Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games:
Iran surrenders lead to fall to Kuwait in handball opener
Iran’s men’s handball team got off to a losing start at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, relinquishing a first-half lead to suffer a 26-24 defeat against Kuwait in Group B on Saturday.
Kuwaiti left wing Abdulaziz Al-Shammari led his team with a game-high 11 goals, followed by Saif Al-Adwani, who contributed four.
Mohammadreza Oraei and Younes Asari were the top scorers for Iran, scoring six goals apiece.
Iran, which entered the competition without its key overseas-based players due to their club commitments in Europe, made a strong start and controlled the early stages of the match, maintaining its advantage to take a 15-13 lead into halftime.
Kuwait, however, gradually closed the gap after the break and eventually brought the game level. The two sides then exchanged the lead several times as the match entered its closing stages.
The bronze medalist at January’s Asian Championship on home soil, Kuwait was more clinical in the closing minutes, establishing a 26-24 lead and holding on for the victory.
Tensions boiled over late in the match when Iranian player Oraei became involved in an altercation with Kuwaiti players. The Kuwaiti players appeared to prevent Oraei from moving forward during a play, triggering a confrontation between the two sets of players.
“We played very well. I congratulate the Kuwait team. They are one of Asia’s most experienced teams and have a good coach. We have to accept that we have a young squad. Nevertheless, we played very well and I am truly proud of our team,” said Iranian captain and goalkeeper Mohammad Siavoshi, who made nine saves for a 33% save rate.
When asked what ultimately made the difference between the two sides, Siavoshi said: “I think handball is a game of opportunities, and today we gave away too many chances in the second half. I think we were very good in the defensive phase and performed well, but unfortunately in attack we couldn’t capitalize on our opportunities.”
“In handball, you’ll be punished if you don’t put your balls into the goal, and that is one of the problems we always face. There are still many games left. Our young players will have to learn from today’s setback and regroup ahead of the future games,” added the Iranian skipper.
Chasing a third handball medal in the history of the multi-sport event – and first since the Guangzhou 2010 silver – Iran will look to bounce back against Asian champion Bahrain next on Monday.
Iran will then take on another daunting test against South Korea on Tuesday, before concluding the group phase against Kazakhstan the following day.
The top four teams in the group will advance to the quarterfinals.