Youth handball team face UAE before Asian test

TDT | Manama

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Bahrain's youth handball team will face the UAE in Dubai on Saturday in one last test before their Asian Championship campaign in China, where four places at the 2027 World Championship are up for grabs.

The squad flew to the Emirates in the early hours of yesterday and will play the hosts the following day before heading straight to Xuzhou for the 19th Asian Youth Championship, which runs from July 15 to 27.

Bahrain begin against Chinese Taipei on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia come next, followed by Hong Kong and Oman, before a final group match against host nation China.

The new format sends the top four sides in the group into the quarter-finals. From there, one defeat means elimination, with the four remaining teams earning Asia's places at the World Championship.

Head coach Hussam Madan has named an 18-man squad for the trip. He will be aided by assistant coach Jaffar Abdulqader, goalkeeping coach Makram Al Missawi, team administrator Ali Radhi and physiotherapist Kareem Hassan.

The squad is made up of Ali Al Mahroos, Ahmed Al Samahiji, Sayed Majeed Al Mahafdha, Abbas Hussain, Ahmed Eid, Ahmed Abdulla, Mahdi Jaffar, Salman Al Shuwaikh, Mahmood Jaleel, Hassan Saif, Sayed Ahmed Al Fallahi, Mohammed Haitham, Abu Darr Jaffar, Ali Sami, Mohammed Zuhair, Fadhel Abbas, Haider Mohammed and Hassan Khatem.