Four teams will be making their debut in the 2022 IHF Men’s Super Globe on Wednesday, after not playing on the first day of the competition, with none of the teams that won on Tuesday featuring on the court in the Dammam Sports Hall on the second day.

Therefore, no team will progress to the semi-finals today. Still, four of them can be out of contention after having already lost a match, as Al-Kuwait, Sydney-Uni, Club Ministros and Mudhar are playing their second game in the preliminary round.

Group C

• 12:15 AST Al-Kuwait (KUW) vs Lomza Industria Kielce (POL)

Al-Kuwait had a strong debut in the first 20 minutes of the match against Handebol Clube Taubaté, dominating the game with the excellent pair of Frankis Marzo and Angel Hernandez, outscoring their opponents with ease. But the Asian side slowly faded and conceded a 28:32 loss in their maiden IHF Men’s Super Globe match. The two-plus fellow back Ali Salah scored 18 of Al Kuwait’s 28 goals in the game. Therefore, they will need more input from other players to improve their attack.

The challenge will now be even harder for Al-Kuwait, who face a must-win match to avoid being relegated to the 9-12 Placement Round. Still, in Lomza Industria Kielce, they will meet one of the challengers for the title. With stalwarts like goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, Alex and Dani Dujshebaev or Nedim Remili in the roster, Kielce are the runners-up from last season’s EHF Champions League Men. They will make their return to the IHF Men’s Super Globe for the first time since 2016 when they finished third.

Kielce have conceded only a single loss this season against Barça in the European premium competition and will be gunning for the trophy, as their ambition is to win silverware. Their experience and depth will undoubtedly be considerable advantages in the match, with the Polish champions firmly set up as favourites for the game, with Kuwait close to losing their second match in a row.

Group D

• 14:30 AST Club Ministros (MEX) vs Espérance de Tunis (TUN)

Ministros were at the receiving end of one of the most brutal losses in the history of the IHF Men’s Super Globe as they stood little chance against Barça, who clinched a 50:18 win. It was indeed a learning experience for the Mexican team, that brings amateur players, who are trying to improve the sport in their country, to the table.

On the other side, Espérance de Tunis will debut on Wednesday in the Dammam Sports Hall, coming back to the IHF Men’s Super Globe for the first time since 2017. They will surely be buoyed by winning the Arab Handball Championship three weeks ago and will hope to bring the same form to the court before their last preliminary round match on Thursday against Barça.

Espérance de Tunis are in superb form, winning the African Handball Champions League and the Arab Handball Championship of Champions in the past month. They are coming in hot and will be favoured against the Mexican side.

Group A

• 16:45 AST Sydney-Uni (AUS) vs Khaleej (KSA)

There are undoubtedly big ambitions for hosts Khaleej at this edition of the IHF Men’s Super Globe, as highlighted by bolstering their squad for the competitions with three stalwarts from Egyptian club Zamalek SC. For the next week, the Saudi side relies on backs Ahmed Elahmar and Hassan Kaddah and on goalkeeper Karim Hendawy, three players that could change the outcome of the tournament for Khaleej.

The Saudi side will be favoured against Sydney-Uni, who threw off their record 10th edition of the IHF Men’s Super Globe with a loss against SC Magdeburg, 23:41. The Australian side scored the second-lowest number of goals in the first round and conceded the second largest number of goals in their loss, as they are still looking for their first win in the competition since 2015.

They drew in the 2021 edition against Al-Wehda, another Saudi side. Therefore they know what it takes to play against the host team in the IHF Men’s Super Globe. But right now, Khaleej will have the experience and depth needed to be considered favourites, albeit lacking the proper chemistry to challenge for a place in the semi-finals, ahead of Thursday’s match against Magdeburg.

Group B

• 19:00 Mudhar (KSA) vs SL Benfica (POR)

Mudhar’s start has surely not been up to par with their ambitions, despite a good start against Al-Ahly SC. The Saudi team relied once again on right back Amine Bannour, who scored 10 goals and cemented his status as one of the best-ever scorers in the IHF Men’s Super Globe, but it was too little against a motivated Egyptian side.

Fans will indeed flock once again to support their side, as they face a must-win game against SL Benfica. This European side is emerging as one of the continent's top after securing the first piece of European silverware last season when they won the EHF European League Men.

Coach Chema Rodriguez has an interesting mix of young players and experienced ones, such as Swedish left wing Jonas Källman, who will return to the IHF Men’s Super Globe for the first time since winning the trophy with Atletico Madrid in 2012.

The situation in the group is relatively straightforward, with Mudhar needing a win to stay alive for a semi-finals berth. At the same time, Benfica eye their first win, as their main objective is to progress from a group that looks well-balanced, especially with the match against Al-Ahly SC coming on Thursday.