MUSCAT, NOV 16
The Asian Handball Federation has officially released the schedule for the preliminary round of the 22nd Asian Men’s Handball Championship, which will serve as the qualifying event for the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship in Germany, the tournament will be hosted by the State of Kuwait from January 15 to 29, 2026, with Oman placed in a highly competitive Group A alongside defending Asian champion Qatar and the strong South Korean team.
Oman will begin its campaign with a highly anticipated clash against Qatar on Friday, January 16, followed by a crucial second match against South Korea on Sunday, January 18, Under the tournament format, the top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the main round, bringing together eight teams that will then be divided into two groups to determine the qualifiers for the World Championship.
Meanwhile, the national team continues its intensive daily training sessions at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher, shortly after the players completed their club commitments during the opening round of the First Division League, led by head coach Nabil al Balushi and assistant coach Ahmed Ambousaidi, the squad undergoes two training sessions per day morning and evening focusing on physical conditioning, tactical execution and internal scrimmages designed to enhance team chemistry and simulate match conditions.
Head coach Nabil al Balushi expressed confidence in the preparation phase, stating “we are in a decisive and demanding stage of our preparation, the players are demonstrating great discipline and a strong competitive spirit, our focus now is on fitness and building cohesion, we are fully aware of the strength of Qatar and South Korea, but this will not hinder our ambition to compete for a qualification spot, Our squad includes a blend of experienced players and promising talents, and we aim to deliver a performance that reflects the hard work being put into this preparation phase.”
The current national team roster includes 26 players, Abdulhakim al Siyabi, Bashar al Hinai, Mohammed al Araimi, Sameeh al Azan, Abdulaziz al Majrafi, Mohammed al Dughaishi, Hamad al Dughaishi, Mahmood al Wahibi, Saeed al Hasani, Qais al Hasani, Issam al Balushi, Qusai al Battashi, Abdulaziz al Siyabi, Abdullah al Balushi, Mohammed bin Abdulmajid al Balushi, Al Azhar al Hiddai, Nawaf al Hasani, Saud al Hasani, Mohammed bin Adel al Hasani, Hamad al Hasani, Khalid al Jabri, Azzan al Maashari, Muhannad al Zarafi, Al Waleed al Hinai, Omar al Dughaishi and Hassan bin Anwar al Balushi.
The tournament features 15 participating teams divided into four groups, in group A Oman, Qatar and south korea, then group B Bahrain, Iraq, China and Jordan, while group C Kuwait ‘host’, UAE, Hong Kong and India, finally group D Japan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Australia
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