The International Handball Federation has scheduled Kuwait’s Burgan SC against Morocco’s Montada Derb Sultan for the seventh-place contest at 13:30 local time on October 1 at the New Capital Sports Hall. Burgan SC ended its Group B campaign with three straight defeats while Montada Derb Sultan finished bottom of Group A with similar results. The matchup caps the first-ever appearance at the tournament for the Asian champions from Kuwait.
Kuwait News Agency reported that Burgan SC fell 44-19 to Hungary’s Veszprem HC in its final group outing on Tuesday after the Hungarian side had already secured its spot in the final against Spain’s FC Barcelona. Veszprem led 26-9 at halftime and maintained control throughout the encounter at the New Administrative Capital Hall. Burgan SC had previously lost to Egypt’s Al Ahly SC and Germany’s Füchse Berlin in the same pool according to official tournament records.
Montada Derb Sultan suffered a 51-15 defeat to defending champion FC Barcelona on Tuesday in Group A the IHF data shows. The Moroccan club which qualified by winning the African Handball Super Cup managed only 15 goals across the match while Barcelona secured its place in Thursday’s final against Veszprem. The result mirrored the competitive gap seen across several games involving the African representative.
Burgan SC entered the competition as winner of the Asian Club League Championship the IHF qualification list confirms. The Kuwaiti side prepared with a training camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina that included several friendly matches before traveling to Egypt for its global debut. Coach Yaqoub Al-Mousawi has relied on a roster mixing local talent with overseas professionals during the tournament.
This marks the 19th edition of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship which features 10 clubs from six continents the federation’s overview states. Egypt hosts the event with Al Ahly SC competing as one of two wildcard entries alongside Zamalek SC. The tournament concludes on Thursday with a full slate of classification matches including the final third-place game and fifth-place contest.
The seventh-place game offers both teams a chance to record their first victory in the competition after difficult group stages. Burgan SC scored a total of 54 goals while conceding 117 across its three matches according to the IHF standings. Montada Derb Sultan similarly struggled to compete against higher-ranked European and host teams throughout the preliminary round.
