KUWAIT CITY, July 13: The Kuwait youth handball team begins its journey in the 18th Asian Youth Championship, a qualifier for the World Cup - Poland 2025, today in Amman, Jordan. The tournament, running until July 26, kicks off with Kuwait facing the Chinese national team at 5:15 p.m. On the opening day, China Taipei will also play against South Korea, Qatar will face Japan, Hong Kong will compete with Bahrain, and India will play against Oman.

Kuwait is competing in Group 2 with China and Iran. The team left for Jordan two days ago after concluding an external training camp in Slovenia, where they played eight friendly matches in preparation for the Asian Cup.

According to the tournament's regulations, which feature four groups, the top two teams from each group will advance to the main round. This round will consist of two groups, with teams playing against each other. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals and also secure spots in the 2025 World Cup finals.

The team delegation at the Asian Championship is headed by the Secretary of the Kuwait Handball Association, Qayed Al-Adwani, and includes Board of Directors member Mubarak Al-Daihani, national teams director Faisal Siwan, youth team director Abdulaziz Al-Zaabi, administrator Khaled Al-Gharib, coach Saeed Hegazy, assistant coach Muhammad Masoudan, goalkeeper coach Marwan Maqayez, therapist Mahdi Al-Bakoush, and technical analyst Ayman Al-Sheikh, along with 20 players.

Jassim Al-Suwailem, a member of the AFC Laws and Referees Committee, is also participating as a technical observer in the tournament. Al-Adwani expressed his optimism about the participation of the team in the Asian Cup, given its level of preparation in the Slovenia camp, where it played several strong trial matches.

“Our ambition is to qualify for the 2025 World Cup, and we have great confidence in the team, which has consistently delivered outstanding performances in tournaments, demonstrating its commitment to representing Kuwait well,” he said. Coach Saeed Hegazy noted the success of the Slovenia camp, emphasizing the players' significant benefits from the experience.

“In the camp, we played high-level matches with Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, and Montenegro, thanks to the federation's efforts to ensure the camp's strength and the players' development,” Hegazy said. He acknowledged the difficulty of the tournament but affirmed that everyone is determined to secure one of the tickets for the next World Cup.

Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff