Sharjah to open Asian Championship against Al-Duhail

The Asian Handball Federation has announced the schedule and match dates for the Asian Championship, which will be held in Kuwait from June 6 to 15.

Sharjah, the defending champions, will represent the UAE in the tournament. They are scheduled to begin their campaign in Group A against Al-Duhail of Qatar in the preliminary round on Saturday, June 6, followed by a match against China's CHA on Sunday, June 7, before concluding the group stage against Kuwait's Burgan on Tuesday, June 9.

Determining semifinalists and finalists

The tournament is played in a single round-robin format during the group stage. All teams advance to the quarterfinals based on their preliminary group standings. The top team in Group A will face the fourth-placed team in Group B, the second-placed team will play the third-placed team in Group B, the third-placed team in Group A will meet the runner-up in Group B, and the fourth-placed team in Group A will play the top team in Group B. These matches will determine the semifinalists and the finalists, while the remaining teams will compete in placement matches.

The draw placed Kuwait SC, the host nation, in Group B alongside Al-Najma of Bahrain, Al-Khaleej of Saudi Arabia, and Al-Arabi of Qatar.

The Asian champion will qualify directly for the IHF Men's Super Globe, the world club championship, scheduled to be held in Egypt later this year.