Asian Men’s Handball Championship:
Iran to face Saudi Arabia in opener
Iran will open its Asian Men’s Handball Championship campaign against four-time bronze medalist Saudi Arabia in Group D in Kuwait on Thursday.
Spanish head coach Rafael Guijosa Castillo’s team suffered friendly defeats against Portugal, Egypt, and Tunisia during a training camp in Spain before heading to Kuwait.
Iran’s second group game will be against Australia on Saturday, before Castillo’s men take on two-time champion Japan – runner-up to Qatar in 2024 – on Monday in a rematch of their main-round encounter in the previous edition, which Japan narrowly won 25-23.
The top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the main round, where they will be divided into two groups of four.
Iran will be aiming to rebound from a disappointing campaign at last November’s Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, where losses to Qatar (39-23) and the UAE (28-25) – either side of a 57-14 victory over the Maldives – left Castillo’s side third in its group and out of semifinal contention.
As if added motivation were needed, World Championship berths will be up for grabs in Kuwait, with the four semifinalists booking a place at the 2027 showpiece in Germany.
Elsewhere, defending champion Qatar is drawn alongside Oman and South Korea in Group A, with Jordan, Bahrain, China, and Iraq completing the lineup in Group B.
The host country is joined by India, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates in Group C.