Qatar men's national handball team

Honours

• Asian Men's Handball Championship: ::Winners: 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024

• Asian Games: ::Winners: 2014, 2018

Results

Summer Olympics

• 2016 – 8th place

World Championship

• 2003 – 16th place
• 2005 – 21st place
• 2007 – 23rd place
• 2013 – 20th place
• 2015 – 2nd place
• 2017 – 8th place
• 2019 – 13th place
• 2021 – 8th place
• 2023 – 22nd place
• 2025 – 21st place
• 2027 – Qualified

Asian Championship

• 1983 – 6th place
• 1987 – 6th place
• 1989 – 6th place
• 1991 – 4th place
• 1993 – 7th place
• 2002 – 2nd place
• 2004 – 3rd place
• 2006 – 3rd place
• 2008 – 5th place
• 2010 – 5th place
• 2012 – 2nd place
• 2014 – 1st place
• 2016 – 1st place
• 2018 – 1st place
• 2020 – 1st place
• 2022 – 1st place
• 2024 – 1st place
• 2026 – 2nd place

Current squad

Squad for the 2025 World Men's Handball Championship.

Head coach: MNE Veselin Vujović

Statistics

Controversy

Player naturalisation

The Qatari national team naturalized a large number of foreign players to their squad for the 2015 World Men's Handball Championship.

According to IHF rules, to gain eligibility for a new national team, a player cannot have played for another nation for three years in an official match. This allowed several foreign-born players, including Spanish-born Borja Vidal, Goran Stojanović and Jovo Damjanović from Montenegro, and Bertrand Roiné who previously played for France, to play for the Qatar team at the championship.

Head of the Qatar Handball Federation, Ahmed Mohammed Abdulrab Al Shaabi, acknowledged the policy in a statement in June 2013, saying "We're a small nation with limited human resources, so we had to bring players from outside in the past." He also announced an end to the policy at the time, adding however that they "[might] make an exception only in the case of an experienced goalkeeper." In January 2014, Danish sports agent Mads Winther said he had met with "contacts involved with Qatar" regarding the possibility of naturalising Danish players.

The practice was criticised by Austrian goalkeeper Thomas Bauer after his team's loss to Qatar in the quarter-final, saying "It [felt] like playing against a world selection team" and "I think it is not the sense of a world championship." At a press conference during the championship, Qatar head coach Valero Rivera declined to comment on the matter. Spanish player Joan Cañellas did not think it was an issue, saying "If they can do it, why not."

After the controversial semi-final against Poland, and reaching the final as a result, the practice was even more criticised, with players such as Danijel Šarić having now represented four different national teams.

Paid fans

Qatar flew in about 60 Spanish fans to cheer for Qatar during the 2015 World Championship.

Accusation Refereeing favouritism

The referees were widely accused of being one-sided in favour of Qatar during its success, 2nd place in the 2015 World Championship. Especially at the last-16 encounter against Austria, the quarterfinal against Germany and the semi-final against Poland. After the final whistle, the Polish players showed their disgust by sarcastically applauding the three referees.

References

References

1. (1 February 2015). "France beat Qatar to win fifth world handball title". [[Gulf Times]].
2. "20 لاعبا في قائمة عنابي اليد النهائية لبطولة العالم والبعثة تغادر لسلوفينيا السبت". qatarhandball.com.
3. (14 January 2025). "Team Roster Qatar".
4. Source gives him 654 goals (in 77 games, ie around 9 goals by game) which is totally impossible for a such secondary player (total may include beach or is a mistake)
5. (21 January 2015). "QATAR STOPS NATURALIZING FOREIGN PLAYERS | HC Metalurg Official Website".
6. "Player Eligibility Code". [[International Handball Federation]].
7. "Qatar's foreign legion primed for handball date with Germany". Deutsche Welle.
8. "Al Shaabi says no to further naturalisation".
9. "Qatar handball team coach faces questions over foreign players". [[BBC]].
10. (30 January 2015). "Danijel Sarić - to on "zabrał" Polakom finał MŚ".
11. (16 January 2015). "Qatar 'buys' noisy Spanish handball fans".
12. [http://www.blick.ch/sport/handball/handball-wm-in-katar-team-fans-und-schiris-gekauft-id3443120.html Team, Fans und Schiris gekauft?] (German)
13. [http://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/handball-wm-in-katar-oesterreich-kritisiert-heimschiedsrichter-a-1015011.html Handball-WM in Katar: Österreich hält sich für verpfiffen] (German)
14. [http://www.krone.at/Sport-Mix/Oesterreich_von_Referees_und_Katar_aus_WM_gekickt!-Fehlpfiffe_in_Serie-Story-436280 Österreich von Referees und Katar aus WM gekickt] (German)
15. [http://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/handball-wm-stimmen-zum-spiel-deutschland-gegen-katar-a-1015546.html Reaktionen auf deutsches WM-Aus: "Man muss aufpassen, was man sagt"] (German)
16. [http://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/handball-wm-in-katar-armin-emrich-ueber-die-schiedsrichter-a-1015608.html WM-Aus der deutschen Handballer: "Im Schiedsrichterwesen gibt es Grauzonen"] (German)
17. [http://www.dnevno.hr/sport/rukomet-sp-2015/143679-sramotno-pogledajte-trenutak-kad-su-srpski-suci-pretjerali-s-navlacenjem-za-katar-video.html Sramotno: Pogledajte trenutak kad su srpski suci pretjerali s navlačenjem za Katar] (Croatian) {{webarchive. link. (1 February 2015)
18. [http://www.denik.cz/ostatni_sport/polsky-smutek-katar-je-ve-finale-ms-v-hazene-pomohli-mu-rozhodci-20150130.html Polský smutek. Katar je ve finále MS v házené, pomohli mu rozhodčí] (Czech)
19. [http://www.eskarock.pl/eska_rock_news/111389/polska_-katar-_czemu_katar_awansowal_kontrowersje_wokol_druzyny_gospodarzy_nie_byli_faworytami_sport Polska – Katar – czemu Katar awansował? Kontrowersje wokół drużyny gospodarzy, nie byli faworytami] (Polish)
20. [http://www.przegladsportowy.pl/michal-jurecki-kazdy-wie,-co-tutaj-sie-dzieje,artykul,538208,1,12792.html Michał Jurecki: Każdy wie, co tutaj się dzieje...] {{Webarchive. link. (4 March 2016 (Polish))
21. (30 January 2015). "Polacy nagrodzili postawę sędziów ironicznymi brawami".