The UAE will begin their campaign with a tough fixture against Bahrain in the second match of the opening day, while Qatar face Oman in the tournament opener. Strong competition and a high standard of play are expected throughout the event.

Morocco withdrew from the tournament at the last minute, leaving four Gulf nations with impressive records in age-group competitions. Their participation adds significant technical value to the tournament and provides an ideal opportunity for players to gain experience ahead of official competitions.

The action continues on Saturday with two matches, as the UAE take on Qatar and Oman meet Bahrain. On the third day, the UAE will face Oman, while Bahrain play Qatar.

The first stage will be played in a single round-robin format. Teams will have a rest day on 30 June before the tournament concludes on 1 July with the classification matches. The third and fourth-placed teams will contest the third-place play-off, while the top two teams will compete for the championship title.

Hosting the tournament forms part of the UAE youth team's preparations for the 19th Asian Men's U20 Handball Championship, which will be held in Chuzhou, China, from 15 to 26 July 2026. The competition also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 IHF Men's Junior World Championship in North Macedonia.

The UAE coaching staff, led by Portuguese head coach Rolando Freitas, hope to maximise the technical benefits of the tournament by assessing the players' physical and tactical readiness while strengthening team cohesion ahead of the Asian championship, where the UAE aim to secure one of the qualification places for the World Championship.

The UAE squad includes 22 players: Rashid Obaid Al Qurs, Rashid Abdulrahman Al Qurs, Iyad Toukhi, Omar Naji, Mohammed Ali Eid, Mohammed Al Rifai, Mohammed Hassan Boualhoush, Ibrahim Shami, Mohammed Saif, Abdullah Al Obaidli, Abdulrahman Gharib, Mohammed Mostafa, Mahmoud Rayan, Nikola Vasilijevic, Omar Khalid Al Baloushi, Mousa Mahkoum, Khalifa Hassan, Abdelnour Qallal, Mohammed Aziz, Jassim Habib, Mohammed Akram and Karim Ahmed.

The coaching staff are counting on this group to deliver strong performances throughout the tournament and benefit from competing against different playing styles, helping the team reach peak form before the Asian championship in China next month.