The preliminary round of the 2026 AHF Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship has concluded on Sunday, 14 June, with four of the seven teams advancing to the knockout round.

None of the participating teams are still unbeaten, with neither of team mustering more than four wins, as two Kuwaiti teams – Burgan and Al-Kuwait – plus Saudi side Khaleej Club and Qatari team Al Duhail made it to the semi-finals of the competition.

Khaleej and surprise package Burgan finished on the top two places, both with four wins, one draw and one loss, but Khaleej managed to secure the first place even before their last match against Bahraini side Al-Najma, after taking a 26:25 win against Burgan, therefore holding the tiebreaker.

Khaleej Club started with a 32:30 win against reigning champions, Al Sharjah from the United Arab Emirates, before saving a last-gasp draw against Qatari side Al-Arabi, with Dmytro Horiha scoring at the buzzer, to help his side clinch a 28:28 draw.

Then, Khaleej received help from their left back, Mohamed Habib Mohamed, who scored 10 goals against Al-Kuwait in a 34:31 win, with the next match, against Burgan, basically sealing the deal for Khaleej.

Dimitris Dimitroulias’ side was down one goal at the break, 13:14, but Mojtaba Radhi Al Salem scored nine goals, wth several crucial ones coming in the second half, to help turn the tide and clinch a 26:25 win, a result which proved to be crucial for Khaleej and see them advance to the knockout phase.

Another clear win agianst Al-Duhail, 32:27, and a 23:29 loss against Al-Najma were Khaleej’s last results, with the Saudi side aiming for their second title in three years, after the one clinched in 2024. In the previous edition, Khaleej lost the final against Sharjah, 26:27.

Burgan, aiming for their maiden podium in the competition, started off with a 29:28 win against Al-Duhail, doubling down with a 26:18 win against Sharjah, as their credentials for a semi-finals berth were thoroughly checked.

Then, a two-match winless streak followed, with a draw against Al-Arabi, 25:25, and the loss against Khaleej followed, but Burgan bounced back with a 30:24 win against domestic rivals Al-Kuwait, with Egyptian right back Mohsen Mahmoud scoring eight goals.

Their 28:24 win against Al-Najma secured the second place in the final standings of the preliminary round, subsequently making things even more complicated for Najma, which eventually failed to make the cut, finishing fifth.

As title holders Sharjah managed a single win in seven matches and were out of contention, failing to retain their title, the battle between the last two semi-finals berth was going to the wire.

In the Qatari derby between Al-Duhail and Al-Arabi, the former side prevailed, 25:20, as they did not concede any goal in the last seven minutes, to clinch their third win and finish on seven points.

But with Al-Najma’s win against Khaleej, three teams finished on five points, with the head-to-head record helping Al-Kuwait progress to the semi-finals. The Kuwaiti side, winners in 2022, beat both Al-Najma (30:26) and Al-Arabi (27:22), the teams which also finished on five points, to secure the last place in the semi-finals.

Burgan’s Mohsen Mahmoud is the top scorer of the competition so far, with 52 goals, 16 more than Al-Kuwait’s Vladan Lipovina and 19 more than Al-Arabi’s Giorgi Tskhovrebadze.

The semi-finals will be played on Monday, 15 June, where Al-Duhail take on Burgan, while Khaleej Club meet Al-Kuwait. The finals are scheduled for Wednesday, 17 June. The winner of the competition will seal their ticket for the 2027 IHF Men’s Club World Championship.

Photo credit: AHF