Kuwait City: After a 16-year hiatus, Kuwait's national handball team is set to make its return to the IHF Men's World Championship, kicking off in Croatia this Tuesday. The Kuwaiti team secured its place in the international tournament, also hosted by Denmark and Norway, by finishing fourth in the recent Asian Handball Championship held in Bahrain.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Kuwaiti team's Algerian coach, Said Hadjazi, has selected 18 players for the competition, mostly comprising those who won bronze in China last year. This marks Kuwait's first participation in the prestigious international championship since 2009, which also took place in Croatia.
Kuwait, crowned Asian champions four times, has qualified for the IHF Men's World Championship on eight occasions: Germany (1982), Iceland (1995), Egypt (1999), France (2001), Portugal (2003), Tunisia (2005), Germany (2007), and Croatia (2009).
The 29th IHF Men's World Championship will commence on January 14, 2025, in Herning, with the opening match between Italy and Tunisia at 17:30 CET. France will face Qatar at 18:00 CET in Porec. The 32 participating teams are divided into eight groups, each comprising four teams. Kuwait is placed in Group C alongside France, Austria, and Qatar.
In addition to Kuwait, five more Arab teams will participate in the competition: Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria. Egypt, after reaching the quarterfinals in the Paris Olympics in 2024, aspires to secure its first medal in the tournament, with their best performances being sixth place in Iceland 1995 and Japan 1997.
Tunisia reached the quarterfinals in the IHF Men's World Championship, which it hosted in 2005. Historically, the World Championships, organized by the International Handball Federation since 1938, have seen European teams dominate. Qatar became the first non-European nation to win a medal in 2015.
In the 28 tournaments held, 12 national teams have claimed the title. France leads with six titles, followed by Sweden, Romania, and Germany with four each. Denmark, the current champion, has won the title three times, including their latest victory in 2023 in Poland and Sweden. Russia has also been world champion three times, while Spain has won twice.