Qatar has the distinction of being the only non-European side to reach the final of the Men’s World Handball Championship, when they finished as runners-up at the 2015 edition, losing to France in a close contest (22–25) on home soil.

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

"[7] At a press conference during the championship, Qatar head coach Valero Rivera declined to comment on the matter.

"[5] 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.