Players challenging for the ball.

KUWAIT CITY, March 27: The Arab Handball Federation has confirmed the UAE's participation in the 10th Arab Handball Cup for men's national teams, set to take place in Kuwait from May 4 to 12. The tournament coincides with International Handball Federation Week and marks the UAE as the ninth team to join the competition, alongside Kuwait (host), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt.

This edition of the Arab Handball Cup revives the tournament after a long hiatus, with the last event held in 2002. Historically, Egypt won the first two editions (1975, 1977), followed by Kuwait (1979, 1988), Tunisia (1986, 1993), Saudi Arabia (1998), Algeria (2000), and Bahrain (2002). The Arab Handball Federation, established in 1975, is headquartered in Riyadh and comprises 16 national federations.

Meanwhile, the preliminary round of the Merged League Championship concludes today with an exciting showdown between defending champion Kuwait Club and Super Cup winner Kazma at 9:30 PM at Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Complex Hall.

In earlier matchups, Burgan defeated Al-Qurain 29-18, while Qadsia secured a 36-23 victory over Al-Sahel. The updated league standings ahead of the Kuwait vs. Kazma match are:

Kuwait Club – 24 points, Kazma – 21 points, Burgan – 21 points, Sulaibikhat – 16 points, Al-Arabi – 16 points, Al-Salmiya – 14 points (Top six teams qualify for the Premier League), Qadsia – 14 points, Al-Nasr – 14 points, Al-Qurain – 12 points., Fahaheel – 8 points, Al-Tadamon – 3 points, Yarmouk – 2 points, Al-Sahel – 0 points (Teams ranked 7th-14th will compete in the First Division.)

This final preliminary match will determine key standings as teams prepare for the next phase of the championship.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff