The Tunisian club Esperance Sportive de Tunis Handball defended their title at the 37th Arab Men's Handball Championship Club Champion, winning the trophy for the seventh time. In the final match on Tuesday, they needed extra time to defeat their Egyptian rivals Zamalek SC, 29:28.

Besides winning the title, Esperance also became the last 2022 IHF Men's Super Globe participant, with the event taking place in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, from 18 to 23 October 2022.

The 37th Arab Men's Handball Championship Club Champion was held from 17 to 27 September in the Tunisian cities of Hammamet and Beni Khiar. Eight teams from five countries – Tunisia, Algeria, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Egypt – were supposed to participate in the event. Still, the Algerian side ES Skikda had to withdraw, so their rivals were awarded a 10:0 win each game. 

In the preliminary stage, the participants were divided into two groups, which played in a round-robin format. Notably, the future finalists Esperance and Zamalek faced off on the event's opening day, with the Egyptian side winning 34:28. Hence, their Tunisian opponents later took revenge in the final.

All the teams progressed to the quarter-final, and then the best four clubs fought for the medals in the semi-finals. At that stage, Esperance beat fellow Tunisian side Club Africain HB 28:22, while Zamalek proved too strong for Kuwait SC, 31:25. 

The team from Kuwait ultimately won bronze, defeating Club Africain in the third-place encounter, 33:30. And Zamalek's five-game winning run (including a 10:0 forfeit win against Skikda) was stopped in the final by Esperance, who triumphed in their home country. 

Final ranking

1. Esperance (TUN)
2. Zamalek SC (EGY)
3. Kuwait SC (KUW)
4. Club Africain HB (TUN)
5-8. MC Alger (ALG), Al-Salmiya SC (KUW), Al-Sharjah (UAE), ES Skikda (ALG, withdrew)

Photo: Arab Handball Federation