After a seven-year absence, Zamalek return to the IHF Men’s Super Globe with the goal of building on what has been a strong year for Egyptian handball. Currently featuring some of the biggest stars of the Egypt national team playing in Africa, Zamalek are the second most successful club in their national league’s history, having won 15 domestic titles – including the 2018/19 season trophy. 

Sydney University Handball Club have been Oceania’s perennial representatives at the IHF Super Globe since their debut in 2012. Aside from their stand-out fourth place finish in 2015, however, they have ranked eighth on every participation. 

Sydney Uni often have high turnover within their squad, which is one of the challenges for the amateur club. The team travelling to Saudi Arabia have been preparing together since March.  

THW Kiel are two-time Super Globe winners, three-time Champions League winners, and record title holders in what is regarded as one of the world’s toughest domestic competitions, Germany’s Bundesliga. Twenty domestic league trophies place Kiel well above any other German club in the history of the Bundesliga, and their reputation as a top handball club extends far outside their nations’ borders. 

After nine years off the podiums in their domestic competitions, 2019 IHF Super Globe hosts Al Wehda returned with a vengeance in the 2018/19 season winning all three trophies. 

In the Saudi league, they added the trophy to their two previous wins, in 1999/00 and 2009/10. It was also the third triumph in the Cup, after 2002/03 and 2004/05. In the Elite championship, Al Wehda clinched their first title in 2018/19. It was these performances that earned Al Wehda a place in what is their first Super Globe. 

“Our goal is to play the semi-finals of the world,” said a confident Marcus Oliveira. “Tata”, as he’s known in South America, has a lot of experience coaching Taubate at continental tournaments and at the IHF Men’s Super Globe. 

Since 2013, the team from the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil has participated in every Super Globe except the 2017 edition. Taubate’s best finish was 5th in 2018 – when after losing to Füchse Berlin in the quarter-finals, they defeated Sydney Uni and Hammamet in the 5-8 placement matches. This year, however, the team have bigger aspirations.

New York City Team Handball Club will be the first team ever from North America to compete in the IHF Men’s Super Globe. They earned their spot in Saudi Arabia by winning this year’s Men’s North American and the Caribbean Club Championship after defeating Los Angeles THC 34:32 and Handball Quebec 34:30.

Four IHF Men’s Super Globe trophies sit in FC Barcelona’s trophy hall. The Catalan club has won those in only five appearances. Now, the defending back-to-back champions are looking to bring a fifth trophy – and their third consecutive gold medal – home.

FC Barcelona, or Barça, have also won all ASOBAL titles since 2011 – a total of 26 in their history – and bronze at the 2018/19 EHF Champions League. Even with all the accolades, they never underestimate opponents.

Al-Duhail SC are making their IHF Men’s Super Globe debut, but that does not mean they do not have experience at this level. Prior to the 2017-2018 Qatari league season, Lekhwiya Sports Club – who competed at the 2016 IHF Super Globe – merged with El-Jaish Sports Club and was rebranded into Al-Duhail Sports Club. El-Jaish participated in four editions of the Super Globe between 2012 and 2015 including winning bronze in 2013. 

The 2019 edition will be Al-Mudhar’s second participation in the IHF Men’s Super Globe. They made their debut and only appearance in 2012 in Doha finishing 7th after beating Sydney Uni in the 7/8 placement match. At Saudi Arabia 2019, they will face New York City Team Handball Club from the United States in the quarter-final qualification.

“All teams at the Super Globe are strong, there are no easy teams. We know that New York City are the North American and the Caribbean champions and they surely have a positive spirit,” says line player Hassan Al-Janabi. 

Winning the 2016 Olympic gold medals in a memorable final against defending champions France was the highlight of the long and successful Danish handball history. Before, the Danes had won gold medals on continental stage in 2008 and 2012 and became World Championship finalists twice in 2011 and 2013. Now the team of Nicolaj Jakobsen aims for the first ever gold medal at a World Championship, as one of the hosts. The Danish squad combines a mixture of experienced world stars such as Mikkel Hansen, Lasse Svan and Niklas Landin and multiple young talents.