For the third time in history and for the second time in the past three editions, Al Ahly finished on the podium of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, after a 30:25 win against archrivals Zamalek Club in the bronze-medal match of this edition.

BRONZE-MEDAL MATCH
Zamalek Club (EGY) vs Al Ahly (EGY) 25:30 (13:19)

The Egyptian derby between Zamalek Club and Al Ahly always creates a huge interest, regardless of the sport where the two powerhouses collide.

But when it’s handball, and when the two Egyptian teams meet for the first time at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, especially with a medal at stake, the stakes are even higher.

And that was clear to be seen, with both sets of fans flocking to the New Administrative Capital Hall with six hours prior to throw off to make their final preparations before the highlight match, the bronze-medal match at the 2026 IHF Men’s Club World Championship.

On one side, Al Ahly were already here two years ago, when they finished third, taking a shock win against FC Barcelona. On the other side, Zamalek Club finished on the podium only once, in 2010, aiming to get back there.

With tifos created by both sets of fans and a raucous crowd, the bronze-medal match started better for Zamalek, with their back line – Hassan Kaddah, Ziad Hashad and Ahmed Hafez – dictating the rhythm.

They took the lead early, 2:1, 3:2, 4:3, before Al Ahly settled into the match and used a 3:0 run to turn the match on its head and take the lead, regardless of the plethora of suspensions received in the first 15 minutes.

Midway in the first half, Al Ahly were already not counting on Ibrahim Elmasry, who received two suspensions, but both defences were still holding up well, with Zamalek still trailing their rivals, 5:6.

But the next 15 minutes were totally different, especially as Zamalek’s defence collapsed entirely and could not produce the same wall which Al Ahly hit time after time.

Following six goals conceded in the first 15 minutes, Zamalek shipped 13 in the second part of the first half, as Ahly found the perfect key to stir the pot in attack, as left wing Omar Khaled had five goals, with Nabil Sherif, Mohamed Hesham and Saif Hany adding three each.

And the gap continued on growing, with Al Ahly leading by six goals, 19:13 at the break, after a tough first half, where Zamalek conceded five suspensions and Al Ahly had seven under their belt.

A six-goal lead at half-time is big enough, but stranger things have happened in handball. But here, it did not look the case, as Ahly continued to control the match and open a larger gap, 21:14, after 35 minutes.

As both teams had their share of issues with the goalkeepers, it was likely going to be an attacking battle and this is exactly what Zamalek tried to improve in the second half, partially managing it.

Their backs – Kaddah, Hashad, Mohamed Elbattawi and Youssef Ahmed – each scored three goals by the 43rd minute, when Zamalek cut the gap to five goals, 23:18, but missed two consecutive chances to add even more pressure on Al Ahly, whose attack started to look more and more predictable.

And when everything looked over, Zamalek were handed yet another chance by Al Ahly’s mistakes. With only eight goals scored in the second half until the 55th minute, their lead was getting slimmer and slimmer, as Zamalek came to only four goals down, 23:27.

But when Omar Sami converted a penalty with four minutes to go for Al Ahly, the match was over, Ahly eventually taking a 30:25 win against their archrivals.

Al Ahly finished on the podium of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship for the third time, after their second place in 2007 and the other bronze medal in 2024, when they beat FC Barcelona in the bronze-medal match.

Zamalek ended up fourth for the third time in their appearances in the competition, after 2011 and 2012, therefore securing their best result in the world handball flagship competition in 14 years.

Player of the Match: Saif Hany (Al Ahly)