The match between Spain's Barcelona and Hungary's Veszprém in the World Handball Championship final carries an Egyptian character, with five Egyptian players featuring for both teams.
Barcelona includes Seif El-Deraa, while the quartet of Yahya El-Deraa, Ahmed Adel, Ahmed Hisham "Dodo," and Ali Zein play for Veszprém, turning the anticipated match into a special showdown among some of Egypt's national team's star players.
Barcelona's path to the final
Barcelona secured its place in the final after topping Group One, achieving a perfect record in its three matches.
The Spanish team began its campaign by defeating Brazil's Pinheiros 44-33, then beat Zamalek 39-29, before concluding the group stage with a big win over Morocco's Forum Derb Sultan 51-15, thus topping its group with six points.
Barcelona enters the final seeking its seventh title in the history of the Club World Cup, having won the previous edition against Veszprém.
Veszprém.. another path to the final
On the other side, Veszprém clinched first place in Group Two and qualified for the final after winning its first two matches, most notably beating Al Ahly 31-23.
The Hungarian team had previously defeated Fox Berlin 34-33, before officially securing its spot in the final, repeating its appearance in the championship match for the second consecutive year.
Veszprém boasts a notable Egyptian presence, described by the International Federation as including an "Egyptian arsenal" of players, alongside Xavi Pascual, coach of the Egyptian national team.
A final repeated for the second time
The anticipated final brings back memories of the previous edition, after Barcelona and Veszprém met in the 2025 Club World Cup final, in a match that went to extra time and ended with a 31-30 victory for the Spanish team, earning Barcelona its sixth title in the tournament's history.
The two teams also previously met in the semi-final of the 2024 edition in the New Administrative Capital, where Veszprém settled the encounter in its favor 39-34 after extra time, before winning the title against Magdeburg.
