Asian Men’s Handball Championship:
Iran coach Guijosa confident despite ‘toughest group’
Iran head coach Rafael Guijosa Castillo remains confident despite his team being drawn into “the toughest group” at the Asian Men’s Handball Championship.
The 22nd edition of the sport’s flagship continental event will get underway on January 15 in Kuwait, with Iran – bronze medalist in 2014 – set to take on Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Australia in Group D.
Japan, a two-time Asian champion, was beaten by Qatar in the 2024 final, while four-time bronze medalist Saudi Arabia has reached the semifinals six times in the past nine editions.
“There’s no doubt we’ve been placed in the toughest group, though we must respect every team in this tournament. Still, everyone on the team genuinely believes we can achieve a positive result in Kuwait,” Guijosa told the official website of the Iranian Handball Federation.
On assessing Iran’s opponents in the group stage, the Spaniard said: “We don’t have much specific information on Australia. All I know is that, like Qatar, they utilize multinational players. Japan is now considered a title contender, just like Qatar, and their ultimate goal is certainly to win the Asian championship. This makes things very difficult for us.
“Of course, we are a strong team as well, and we will play against them with all our heart. As for Saudi Arabia, I must say we have always been on an equal footing with them, and you can be sure it will be a close match.
“Both we and Saudi Arabia are determined to advance from this group. That’s why I’m saying we are competing in the toughest group of the tournament,” added the former IHF Player of the Year, who took over the Iran job for a second spell last year, replacing Montenegrin Veselin Vujovic.
When asked about his team’s preparation for the continental showpiece, Guijosa replied: “We began our preparation process a long time ago. We also have an excellent opportunity at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh [starting November 7] where we will face some strong teams. Furthermore, we will be participating in a top-notch tournament in Tunisia in the coming days.
“The tournament in Tunisia is highly important as it allows me to assess the players. It will also be a crucial opportunity to gather information on Kuwait, which will be one of our main rivals in the Asian Championship.
“We have time to get into our best form before the Asian Championship. With the solid planning we will have in place, we are going to Kuwait to achieve the best possible results,” Guijosa added.
The 15-team tournament will also serve as the Asian qualifiers for the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship, with the four semifinalists securing a spot in the global showpiece in Germany.