The Asian Handball Federation (AHF) successfully concluded the 28th Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship, held from 6 to 17 June 2026 at the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah Covered Halls Complex in Sabah Al-Salem, Kuwait. Marking the fifth occasion that the State of Kuwait hosted the prestigious continental club competition, the championship also served as the Asian qualification event for the 19th IHF Men’s Handball Club World Championship, with the winners earning a place at the global event to be staged in Egypt from 25 September to 1 October 2026.
Eight clubs were initially entered for the championship, representing Bahrain, P. R. China, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. However, the CHA Club from P. R. China withdrew following the draw, reducing the field to seven teams. In accordance with the AHF Competition and Organisation Regulations, a revised draw was conducted, with the participating clubs competing in a single round-robin format to determine the four semi-finalists.
The preliminary round produced several closely contested matches and a highly competitive standings table. Khaleej Club of Saudi Arabia finished at the top of the standings with four wins, one draw and one defeat for nine points, edging Burgan SC of Kuwait on goal difference despite both teams finishing with identical records. Al-Duhail SC of Qatar secured third place with seven points, while hosts Al-Kuwait SC claimed the fourth semi-final berth with five points. Al-Najma Club of Bahrain, Al-Arabi SC of Qatar and defending champions Sharjah SC of the United Arab Emirates completed the final standings.
The competition began with Burgan SC defeating Al-Duhail SC 29–28, while Al-Kuwait SC overcame Al-Arabi SC 27–22 and Khaleej Club defeated Sharjah SC 32–30. The following days continued to deliver exciting contests, with Khaleej drawing 28–28 against Al-Arabi, Burgan defeating Sharjah 26–18, Al-Kuwait overcoming Al-Najma 30–26 and Al-Duhail beating Al-Najma 29–25.
Khaleej continued their strong run with a 34–31 victory over Al-Kuwait and later handed Burgan their only preliminary-round defeat with a 26–25 win. Burgan also recorded important victories over Al-Kuwait by 30–24 and Al-Najma by 28–24, while Al-Duhail defeated Sharjah 34–31 and Al-Arabi 25–20. In one of the final preliminary matches, Al-Najma produced a notable 29–23 victory over Khaleej Club, although the Saudi side had already secured first place in the standings.
The semi-finals provided two memorable encounters. Khaleej Club carried their excellent preliminary-round form into the knockout stage, defeating Al-Kuwait SC 29–24. Goalkeeper Kristian Pilipovic delivered an outstanding performance with 12 saves, while Mojtaba Radhi Al-Salem and Mohamed Habib Mohamed combined for 13 goals to send the Saudi side into a second consecutive final.
The other semi-final saw Burgan SC produce a remarkable comeback against Al-Duhail SC. Trailing 30–27 with less than seven minutes remaining, the Kuwaiti side mounted a decisive 5–1 run to secure a dramatic 32–31 victory. Japanese star Kosuke Yasuhira initiated the comeback with two crucial goals, while Egyptian right back Mohsen Mahmoud scored three times during the closing minutes to complete Burgan’s historic qualification for the final.
The bronze medal match featured another exciting battle, with Al-Duhail SC defeating Al-Kuwait SC 36–34 to secure third place in the championship.
The final between Burgan SC and Khaleej Club provided one of the most dramatic matches in the history of the competition. Burgan established an early advantage before Khaleej recovered to take a 14–13 lead at half-time and later opened a four-goal cushion at 24–20 with just over ten minutes remaining. Hassan Mousa Al-Traiki and Mohamed Habib Mohamed led the Saudi attack and appeared to have placed their side in control.
However, Burgan refused to surrender. Goalkeeper Abdekrahman Homayed produced a series of crucial saves, while Kosuke Yasuhira and Hassan Kaddah inspired a spirited comeback. Burgan erased a three-goal deficit in the closing stages of regulation time, forcing extra time after a 27–27 deadlock.
The Kuwaiti side dominated the additional period through disciplined defence and clinical finishing, opening a four-goal advantage before eventually securing a 34–32 victory. Yasuhira scored nine goals in the final, while Hassan Kaddah contributed eight as Burgan captured their maiden Asian club title in spectacular fashion.
With the victory, Burgan SC qualified for the 19th IHF Men’s Handball Club World Championship, becoming the fourth Kuwaiti club to represent the country at the global competition after Al-Salmiya, Al-Qadsiya and Al-Kuwait SC.
The championship concluded with the final rankings placing Burgan SC first, Khaleej Club second, Al-Duhail SC third and Al-Kuwait SC fourth, followed by Al-Najma Club, Al-Arabi SC and Sharjah SC.
Individual excellence was recognised through the All-Star Team awards. Abdekrahman Homayed of Burgan SC was selected as Best Goalkeeper, Husain Al-Mutawa of Burgan SC as Best Right Wing, Mohsen Mahmoud of Burgan SC as Best Right Back, Moustafa Heiba of Al-Duhail SC as Best Centre Back, Mohamed Habib Mohamed of Khaleej Club as Best Left Back, Abdullah Qasem Al-Hulali of Khaleej Club as Best Left Wing and Ali Ahmed Al-Ibrahim of Khaleej Club as Best Line Player. Burgan’s Kosuke Yasuhira was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship, while teammate Mohsen Mahmoud finished as the tournament’s top scorer with an impressive tally of 61 goals.
The successful conclusion of the 28th Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship once again highlighted the strength and growing competitiveness of club handball across Asia, while Burgan SC’s historic triumph added a new name to the list of continental champions and secured the club a well-deserved place on the world stage.
To view the competition website with full match results and reports, click here.