Reds begin push for Asian Handball Championship

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s national handball team has begun preparations for the 22nd Asian Men’s Handball Championship, set to take place in Kuwait from January 15 to 29. The tournament will also serve as Asia’s qualifying event for the 2027 IHF World Championship in Germany, giving the competition added importance for the national squad.

The team arrives in Kuwait following a gold medal at the sixth Islamic Solidarity Games and a bronze medal at the 2024 Asian Championship on home soil, momentum that the Bahrain Handball Federation hopes to build on. Swedish head coach Robert Hedin has named a 22-player preliminary roster for the championship, with skipper Hussain Al Sayyad leading the squad. The full roster includes Mohammed Habib Nasser, Mohammed Hameed, Qassim Qambar, Hussein Mahfooz, Ali Mahmoud, Ali Redha, Jaafar Abdulshaheed, Mahmoud Jaleel, Salman Al Shuwaikh, Ali Al Asheeri, Hesham Ahmed, Hassan Al Samaheeji, Hassan Mirza, Mohammed Habib Ahmed, Mohammed Abdulhussein, Sayed Ali Basim, Ahmed Al Maqabi, Ahmed Redha, Abdulla Abdulkarim, Jassim Khamis, and Mohammed Hussein Shamlooh.

Bahrain has been drawn into Group B, where they will face Jordan, China, and Iraq in the preliminary round. The team opens its campaign against Jordan on January 16, before meeting China on January 18, and concludes the group stage against Iraq on January 20. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the main round, which will determine the semi-finalists and secure berths at the 2027 World Championship, ensuring that every match carries significant weight.