Mouloudia Oran (Algeria) have each won the tournament three times.
A number of clubs, including Mouloudia Algiers, Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia), Club Africain (Tunisia), Al-Noor (Saudi Arabia), Al-Khaleej (Saudi Arabia), and current titleholder Kuwait Club, have each claimed two titles.
Other former champions with a single title to their name include Al-Ain (UAE), Nadit (Algeria), Al-Rayyan (Qatar), Zamalek and Sporting (Egypt), Al-Ahli (Bahrain), Sahelian Ezzit (Tunisia), and Al-Gharafa (Qatar).
Team V.DIR-EM-UAE
