In this file photo, Kuwaiti players celebrate after qualifying for the World Cup.

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 13 (KUNA):  After a 16-year absence, Kuwait’s national handball team is set to return to the IHF Men’s World Championship, which will begin in Croatia on Tuesday. The team secured its place in the prestigious tournament, co-hosted by Denmark and Norway, by finishing fourth in the last Asian Handball Championship held in Bahrain.

Algerian coach Said Hadjazi has selected 18 players for the international competition, with the majority of the squad having previously won bronze in China last year. Kuwait's last appearance in the World Championship was in 2009, also in Croatia.

The Kuwaiti team, which has won the Asian championship four times, has qualified for the IHF Men’s World Championship on eight occasions: in Germany (1982), Iceland (1995), Egypt (1999), France (2001), Portugal (2003), Tunisia (2005), Germany (2007), and Croatia (2009).

The handball team delegation is headed by the Secretary-General of the Federation, Qaed Al-Adwani, and includes the Director of National Teams, Faisal Saywan, Director of the First Team, Abdulaziz Al-Zaabi, and technical staff led by Algerian coach Saeed Hijazi and his assistant, Mohammed Masoudan. The team consists of 18 players: Abdullah Al-Khamis, Abdulaziz Al-Shammari, Haidar Dashti, Mohammed Amer, Fawaz Mubarak, Abdulaziz Salmeen, Fawaz Al-Shammari, Mohammed Al-Hindal, Ali Naseer, Saif Al-Adwani, Mishaal Al-Harbi, Saleh Al-Moussawi, Mohammed Al-Sanea, Abdulrahman Al-Shammari, Mohammed Ghadanfar, Hassan Safar, Abdulaziz Al-Dhafiri, and Mohammed Bouyabes.

The 29th IHF Men’s World Championship will officially begin on January 14, 2025, in Herning, with Italy facing Tunisia at 17:30 CET, followed by France taking on Qatar at 18:00 CET in Porec.

The 32 participating teams are divided into eight groups of four: Group A: Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Switzerland

Group B: Denmark, Italy, Algeria, Tunisia, Group C: France, Austria, Qatar, Kuwait, Group D: Hungary, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Guinea, Group E: Norway, Portugal, Brazil, USA, Group F: Sweden, Spain, Japan, Chile, Group G: Slovenia, Iceland, Cuba, Cape Verde, and Group H: Egypt, Croatia, Argentina, Bahrain.

In addition to Kuwait, five other Arab teams—Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria—will compete in the tournament. Egypt, following a quarterfinal finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is aiming for its first World Championship medal. Their best finishes were in 1995 (Iceland) and 1997 (Japan), where they finished sixth. Tunisia previously reached the quarterfinals in 2005, when they hosted the event.

Since its inception in 1938, the IHF Men’s Handball World Championship has been dominated by European teams, with no non-European country winning medals until Qatar’s victory in 2015. France is the most successful team, with six titles, followed by Sweden, Romania, and Germany, each with four. Denmark, the current champion, has won the title three times, with their latest victory in 2023. Russia has also claimed three titles, while Spain has won twice.

France holds the record with six World Cup titles, followed by Sweden, Romania, and Germany with four titles each. Denmark and Russia have won the tournament three times, while Spain has secured the title twice.

Sweden has the most runner-up finishes with four, followed by Denmark and Croatia, each with three. France and Sweden are tied for third, each with four, while Poland and Spain have each finished as runners-up three times. The first tournament, held in Germany in 1938, was won by the host team. The competition was then discontinued for 16 years before its return in 1954 in Sweden. Since 1993, the tournament has been held every two years, beginning with the Sweden edition.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff and Agencies