IHF Beach Handball World Championships:
Iran to face Spain, Portugal, USA in men’s group phase
Iran has been drawn against Spain, Portugal, and the USA in Group A of the upcoming IHF Beach Handball World Championships – starting May 23 in Zagreb, Croatia.
The draw for the 12th edition of the global showpiece was held in the Croatian capital on Saturday, where 16 men’s teams were split into four preliminary groups.
Iran finished as runner-up at the Asian Championships in Muscat last year to secure a fourth participation at the world event, joining champion Oman as the continent’s two representatives.
Iran’s most successful campaign at the World Championships came in the 2018 edition in Kazan, Russia, when the country progressed to the quarterfinals before suffering a 2–0 setback against Sweden.
Iran will enter the tournament fresh off a glorious run at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China, last week, which saw Mahdi Qashqaeirad’s men bag the gold medal thanks to a shootout victory over Qatar in the final.
Spain will make a 10th appearance at the tournament, having achieved its best result in its maiden participation in 2006 – a third-place finish in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Spaniards will look to surpass that feat after an impressive silver-winning run at the European Championships last July.
Portugal, meanwhile, will be part of the World Championships for only a second time. The European side will still be among the teams to watch in Zagreb after claiming the bronze medal in the previous edition in China two years ago.
The United States will make a fifth appearance at the tournament, with their best result being an 11th-place finish in 2016.
Elsewhere in the draw, two-time defending champion Croatia, which had the right to choose its own group as the host, picked Group D alongside debutant France, Oman, and Australia.
Denmark – beaten by Croatia in the last two finals – will be joined by 2010 silver medalist Hungary, Tunisia, and Puerto Rico in Group B.
An anticipated Group C will see Brazil – the most decorated team in the competition with three titles – and two-time champion and reigning European gold medalist Germany headline the group fixtures, with Argentina and debutant Italy also in the group.
The top three teams from each of the four groups will advance to the main round, which will feature two six-team groups, with the top four from each then moving through to the quarterfinals.
The bottom team in each of the four preliminary groups will continue in a round-robin consolation round.
The full schedule of the six-day World Championships, which will also feature the women’s 16-team competition, is yet to be announced by the International Handball Federation.