Junior Handball Team Advances to Asian Championship Quarterfinals With Win Over Syria
TEHRAN - Iran’s junior handball team defeated Syria in its final group-stage match at the 2026 Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Iranian squad, led by head coach Mohammadreza Rajabi, secured a 45-30 victory over Syria in the match, which began at 12:30 local time in Jordan.
Iran finished second in its group behind Qatar to book a place in the next round.
The Iranian team was drawn in a group with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Syria in the preliminary stage. It recorded three wins—against Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Syria—and one loss to Qatar, finishing as the group runner-up.
Iran’s quarterfinal opponent will be determined after the conclusion of Wednesday’s matches, with Uzbekistan or Jordan likely to face the Iranian side. The opponent will be the third-placed team from the other group, which includes Bahrain, South Korea, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and India.
Iran squad: Muhammad Taha Ebrahim Khanlari Sis, Mehdi Ahmadifar, Amirhussein Samarbakhsh, Arshia Javidifar, Hassan Judaki, Saleh Husseinzadeh, Muhammad Hussein Haghsetan, Mehrshad Mansouri, Shayan Sousani, Ali Ghayour, Farzad Mosayebi, Muhammad Keshavarz, Mehdiar Molavi, Hussein Khajesteh, Farshad Nowruzpour, Amir Hussein Nik Eghbal, Mohsen Hadizadeh, Muhammadreza Hemmati, and Muhammad Hussein Kamali.
Coaching staff: Muhammadreza Rajabi (head coach), Aziz Noorbehbahani (coach), Hussein Rajabi (team manager), Reza Sarsangi (masseur), and Amir Hussein Choopani (logistics).
Iran’s preliminary round results:
Iran 28 – Saudi Arabia 20
Iran 22 – Qatar 24
Iran 21 – Kuwait 18
Iran 45 – Syria 30
The 2026 Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship runs until August 31 in Jordan. The top four teams will qualify for the 2027 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship.