The 6th Asian Beach Games were held in Sanya, P. R. China, from 22 to 30 April 2026. Sanya became the second Chinese city to host the Asian Beach Games, following Haiyang, which hosted the event in 2012.
The Games were originally scheduled to take place from 28 November to 6 December 2020. However, on 10 August 2020, the Olympic Council of Asia announced the postponement of the event to 2 –10 April 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, on 31 December 2020, the Games were postponed again, with revised dates to be determined in consultation with stakeholders. Finally, on 18 May 2025, the Olympic Council of Asia confirmed that the Games would be held from 22nd to 30 April 2026. The event marked the return of the Asian Beach Games after a 10-year hiatus, following the previous edition held in Đà Nẵng, Vietnam in 2016.
The Men’s Beach Handball Competition was conducted from 21 to 29 April 2026 at the Tianya Haijiao Venue Cluster, Sanya City. I. R. Iran clinched their first-ever gold medal in the event by defeating three-time defending champions Qatar in the final by 2-1. Thailand secured the bronze medal after defeating Bahrain by 2-0, marking their return to the podium after 16 years.
Teams
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Hong Kong–China
Islamic Republic of Iran
India
Jordan
Maldives
Mongolia
Oman
P. R. China
Pakistan
Philippines
Qatar
Sri Lanka
Thailand
- India withdrew from the competition after the draw.
Venue
Groups
The draw took place on Wednesday, 18 March 2026 in the presence of the following in addition to the representatives of the participating NOCs:
- Mr. Ganesan Sundarammoorthy, OCA Sports Director
- Mr. Li Haigang, Deputy Secretary General and Director, Sports Department, SABGOC
- Mrs. Du Liyin, Deputy Secretary General, SABGOC
- Mr. Li Bin, Deputy Director, Sports Department, SABGOC
Preliminary Groups
Group A
- P. R. China
- I. R. Iran
- Philippines
- Hong Kong-China
-
India - Sri Lanka
- Bahrain
Group B
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Jordan
- Maldives
- Bangladesh
- Thailand
- Qatar
- Mongolia
Schedule & Results
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | P. Dif. | G. Dif. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I. R. Iran | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 63 |
| 2 | Bahrain | 5 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 29 |
| 3 | P. R. China | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 12 |
| 4 | Philippines | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | -1 |
| 5 | Hong Kong-China | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | -7 | -60 |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | -9 | -43 |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | P. Dif. | G. Dif. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 100 |
| 2 | Thailand | 7 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 56 |
| 3 | Oman | 7 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 56 |
| 4 | Jordan | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 55 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 7 | 3 | 4 | 6 | -1 | 27 |
| 6 | Maldives | 7 | 2 | 5 | 4 | -8 | -78 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 7 | 1 | 6 | 2 | -9 | -51 |
| 8 | Mongolia | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | -13 | -165 |
Bronze medal match
Gold medal match
Final Ranking
Final Ranking
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | I. R. Iran |
| 2 | Qatar |
| 3 | Thailand |
| 4 | Bahrain |
| 5 | Oman |
| 6 | Jordan |
| 7 | Pakistan |
| 8 | P. R. China |
| 9 | Philippines |
| 10 | Maldives |
| 11 | Bangladesh |
| 12 | Hong Kong-China |
| 13 | Sri Lanka |
| 14 | Mongolia |
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