Sulaibikhat and Burqan hand... return to glory or new champion?

The final match of the Kuwait Handball Federation Cup, resumed from last season, will take place today at 7:00 PM at the Sheikh Saeed Al-Abdullah Complex hall in Sabah Al-Salem suburb, pitting Al-Burqan against Al-Salmiya. The final will be preceded by the third-place playoff at 5:00 PM, featuring Kazma and Al-Arabi.

Al-Burqan reached the final after eliminating Kazma 31-29 in the semifinals, while Al-Salmiya advanced by defeating Al-Arabi 19-18. The tournament saw defending champions Kuwait knocked out in the quarterfinals by Al-Arabi with a score of 37-33. Al-Salmiya also made a strong return to local competitions by overcoming Fahaheel 31-19.

Al-Burqan is led by national coach Yaqoub Al-Mousawi, who has delivered strong results with a squad featuring standout players such as Ahmed Al-Qallaf, Mubarak Al-Khalidi, Faraj Al-Salem, Yousef Najm, Ahmed Al-Muzayen, Spanish import Inigo Hernandez, Jihad Arar, Hussein Ali, and goalkeepers Ali Safar and Fahd Karam, alongside Japanese import Kosuke Yasuhira.

Al-Salmiya is managed by national coach Hussein Habib, who has established himself on the coaching scene since the beginning of his career. The team includes several outstanding players such as Ibrahim Najm, goalkeeper Ahmed Al-Farhan, Ahmed Al-Qattan, Bandar Al-Dhafiri, Jaraah Al-Saleh, Serbian import Jovan Milisavljevic, Brazilian import Linaudo Alves Monteiro, and French import Nicolas Claire.

Al-Salmiya is aiming to reclaim titles and reestablish itself as a major force in the sport, viewing today’s match as a prime opportunity to achieve its goals. Meanwhile, Al-Burqan seeks to crown its efforts with its first-ever Federation Cup title, further solidifying its status as one of the sport’s leading clubs, especially following its impressive performance and championship win in the recent Asian tournament.