The Peninsula
The Qatar Handball Federation yesterday announced a 24-member squad in preparation for the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship.
The World Championship is set to take place in Egypt from January 13-31.
Qatar, the runners-up in the 2015 edition of the World Championship who are coached by Spaniard Valero Rivera, will begin training on Saturday.
Qatar are drawn in Group C alongside Croatia, Japan and Angola.
Al Annabi's first match will be against Angola on January 15. Qatar's second group match will be against Japan on January 17, followed by their final Group match against Croatia two days later.
A total of 32 teams, including four-time Asian Champions Qatar, will compete in the championship under eight groups.
The top three teams from each group will advance to the main round which will see 24, divided into four groups. The top eight teams of the group stage will advance to the quarters and the play-off rounds.
The Qatari team qualified for the World Championship after winning the Asian Men’s Championship in Kuwait earlier this year, beating South Korea 33-21 in the final.
Next year's championship will be Qatar's eighth appearance in the global event.