Barkan anticipates the handball World Cup draw

The draw for the 19th edition of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship will be held at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, at the headquarters of the International Handball Federation in Basel, Switzerland. The tournament is scheduled to take place in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital from September 24 to October 1, featuring 10 clubs from various continents, including Al-Arabi SC, the Asian champions.

This edition introduces a new format that expands the number of participating teams to 10. The competition begins with a preliminary qualification round pitting American club Los Angeles against Australian club Sydney Uni, on one side, and Egyptian club Zamalek and Hungarian club Veszprém (both receiving invitation bids) on the other. The two winners advance to the group stage, while the two losers compete in a match to determine ninth and tenth place.

The group stage features eight clubs distributed across four seeding pots. Pot 1 includes Spanish club Barcelona, the defending champions, and German club Füchse Berlin. Pot 2 comprises Egyptian club Al Ahly, representing the host nation, and Moroccan club Mouloudia Oujda, the African champions. Al-Arabi, the Asian champions, and Brazilian club Pinheiros, the South American champions, are placed in Pot 3. The two qualifiers from the preliminary round join them in Pot 4.

Following the conclusion of the group stage, teams will immediately compete to determine their final rankings. Group winners will contest the title, while second-placed teams will battle for the bronze medal. The remaining positions, from fifth to eighth, will be decided by the third- and fourth-placed teams in each group.

Barcelona enters the tournament as the most successful club in its history, having won the title six times, in their twelfth participation. Meanwhile, Al Ahly aims to leverage home advantage and crowd support for the third consecutive time, in their seventh overall appearance, matching the number of participations of their traditional rivals, Zamalek.

The championship features historic and notable club appearances: Al-Arabi and Los Angeles make their debut, while Moroccan handball returns to the World Championship through Mouloudia Oujda for the first time since 1997. Sydney Uni reinforces its record as the most frequent participant, with its thirteenth appearance.