The reigning Asian champions will look to better their 22nd-place finish two years earlier amidst a tricky circumstance.
The primary goal for Veselin Vujovic, when he was roped in as Qatar’s new handball coach in August 2024, was clear: to elevate to the next level, beyond Asia.
Despite establishing itself as a formidable force at the continental level after winning its sixth consecutive Asian Championship in 2024, the primary concern remains for Qatar. Success at the continental level has not exactly translated to their performances at the biennial IHF World Championship, as well as the Olympic qualification.
As Qatar start the 2025 World Championship on Tuesday against France, it will be yet another try at cracking the code of the sport that has largely been dominated by Europe. More importantly, it will be the first real check of Vujovic’s tenure.
“The task will not be easy, but we will work to equip the handball team in the best way possible for big tournaments,” Vujovic had said in August after signing the contract, adding the World Championships were his primary target to train the team.
Qatar are going to the world championships with not just new obligations, but also the need to improve their forgettable performance in the last edition. Al Annabi finished 22nd in Poland and Sweden in 2023 to record their second-worst standing at the tournament.
Things took turn for worse after the long-standing Spanish coach Valero Rivera decided to step down, after more than a decade of leading the team.
It was under Rivera’s tutelage that Qatar became the best-performing non-European side in the history of the championship, finishing the runners-up at home in 2015.
“The circumstances are different and Qatar are not at the same level as before, but as a coach, I know very well the difficulty of the task at this stage,” Vujovic had said in August.
While matching 2015’s achievement seems almost impossible to match, expectations on Vujovic’s side in Croatia, Denmark, and Norway will be to guide on to the next era, while managing to deliver at present.
Qatar are drawn on Group C, in a challenging pack of six-time champions France, one-time silver winners Austria, and regional foes Kuwait. It was against France that Qatar lost 25-22 in Doha in 2015 to settle for silver.
It happens to be a period of transition on the court for the Qatari side. There are notable changes to the squad from 2023, yet the responsibility will fall on experienced campaigners such as Rafael Capote, Frankis Marzo, Youssef bin Ali and Amin Zakar, all of whom have been the mainstay of the side that has dominated Asia over the years.
However, Vujovic’s emphasis on “pushing new blood” to the side has led to Qatar’s 20-man squad to have a group of young players, picked following their performances at the domestic handball league.
“The doors to join our national team are open to everyone; it is not limited to a specific player, and we do not look at the ages of the players as much as we look at the levels and fighting spirit of the player on the field,” he had said at his unveiling.
The friendlies that Qatar played in the build-up to the tournament also help in setting realistic goals: the side managed to win two games against Argentina in Doha, while went down to Bahrain, Slovenia, and Algeria, the latter of two of which were played in their preparatory camp in Slovenia.
Yet, the challenge remains – Qatar will have to keep punching above their weights if they are to get to the knockouts of the 32-team competition, especially following a mixed run of form in the pre-competition friendlies.
“I will live up to the expectations of the officials in the Qatari Handball Association,” he said. “The goal is to win the challenge of bringing Qatari handball to the best position in Asia and the world.”
Qatar’s matches in the IHF World Handball Championship:
January 14: France vs. Qatar, 8:00 pm
January 16: Austria vs. Qatar, 10:30 pm
January 18: Qatar vs. Kuwait, 10:30 pm
