Saudi Arabia have qualified for the World Handball Championship for the tenth time in their history after beating Uzbekistan 31-24 in the Asian Handball Championship on Wednesday night.
The victory at the Ministry of Sports Hall in Dammam in their final second-round group match means the Saudis have progressed to the semifinals, guaranteeing a top five placing, which ensures progress to the 2023 World Handball Championship in Poland and Sweden.
Saudi Arabia will be joined in the last four by Qatar, from Group I, while Iran and Bahrian progressed from Group II.
The Saudis benefited from the South Korean team’s failure to play their fixture against Qatar due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in their squad. With the Koreans forfeiting their match, the team from the Kingdom did not have to worry about any complicated scenarios that might have led to their elimination.
On Saturday, the Saudi team contest the semifinal against Bahrain, who had overcome Iran 36-26 to win Group II. Qatar and Iran will face off in the other last four clash on the same day.
Thursday is a rest day in the tournament, and playoffs positions 9-16 will resume on Friday.
