TEHRAN - Iran’s youth handball team defeated hosts China 38-31 in their final match to secure seventh place at the 2026 Asian Youth Handball Championship.
Iran’s squad, coached by Kioumars Sadeghi, ended their campaign with a convincing victory over the tournament hosts.
Iran had previously recorded wins over Qatar and Kuwait in the group stage but missed out on a semifinal spot and a World Championship berth after a defeat to Bahrain.
Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea finished as the top four teams and secured qualification for the World Championships.
The 19th edition of the Asian Youth Handball Championship was held in Chuzhou, China, from July 15 to July 27.
The Iranian squad included Ahmad Ghanbari, Hossein Khojasteh, Muhammad Bayati, Muhammad Babaladi, Saleh Abbasi, Reza Kasiri, Omid Enayati Jo, Amir Hussein Karami, Muhammad Javad Mirzaei, Mehdi Ahmadi Far, Mehdi Teymouri, Muhammad Hussein Rafiei, Muhammad Taha Fattahi, Nima Taherkhani, Parsa Shahabi, Matin Zarean, Shahrokh Alizadeh, and Muhammad Jamali.
The coaching staff consisted of Kioumars Sadeghi (head coach), Danial Aminaei (assistant coach), Muhammad Siavashi (goalkeeping coach), Mehdi Akhavan (team manager), Alireza Khani (analyst), Javad Karimi (medical officer), and Matin Moradi (masseur).