Debutants Burgan made history and clinched the title at the 2026 AHF Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship, after a dramatic final against Saudi side Khaleej Club, which lost the final for the second consecutive edition in extra time.

After the conclusion of the preliminary round, four teams were still standing in the competition, a qualification event for the 2026 IHF Men’s Club World Championship. Two Kuwaiti sides – Burgan and Al-Kuwait – plus Saudi side Khaleej Club and Qatari team Al-Duhail were fighting for the big trophy.

Khaleej Club, which finished first in the preliminary round, faced Al-Kuwait in the semi-finals, and had the upper hand throughout the whole match, taking an early lead and never looking back.

While the gap was narrow at the break, 12:11, Khaleej Club had superior depth and a superior goalkeeping performance, as Kristian Pilipovic saved 12 of the 32 shots he faced, for a 37.5% saving efficiency.

Mojtaba Radhi Al Salem had seven goals, while Mohamed Habib Mohamed added six goals for Khaleej, as the Saudi side, finalists in the previous edition, clinched a 29:24 win, facing Burgan in the final.

The Kuwaiti side had a more difficult path towards the last act, as they needed a momentous comeback against Al-Duhail to secure their place in the final. Down three goals with seven minutes to go, 27:30, they embarked on a 5:1 run to secure a 32:31 win, making history in the process.

Kosuke Yasuhira, who had seven goals out of seven shots, scored the first two goals in that run, while Egyptian right back Mohsen Mahmoud added three goals in the last three minutes, taking his total to six goals, as Burgan secured a 32:31 win.

The final had its own dramatic story to tell, as Burgan and Khaleej also delivered a dramatic 70 minutes. The Kuwaiti side had a three-goal lead midway in the first half, 7:4, but Khaleej bounced back and opened a one-goal lead with a fantastic finish in the first part of the match.

From 14:13 for the Saudi side, Khaleej started the second half better and were up four goals, 24:20, with 11 minutes to go, with the match becoming theirs to lose, as Hassan Mousa Al Traiki had six goals, while Mohamed Habib Mohamed added five goals.

But Burgan never backed down. Goalkeeper Abdekrahman Homayed started raking up saves – finishing the match with 10 shots stopped – while Yasuhira became unstoppable, with his trademark breakthroughs becoming more and more difficult to stop.

He scored nine times, while Egyptian left back Hassan Kaddah added eight, as Burgan cancelled a three-goal deficit with six minutes to go, 24:27, to push the match into extra-time, after finishing the last part of the regular time with a 3:0 run.

After the 27:27 draw after 60 minutes, Burgan became better and better in defence and by the 67th minute they were up by four goals, 33:29, with Yasuhira and Kaddah becoming unstoppable.

While Khaleej tried to mount another comeback, they fell short, conceding their second extra-time final in a row, 32:34, after they lost the last act against Sharjah SC last season.

With this win, Burgan secured their maiden appearance at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, becoming the fourth Kuwaiti team to play in the competition, after Al-Salmiya (2002), Al-Qadsiya (2007) and Al-Kuwait (2022 and 2023).

In the bronze medal match, Al-Duhail beat Al-Kuwait, 36:34.

Burgan’s Mohsen Mahmoud became the top scorer of the competition, with 61 goals, 16 more than Al-Kuwait’s Vladan Lipovina and 21 over Al-Duhail’s Ahmad Madadi.

2026 AHF Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship - All Star team

Goalkeeper: Abdekrahman Homayed (Burgan)
Right wing: Husain Almutawa (Burgan)
Right back: Mohsen Mahmoud (Burgan)
Centre back: Moustafa Heiba (Al-Duhail)
Left back: Mohamed Habib Mohamed (Khaleej Club)
Left wing: Abdullah Qasem Al Hulali (Khaleej Club)
Line player: Ali Ahmed Al Ibrahim (Khaleej Club)

MVP: Kosuke Yasuhira (Burgan)
Top scorer: Mohsen Mahmoud (Burgan) - 61 goals

Photo credit: Asian Handball Federation