Veszprem claim Club World Cup as Ali Zein targets Egypt medal

Veszprem won the handball Club World Cup for a second time after beating Barcelona 42-33, with Egypt international Ali Zein describing the tournament as an important achievement.

Speaking to ON Sport, Veszprem player Zein said: “The Club World Cup is a very important tournament, and hopefully we can help the national team at the World Cup.”

He added: “We have to take each match as it comes, but we have been thinking about winning a medal for a long time. The fans trust the team and we will give everything we have to achieve that.”

Yehia El-Deraa also featured for Veszprem and helped the Hungarian side secure the title. His brother, Seif El-Deraa, plays for Barcelona.

Veszprem’s squad includes four Egyptian players: Yehia El-Deraa, Ahmed Hesham “Dodo”, Ali Zein and Ahmed Adel “Dola”.

The team is coached by Spain’s Javier Pascual, who also manages the Egypt national team.

Veszprem’s latest success is their second Club World Cup triumph. Their first came in 2024, when Yehia El-Deraa was also part of the squad and was the only Egyptian player in the team.

Barcelona won the competition in 2025 under the leadership of Seif El-Deraa. Although he was not the captain at the time, his team-mates asked him to lift the trophy because the tournament was being held in Egypt.

This time, Yehia El-Deraa will raise the trophy as Veszprem captain.

Veszprem goalkeeper Emil Nielsen was named player of the match. The Danish goalkeeper previously played for Barcelona before moving to Veszprem.

Veszprem’s Hugo Descat was the game’s leading scorer, finishing with 10 goals.

The final result completed the tournament’s top-four standings. Veszprem took the gold medal, Barcelona finished with silver, Al Ahly claimed bronze and Zamalek ended the competition in fourth place.