The UAE youth handball team began their campaign in the Emirates International Friendly Tournament 2026 with an exciting 35–35 draw against Bahrain in the opening match, held on Saturday evening at the Al Ahli Youth Club hall in Al Mamzar. The tournament, held under the slogan "Proud of the Emirates", features four Gulf sides: the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman.
The UAE put on a strong display in the first half, asserting their dominance to lead 21–17 at the break, before Bahrain fought back strongly in the second half to level the score in a thrilling, closely contested encounter that went down to the final whistle, leaving both teams with their first point in the tournament.
In the second match, Qatar imposed their authority from the outset and secured a deserved 34–21 victory over Oman, leading 18–10 at half-time, to top the standings at the end of the first round.
The tournament continues on Sunday with two second-round matches: the UAE face Qatar at 4:00 pm in a strong contest in which the Whites will be seeking their first win, while Oman take on Bahrain at 6:00 pm in an equally important fixture in the race for the top of the table.
The tournament is organised by the UAE Handball Federation in cooperation with Al Ahli Youth Club, and is hosted at the club's sports hall in the Al Mamzar area from 27 June to 1 July 2026, with the participation of 4 Gulf national teams, as part of efforts to enhance competitive experience and raise the readiness of the participating sides ahead of their upcoming fixtures.
The tournament forms part of the UAE youth team's preparatory programme ahead of their participation in the 19th Asian Men's Youth Handball Championship (under-20), to be hosted by the Chinese city of Chaozhou from 15 to 26 July, which serves as a qualifier for the 2027 World Youth Championship in Macedonia.
The national team will compete in the Asian Championship's Group 2, which includes South Korea, Iran, Oman, Chinese Taipei, Qatar, and India — a strong group expected to feature intense competition for World Championship qualification berths.
The tournament is played in a single round-robin format, with each team facing the other three sides. All teams will have a rest day on 30 June, before the final day's matches on 1 July, when the third and fourth-placed sides meet in the third-place play-off and the top two contest the title.
The opening-round matches confirmed the high technical level of the participating teams, as coaching staffs focused on using these games to raise physical and technical readiness and give as many players as possible competitive experience ahead of the upcoming continental championships, making the tournament an important preparatory platform for the Gulf sides involved.