Egypt’s Handball Power Repeats: Al Ahly Clinches Africa Club Championship Again

Al Ahly Clinches Africa Handball Championship for the Third Consecutive Year

Al Ahly’s men’s handball team secured a remarkable third straight title in Africa’s premier club competition, defeating the Darb al-Sultan Moroccan Forum 31-20 in the final hosted in Morocco. This win marks the eighth Africa club crown in the club’s history, continuing a golden era for the Cairo-based powerhouse.

This triumph follows back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024, extending a legacy of championships that includes 1985, 1993, 1994, 2012, 2016, 2023, and 2024.

Al Ahly dominated the final, taking a commanding 17-8 lead at halftime and maintaining pressure in the second half to close out the match at 31-20.

Key players in the victorious lineup included Ibrahim Al-Masri, Abdul Aziz Ihab, Omar Khaled “Castillo”, Mohsen Ramadan, Saif Hani “Fox”, Yasser Saif, Omar Sami, Nabil Sharif, Mohammed Magdi “Oka”, Mohammed Salah, Mohammed Hisham “Mody”; alongside the goalkeepers and the rest of the squad and staff.

The club’s leadership, led by chairman Mahmoud El-Khatib, congratulated the team on the trophy, praising their discipline and spirit throughout the tournament and stressing that the success adds to a broader plan to keep delivering for fans who back them at every event.

Road to the final: Al Ahly reached the final by defeating FAP Benin 43-22 in the quarterfinals, after finishing the group stage with four wins, including Mikeli 70 (Ethiopia) 41-11, Red Star Ivory Coast 29-12, Shabab Kinshasa (DR Congo) 29-19, and Police Rwanda 55-20. The journey also included a dramatic semifinal victory against FAP Cameroon 37-14, with a 19-8 halftime margin.

The women’s team also featured in the tournament but fell in a dramatic final, losing 23-24 to Petro Atlético of Angola. They had shown strong form in the group stage, beating Kalara Yaoundé 34-21 and advancing through the knockout rounds, including wins over Union of Nouasseur 47-17, Flowers Benin 40-30, and Cameroon’s FAP 23-19 in the semifinals.

In a post-win statement, Mahmoud El-Khatib emphasized that the entire handball system at Al Ahly should be proud and pledged that the club will continue to pursue excellence for their supporters who back them at every event.

Note on the journey Al Ahly’s red machine showed a complete team performance, adapting tactics as needed and maximizing tempo to pull away early and maintain control through the final whistle.

As the club basks in this success, the question remains: can they keep this momentum going into next season and beyond? The trophies are piling up, and the fans are clearly enjoying the ride.

Two light-hearted finales: 1) If defense were a crime, Al Ahly would be serving life without parole—their opponents never got a clean shot. 2) The trophy cabinet must be auditioning for a larger shelf; at this rate, gravity might take a day off just to make space for more silverware.