HANDBALL – Bahrain kick off their campaign tonight in the 2025 IHF World Men’s Handball Championship.
The tournament is being co-hosted by Croatia, Norway, and Denmark, and it features 32 of the best senior men’s national teams from five confederations.
For the competition’s preliminary round, the Bahrainis are in Group H, which is being held in the Croatian capital of Zagreb. Along with the hosts, Bahrain will also be taking on Egypt and Argentina.
Their opening assignment this evening is against Croatia. It is scheduled for a 10.30pm start, Bahrain time, at the 15,200-capacity Arena Zagreb. The nationals then take on Egypt on Friday at 8pm, before completing the opening phase against Argentina on Sunday, also at 8pm. Both times are Bahrain.
“Our group is very interesting because there are four teams from different continents,” Croatia head coach Dagur Sigurdsson was quoted as saying.
“I know some of the teams very well, for example Argentina, and Bahrain as when I coached Japan – we played against them a lot of times.
“Egypt are a strong team too so we have to be ready and well prepared for all of them.
“It will be an interesting and exciting group for the fans, but, first, we have to do our job in the preliminary group and main round, and let’s see. I am sure it will be a spectacle in Croatia.”
Bahrain have a team that is mixed with veterans and up-and-coming young talent. Eight of their 18-player squad are making their debuts in the senior men’s tournament, although have represented the kingdom in junior and youth worlds.
Coached by Aron Kristjansson, the team includes mainstays Mohammed Abdulhussain, Mohammed Habib Nasser, Hassan Al Samaheeji, Mohammed Habib Ahmed, Mohammed Mirza, Ali Eid, Mujtaba Al Zaimour, Qassim Qambar, Hesham Ahmed, and Abdulla Al Zaimour; while the first-time competitors Jassim Khamis, Abdulla Abdulkarim, Mahmood Al Falahi, Mohammed Hameed, Ali Redha, Ahmed Redha, Hussain Abdulla, and Ali Al Asheeri.
The nationals are missing the services and leadership of inspirational captain Hussain Al Sayyad, who has played in the worlds each time Bahrain qualified ever since their maiden participation in 2011.
The Bahrainis held a training session last night under the supervision of Kristjansson and his staff ahead of their opening assignment tonight.
There are eight groups of four teams apiece in the preliminaries. Also set to be held in Croatia are Group C with France, Austria, Qatar, and Kuwait; Group D with Hungary, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, and Guinea; and Group G with Slovenia, Iceland, Cuba, and Cape Verde.
To be hosted in Denmark are Group A with Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Switzerland; and Group B with the co-host Danes, Italy, Algeria, and Tunisia. In Norway are Group E with the co-host Norwegians, Portugal, Brazil, and the US; and Group F with Sweden, Spain, Japan, and Chile.
At the end of a single round-robin, the top three from each pool move on to the main round, which will see the 24 advancing sides divided into four groups of six nations each. The eight bottom squads from the preliminaries will compete for the President’s Cup, which will feature two groups.
Bahrain booked their spot in the global showcase after capturing the bronze medals in the 21st Asian Men’s Handball Championship, which was hosted by the kingdom at the beginning of last year.
This will be the sixth time Bahrain are participating in world handball’s premier event. Following the national team’s first foray in the competition in 2011, they have not missed the biennial tournament since 2017. Their best finish in the worlds so far was 16th in 2023.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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