IHF Club World Championship returns to Egypt
10 Jul. 2024

The 2024 IHF Men’s Club World Championship is set to take place in Egypt from 27 September to 3 October.
This marks the return of the premium world handball club competition to Egypt for the first time since 2007, when Ciudad Real clinched the title in Cairo, with Egyptian side Al-Ahly finishing second.
For this year’s edition, the 17th in the history of the competition, the event has undergone a makeover, with nine teams having qualified, which will be divided into three groups of three teams each. The winner of each group as well as the best second-placed side will progress to the semi-finals, while the other sides will feature in Placement Matches.
Six teams have already secured their spot for the 2024 IHF Men’s Club World Championship. First of all, there are reigning champions SC Magdeburg – which won the last three editions (2021, 2022 and 2023) – and hosts Al-Ahly. Another regular in this competition is featured, with FC Barcelona, winners of the EHF Champions League Men, making their seventh consecutive appearance and their tenth in history, being the most decorated team in the competition, with five gold and two silver medals.
The African representative will be Egyptian powerhouse Zamalek, which secured their ticket by finishing second in the 2024 African Handball Super Cup, conceding the title to rivals Al-Ahly, which were already qualified as hosts.
Saudi side Khaleej, which finished sixth in the previous two editions, are due to represent Asia, after securing the title at the 2024 Asian Club League Championship, with a 35:33 extra-time win in the final against Qatari side Al-Arabi.
The winners of the 2024 South and Central American Men's Club Handball Championship, Brazilian side Handebol Taubaté, will make their return after a one-year hiatus, after winning 29:27 against EC Pinheiros in the final of the continental competition.
Two other spots, reserved for North America and the Caribbean as well as Oceania, will be decided in July, after the conclusion of the NACHC Qualifier and the Australian Club Championships and Oceania Qualifier, respectively.
The last available spot in the nine-team line-up will be allocated as a wild card and the IHF Executive Committee has decided to award this wild card to Hungarian powerhouse Veszprém HC, marking the team’s return to the competition for the first time since 2015, when they finished second.
Veszprém, now coached by Xavi Pascual, five-time winner of the competition with Barcelona, are perennial contenders in the EHF Champions League Men, having made the EHF FINAL4 three times in the past six seasons. The Hungarian champions also have a stellar line-up, with centre back Luka Cindrić, line player Ludovic Fabregas and right back Nedim Remili in their ranks.
For the preliminary round draw, the nine teams will be divided into three pots. The three European teams will be seeded in the first pot and will not play on the first day of the competition.
The following nine club teams are planned to participate in the 2024 IHF Men’s Club World Championship:
Host: Al Ahly (EGY)
Reigning Champion: SC Magdeburg (GER)
Asia: Khaleej Club (KSA)
Africa: Zamalek (EGY)
Europe: FC Barcelona (ESP)
South and Central America: Handebol Taubaté (BRA)
North America and the Caribbean: TBC – Winner of the NACHC Qualifier (10-13 July; New York, USA)
Oceania: Australian Club Championships and Oceania Qualifier (17-21 July; Canberra, AUS)
Wild card: Veszprém HC (HUN)