Curtain falls on handball championship as Kuwait Club faces Al-Arabi in final

23/02/2025

MUSCAT, Feb 23: The 41st edition of the Gulf Handball Championship for Cup Winners' Clubs reaches its climax today with the showdown between Kuwait Club and Qatar’s Al-Arabi at 5:30 pm at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman. Earlier, at 3:00 pm, Qatari side Al-Rayyan will face Saudi Arabia’s Al-Noor in the third-place decider.

Kuwait Club’s journey in the tournament began in Group B, where it suffered an opening defeat to Al-Arabi before bouncing back with victories over the UAE’s Dibba Al-Hisn and the host team, Oman. This secured a spot in the semi-finals as group runner-up behind Al-Arabi. In a hard-fought semi-final clash, Kuwait Club edged past Al-Rayyan 28-27 to book its place in the final.

Meanwhile, Al-Arabi’s path to the final saw it dominate the group stage, claiming victories over Kuwait Club and Oman. In the semi-finals, it overcame Saudi Arabia’s Al-Noor with an identical 28-27 scoreline, setting up a rematch with Kuwait Club in the championship decider.

Heading into the final, Kuwait Club aims to achieve two key objectives: securing its second Gulf title in club history—following its maiden triumph in March 2023 against Bahrain’s Al-Najma—and avenging its narrow 33-34 loss to Al-Arabi in the tournament opener.

Kuwait medical team is working tirelessly to prepare key players for the final, including Egyptian Shadi Khalil (knee injury), Mishaal Abbas (ankle), and Frankis Carol Marzo (knee), hoping they can recover in time to contribute to the team’s title aspirations.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff