Iran to face Oman for Asian beach handball crown
Iran will be looking to round off an impressive Asian Men’s Beach Handball Championship campaign in style when facing Oman in today’s final showpiece in Muscat.
Mahdi Qashaqei’s men defeated Pakistan 2-0 (15-9, 16-12) in the semifinals on Tuesday to secure qualification for the 2026 IHF World Championships, while the home side came out on top in both periods (19-8, 12-10) against Jordan.
Ali Heidaeri was the Iranian top scorer on Tuesday with 13 goals.
Vahid Arabzadeh added six for Iran, with Alireza Pirzadeh and Amin Kazemi finishing on four apiece, while Pakistan’s Hussain Muzammal chipped in a game-high 15.
This was Iran’s sixth straight win in Muscat.
A 2022 Asian champion on home soil, Iran had also beaten Pakistan 2-0 in their Group B opener before defeating India, Jordan, and the Philippines to progress to the knockouts as the group winner.
Heidari then scored 14 to lead Iran to a 2-0 (14-8, 32-15) win against Maldives in the quarterfinals.
Today’s showdown at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex will be a repeat of the last-four battle in the previous edition two years ago, when Oman came out victorious but settled for a runner-up finish after a final loss to Qatar.
“We had set our sights on reaching the final and qualifying for the World Championships since the first day of the event here. Pakistan was a truly tough opponent and cost us all sorts of trouble in both games,” Iran coach Qashqaei said after the last-four victory, adding: “The final will be a much different occasion as Oman is the host and a nine-time finalist, but we are not done yet and will definitely go out there to win the title.”