Japan defeat Iran at 2025 Asian Women’s Junior Handball Championship

TEHRAN – Japan defeated Iran 30-18 at the 18th AHF Asian Women’s Junior Handball Championship on Thursday.

The Championship takes place from Aug. 20 to 29 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This year’s edition features 10 participating teams and marks the first time that Uzbekistan hosts a continental event in this age category.

As a qualification tournament for the 2026 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, the competition will award places to the top four teams, who will secure their participation at the upcoming global event.

The Republic of Korea have been the dominant force in the history of the championship, winning 16 of the 17 previous editions. The only exception came in 2022, when India claimed the title in a tournament where Korea, the People’s Republic of China, and Japan — traditionally the most successful nations in the competition — were absent due to Covid-19–related restrictions.

For the second consecutive edition, and only the second time in the history of the championship, 10 teams take part. They have been divided into two groups of five teams each, with the top two in each group advancing to the semi-finals.

In Group A, hosts Uzbekistan face the Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India and the runners-up of the previous edition of the competition, China.

Group B seems to be more balanced, with the title holders, the Republic of Korea, facing Japan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Kyrgyzstan