Strong performance from Kuwait against Qatar.

ZAGREB, Jan 20: Kuwait plays its opening match in the International Handball Federation (IHF) President's Cup, a tournament for teams eliminated in the preliminary round of the 29th edition of the 2025 World Handball Championship. The championship is currently taking place across Croatia, Denmark, and Norway. It faces Guinea at 5:30 pm; followed by Poland on Wednesday at 8: 00 PM. Kuwait will conclude its President’s Cup campaign against Algeria on Saturday.

Kuwait participated in Group Two of the World Handball Championship, where it faced tough competition, losing all three matches to Austria, France, and Qatar. These results placed Kuwait in fourth place, eliminating it from contention for the main round and moving it to the consolation rounds of the President’s Cup.

Despite the early exit, the Blues displayed promising performances and competitive spirit. However, the lack of experience among the team, many of whom are debuting at the World Cup, proved to be a decisive factor. The team’s development was further hampered by a nearly four-year international suspension of Kuwaiti sports, followed by disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The players have expressed their apologies to Kuwaiti fans and have pledged to deliver stronger performances in the future.

Kuwait’s handball team has shown resilience in recent years, winning the bronze medal at the Asian Games in China last year after a long absence from the podium. It also secured fourth place in the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup, held in January in Bahrain.

Meanwhile, in the ongoing Handball Activation Championship, Al-Nasr will face Al-Qurain at 5:00 pm, followed by a clash between Al-Sulaibikhat and Al-Fahaheel at 6:30 pm.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff