Iran starts 2026 Youth Asian Handball Championship with a victory over Kuwait

Iran has determined its opponents for the 11th Asian Handball Federation (AHF) U19 Handball Championship. The draw ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Jordan Handball Federation (JHF) in Princess Sumaya Hall in Amman, according to AHF regulations for conducting and organizing the competition.

Tournament Details and Postponement

The championship, which will now take place from August 20 to 31, 2026, in Amman, Jordan, will be organized by the Jordan Handball Federation after being moved from the originally planned host city. Furthermore, this tournament will serve as the Asian qualifying round for the 12th U19 World Handball Championship of the International Handball Federation (IHF).

Qualification and Groups

The four best teams will secure participation in the world championship in 2027. A total of eleven teams participated in the tournament, which were divided into two preliminary groups.

Group Composition

Group A includes Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Chinese Taipei. Group B features South Korea, Kuwait, Iran, Jordan, Syria, and India.

The Iranian men's national sitting volleyball team demonstrated an impressive start to its preparation for the World Championship by defeating Egypt in a friendly match held the day before the tournament in China.

Match results and tournament information

The Iranian team confidently beat Egypt with a score of 3:0, winning in sets 25-16, 25-19, and 25-14.

The 2026 Sitting Volleyball World Championship will take place in Hangzhou, China, from July 10 to July 17. Iran will begin its campaign against Poland on Friday; the match is scheduled for 9:00 local time.

Further team preparations

Before the main tournament begins, Iran will play two more preparatory matches against Brazil and Germany to fine-tune its preparation for the global competition. Meanwhile, the Iranian women's national sitting volleyball team is also preparing to fly to Hangzhou on Wednesday to participate in the World Championship.

Iran won against Australia with a score of 3:1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 25-19) in the 2026 AVC Women's Volleyball Championship, which took place on Sunday.

Tournament Progress and Results

Prior to this, the Iranian women's national team started its campaign in Group C with a loss to the Philippines by a score of 3:1. In the remaining matches of the group stage, the Iranian team also suffered defeats against Indonesia and Japan.

On Monday, the Iranian team will play in the match for 9th-12th place.

Championship Details

The AVC U18 Women's Volleyball Championship is the sixteenth edition of this biennial competition. It is organized by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) together with the Thailand Volleyball Association (TVA).

The competition is held in Nakhon Ratchasima from July 1 to 7. Furthermore, this tournament serves as an Asian qualifying event for the 2027 FIVB U19 Women's World Championship. The top four teams will qualify to represent the AVC at the global tournament.