MUSCAT: The Oman U-17 beach handball team concluded their historic debut at the 2025 IHF Youth Beach Handball World Championship in Tunisia with an eighth-place finish following to a 2-0 loss against Argentina in the seventh and eighth playoff on Sunday. It was a remarkable achievement for Oman boys in their first-ever appearance at the global event which was hosted successfully in Hammamet, Tunisia, with participation from 32 teams across the men’s and women’s categories.
Oman’s journey towards the semifinals came to an end with a quarterfinal defeat against Brazil 2-0 despite a spirited performance by the national team players. Brazil concluded the first set at 27–22 as they managed to capitalise on the missed opportunities by Oman’s side. The second set was tighter as coach Jaber al Balush’s boys were narrowing the gap to just two points in the final minutes 24-26 before they missed chances in key moments which made the difference and Brazil sealed a crucial victory.
In another match, Oman boys missed the chance to end in the fifth position as they suffered to another narrow 2-0 defeat against Thailand in the classification match for 5th–8th place. The match was well within reach but the team’s players did not capitalise the opportunities for a victory. The first set saw a tight contest as Oman were taking a late lead through Imad al Ghailani to go up 18–17. However, three missed scoring chances in the final minute allowed Thailand to counter and seal the set 19–18. In the following half, Oman struggled to regain momentum as a string of attacking errors and defensive lapses allowed Thailand to take control, closing out the match with a 18–10 win and denying Oman the opportunity to compete for fifth place.
ARGENTINA BLANK OMAN
Oman faced Argentina in the playoff for seventh place in their final match of the tournament. Argentina took advantage of Oman’s slow start and lack of execution as they claimed a 2-0 victory. The first half ended at 22–12 while the second set finished at 24–14. Despite a few bright moments, Oman struggled to contain Argentina’s fast-paced offense and the loss ruled them out of a spot in the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, where the top seven teams qualified only from this event.
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