Tunisia won the 5th edition of the Men’s Arab Youth Championship, which they hosted in Mahdia between 10 and 16 April, with a strong outing, sweeping their opponents, both in the group phase and in the knockout phase of the competition.

Four teams which will take part in the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship between 20 June and 2 July 2023 in Germany in Greece battled it out in Mahdia over the course of the last week, with Tunisia imposing their will, taking their third win in five editions of the competition.

The competition was played in a round-robin format in the group phase; on the first day, Saudi Arabia lost against Algeria (29:30). Meanwhile, Tunisia started their winning streak against Libya.

The second day saw Saudi Arabia dishing a 25:21 win against Libya, while Tunisia edged out Algeria in a hard-fought 25:23 battle, with everything down to the last day.

Algeria then beat Libya, 27:19, while Tunisia snatched a 27:25 win against Saudi Arabia, setting up first place in the group, which meant that they would meet the fourth-placed side in the semi-finals, while Algeria and Saudi Arabia met in the semi-finals.

There was no stopping Tunisia from extending their winning streak to four games, 25:17 against Libya in the semi-finals. At the same time, Saudi Arabia dominated Algeria to go into the big final, avenging their loss from the group phase. 

The last day of the competition saw the two finals being played. Algeria took a 33:23 win against Libya in the bronze medal game, delivering Libya’s fifth loss in as many games.

The big final was Tunisia’s to win with a strong team and playing at home, and it was clear from the start that the African team was going to secure the trophy. They started strong and never looked back, jumping to a clear 34:25 win in their best match of the competition.

It was the third time in five editions that Tunisia secured the title in the Men’s Arab Youth Championship, with a strong domination underlined by the constant influx of talent delivered by the African side over the last decade.

Saudi Arabia’s Morteja Al-Khadrawy has been named the MVP of the competition, while Algeria’s Nadal Belida was the top scorer of the 5th edition of the Men’s Arab Youth Championship, as three Tunisian players, two Saudi players, and two Algeria players made the All-Star team of the competition.

For Algeria, Libya and hosts Tunisia, it was an exciting preparation before they all meet again, being drawn into Group B, alongside co-hosts Germany, in one of the most balanced groups of the competition.

Photo: Handball Federation Tunisia