"Hand of the Juniors" in a tough matchup against South Korea

The Kuwaiti junior handball team faces a tough and decisive test at 2:00 p.m. on Friday when they take on South Korea in the quarter-finals of the 11th Asian Junior Handball Championship, currently being held in Jordan and serving as a qualifier for the 2027 World Cup finals.

The “Blue Hands” are well aware of the difficulty of the task against the South Korean national team, one of the strongest sides in Asia. However, the players will enter the match with high ambitions and a clear desire to continue their campaign in the tournament, drawing confidence from their performances in the preliminary round and striving to present their best selves in this crucial encounter.

Kuwait advanced to the quarter-finals after finishing third in Group B, following a campaign marked by strong matches. They will now face South Korea, who finished second in Group A.

The junior handball squad began the championship with a convincing 29-19 victory over Syria, followed by losses to Qatar (19-30) and Iran (18-21). They concluded their group stage with a 30-28 win against Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait’s coach, Icelandic national Steinar Arnason, and his Kuwaiti assistant Khalid Al-Mulla are expected to have closely monitored South Korea’s matches in the tournament to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

In the other quarter-final matches, Uzbekistan will face Iran at 4:00 p.m., Saudi Arabia will play Bahrain at 6:00 p.m., and host nation Jordan will take on Qatar in the final match of the day at 8:00 p.m.