The Qataris, one of the most improving teams in the global game, claimed a silver medal at their home World Championships 12 months ago after a narrow final defeat to Olympic champions France.

They were determined to avoid a repeat of that second-place finish this time around but were made to work hard against opponents boosted by home support.

Bahrain trailed by just a single point a half-time, with the two sides locked together at 12-11.

It was only in the final stages when the Qatari superiority finally told, as they eased clear to eventually clinch victory by a five-point margin.

It marked a repeat of their 27-26 triumph over the same opponents at the 2014 Championships, also in Bahrain.

Japan ensured there was no Gulf clean-sweep of the podium after a 25-16 win over Saudi Arabia in the earlier bronze medal match.

It marked their first medal since a bronze in the 2010 edition in Beirut.

All four semi-finallists have now qualified for the 2017 World Championships in France, while fifth-placed Iran secured a berth at the final qualification tournament.

No matches took place today at either the European Men's Championships in Poland or the African Men's Championships in Egypt.

Semi-finals of both competitions will be held tomorrow.