6 days ago
All Eyes on Cairo
TDT | Manama
Bahrain's U‑19 handballers face Japan today to kick off world championship campaign
The 11th IHF Men's U-19 World Championship begins in Egypt, and Bahrain are in the thick of it from the start. The kingdom's youth handballers open their campaign today at 5:15 PM Bahrain time against Japan. Bahrain's other group-stage matches come thick and fast: the host nation Egypt await on Thursday at 7:30 PM, followed by a match against South Korea on Friday, also at 5:15 PM. All games will be played in Cairo.
Squad Locked In
Bahrain named their final 19-player squad on Monday, just hours before flying out. The lineup includes:
- Haider Mohammed Salman
- Ali Fayed
- Ahmed Hussain Eid
- Salman Hameed Al Showaikh
- Abu Dhar Jaafar
- Sayed Ahmed Al Falahi
- Fadhel Abbas
- Mohammed Jaafar Abdulla
- Qasim Mohammed Sabt
- Ahmed Abdulamir Shamloh
- Abbas Hussain Ali
- Mahmoud Jalil Youssef
- Mohammed Haitham Adam
- Mohammed Ahmed Tarada
- Ali Sami
- Mahdi Ali Fateel
- Sayed Majeed Al Muhafaza
- Mohammed Zuhair Abdul Hassan
- Ali Abdulla Khalifa
Notably missing is goalkeeper Ahmed Shamloh, sidelined with a shoulder injury. Coach Raed Al Mrazouq leads the technical bench, supported by assistant coach Ahmed Tarada, goalkeeper coach Makram Al Misawi, technical analyst Qasim Mohammed, and physio Karim Hassan.
Tough Group, Familiar Faces
Bahrain's Group G draw is arguably the tournament's toughest bracket. Hosts Egypt are African champions, Japan topped Asia last year, and South Korea are never to be underestimated. Only the top two teams from each group advance to the main round, while the bottom two fall into the President's Cup, which determines places 17 to 32.
Tournament Format and Other Groups
The 32 teams are split across eight groups:
- Group A: Sweden, Portugal, Kuwait, Austria
- Group B: Hungary, Switzerland, Morocco, Kosovo
- Group C: Serbia, Spain, Croatia, Algeria
- Group D: Iceland, Brazil, Guinea, Saudi Arabia
- Group E: Germany, Slovenia, Uruguay, Faroe Islands
- Group F: Norway, France, Argentina, Mexico
- Group G: Bahrain, Egypt, Japan, South Korea
- Group H: Denmark, Tunisia, Czech Republic, USA
