Kuwait's "Young Lions" Face Saudi Arabia with Ambitions of Qualifying for the World Cup

Kuwait will face a tough clash against their Saudi counterparts at 11:00 AM tomorrow, Friday, in the quarter-finals of the 19th Asian Youth Handball Championship. The tournament, which runs until July 26 in the Chinese city of Chuzhou, also serves as qualifiers for the 26th IHF World Championship (Under-21), scheduled to take place from June 23 to July 4, 2027, in North Macedonia, with the top four teams qualifying for the World Cup.

The "Blue Youth" aim to kill two birds with one stone: winning the match to secure a spot in the semi-finals and qualify for the World Cup finals. This would allow them to continue their impressive run in the continental championship after reaching the quarter-finals by finishing fourth in Group 2, despite the difficult circumstances surrounding their participation. They played four consecutive matches without a rest day, making them the only team to face such an intensive schedule among all participating nations.

In this regard, Secretary General of the Kuwait Handball Federation, Qa'id Al-Adwani, affirmed that the "Young Blue" overcame all obstacles to reach this stage, praising the significant efforts made by the administrative and technical staff and the players, as well as their determination to achieve their goals despite the difficulties.

In a separate development, the draw for the handball competitions at the 20th Asian Games, to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4 next year, placed the senior Kuwait national team in Group 2 alongside Bahrain, South Korea, Iran, and Kazakhstan. Group 1 includes Qatar, host Japan, China, and Hong Kong.

The "Blues" began their training sessions yesterday evening, Wednesday, at the Martyr Fahd Al-Ahmad Hall at the Federation headquarters in Al-Daiya, under the guidance of Icelandic coach Aron Kristjansson, who focused on improving physical fitness levels.

In preparation for the upcoming season, referees began their training at the Federation Hall. The preparation plan consists of two stages: the first within the country, and the second through a camp in Slovenia.

In this context, member of the Referees Committee, Abdulrahman Al-Mulla, praised the support provided by the Federation and the Public Authority for Sports to develop the game's system. He emphasized that the preparation program aims to enhance the readiness of Kuwaiti referees and enable them to deliver their best performances during the new season's competitions.