The Arab Handball Championship is a regional tournament in which national handball teams from across the Arab world compete.
The Arab Handball Federation (AHF) has announced that Al Gharafa will be the second team to represent Qatar in the 39th Arab Handball Championship of Champions, which will be hosted in Kuwait from 15 to 25 September.
Representing Qatar alongside Al Ahil, Al Gharafa will return to the tournament after winning the 2019 edition.
Several clubs are competing in the Arab championship, including Kuwait SC, Al Qadisiyah and Al Salmiya, Al Hashd and Al Karkh, as well as Mudhar and Al Hada of Saudi Arabia.
Mleeha of the United Arab Emirates will compete alongside Egypt SC, MCBBA, and Olympique El Oued of Algeria.
Yemen’s Shabab Al Qaten and Al Shula will also star in the tournament.
The Arab Handball Championship of Champions is a renowned event that attracts top handball clubs from across the Arab world.
Beach Volleyball
In July, Qatar’s beach handball team finished in 10th place at the Men’s Beach Handball World Championship 2024, which ended in Pingtan, China.
In their final game with Uruguay, the Qatar team started off strong and took the lead in the first half, ending with a score of 23-22.
However, the South Americans staged a comeback in the second half, scoring 18-16.
At the penalty shootouts, Qatar was edged out by the Uruguayan squad, which scored 9-8.
On their journey to the match against Uruguay, the Qatar team faced tough competition in the main round. They lost to Croatia (0-1), Argentina (1-2), and Portugal (1-2) but managed to beat Australia (2-0) and Tunisia (2-1).
This marked the 7th consecutive year that the Qatari beach handball team has competed in the World Championship.
Qatar’s best ranking was third in the 2014 Brazil and 2016 Hungary tournaments.
Croatia won the 2024 IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championship, defeating Denmark in the final 2-0.
Meanwhile, at the IHF Women’s Beach Handball World Championship, defending champions Germany retained their title, defeating Argentina in the final 2-0.
Qatar and 11 other top teams that ranked within the top 12 at the Beach Handball World Championships have secured qualification for the World Games scheduled for August 7 to August 17 next year in Chengdu, China.
