The draw ceremony for the men's football tournament of the XX Asian Games has concluded, and the Iran U23 national team has learned its group opponents.
Under the guidance of Hossein Abdi, the Iranian team was placed in Group B. China, UAE, and North Korea will also participate in this group. Iran was drawn from the third pot.
The 2026 Asian Games, also known as the XX Asian Games or Aichi-Nagoya 2026, will be a multi-sport event. It will take place from September 19 to October 4 in the Aichi Prefecture area of Japan.
In addition to Group B, other groups have been formed: Group A includes Japan, Thailand, and Kyrgyzstan; Group C consists of Vietnam, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and Kuwait; and Group D unites South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
Both the Iranian men's and women's kabaddi teams have received information about their opponents in the group stage of the upcoming Asian Games 2026, which will be held in Tehran.
The Iranian men's national team has been placed in the relatively favorable Group B. In this group, they will compete against teams from Nepal, Thailand, Pakistan, and Malaysia. Meanwhile, Group A includes India, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei, and Japan.
Iran aims to strengthen its status as one of Asia's leading kabaddi nations. In Group B, Pakistan remains the main rival for Iran, while India, a traditionally strong team, will await Iran in the playoffs after competing in Group A.
The Iranian women's national team faces a much more difficult draw. They are placed in Group A alongside the host nation Japan, Bangladesh, and reigning champions India, making this group highly competitive.
The women's Group B consists of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, and Nepal. For the women's team, every match in Group A exerts immense pressure, as India is the benchmark in women's kabaddi, and the Japanese team, as hosts, will receive strong fan support. To advance, Iran must achieve the best possible result from the first game.
The XX Asian Games will take place in Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. Over 12,000 athletes from 45 countries will participate in the competitions. Iran will send a delegation of 282 athletes representing 39 sports.
Iran defeated South Korea with a score of 3:1 (25-19, 25-19, 11-25, 25-18) in the AVC U18 Men's Volleyball Championship held on Thursday.
The young Persians, who previously beat the Philippines 3:0, India 3:1, and Bahrain 3:0, advanced to the semi-finals of this competition.
The AVC U18 Men's Volleyball Championship is the sixteenth edition of the Asian U18 Men's Volleyball Championship. This tournament is held every two years and is organized by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) in conjunction with the Chinese Volleyball Association (CVA).
The competition takes place at the Haikou Yuyuanhe Sports Hall in Haikou, China, from July 12 to 18. This tournament serves as a qualifying round for the FIVB U18 Men's Volleyball World Championship.
The top four teams in the tournament qualify to represent the AVC at the 2027 FIVB U18 Men's Volleyball World Championship. China is the reigning champion after defeating Iran 3–2 in the final held in Manama. Iran holds the position of the most decorated team in this championship, having won it seven times, while Japan has three titles.
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.
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).
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 A includes Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Chinese Taipei. Group B features South Korea, Kuwait, Iran, Jordan, Syria, and India.
