Qatar were crowned champions of the 11th Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship, defeating Bahrain 28–24 in the Gold Medal Match to claim the continental title. The championship was held from 20 to 31 August 2026 in Amman, Jordan, with the Jordan Handball Federation (JHF) hosting the competition for the fifth time. The championship also served as the Asian qualification event for the 12th IHF Men’s Youth (U19) Handball World Championship, with the top four teams earning direct qualification for the global event, scheduled to be held from 29 July to 9 August 2027.
The competition featured ten participating teams divided into two preliminary groups. Group A comprised the Republic of Korea, Bahrain, Uzbekistan, Jordan and India, while Group B featured Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Qatar and Syria. The original draw had been conducted on 13 July 2026 at the Headquarters of the Jordan Handball Federation in Amman, in the presence of AHF Vice President Prof. Dr. Sari Hamdan Ghanima, AHF Technical Director Jasem Mohammed Al-Theyab and JHF President Prof. Dr. Taysir Mansi. Following the withdrawal of Japan and Chinese Taipei, a re-draw was subsequently conducted on 13 August 2026 at the AHF Headquarters in Kuwait, in the presence of AHF President Bader Mohammed Al-Theyab, JHF President Prof. Dr. Taysir Mansi and AHF Technical Director Jasem Mohammed Al-Theyab.
The preliminary round produced several impressive performances. In Group A, Bahrain topped the standings with four wins from four matches, collecting eight points and scoring 163 goals. The Republic of Korea finished second with six points, followed by Uzbekistan with four points, Jordan with two and India with no points. Bahrain opened its campaign with a 51–20 victory over India, while Uzbekistan defeated the Republic of Korea 47–29. Korea then defeated India 37–27, while Bahrain overcame Jordan 41–19. Bahrain continued its winning run with a 36–28 victory over Uzbekistan, while Jordan edged India 25–24. Uzbekistan subsequently defeated India 38–35, Korea beat Jordan 25–24, Korea defeated Bahrain 35–27 and Uzbekistan concluded the group stage with a 42–32 victory over Jordan.
Qatar dominated Group B, finishing first with a perfect four wins from four matches and eight points. The Islamic Republic of Iran finished second with six points, followed by Kuwait with four, Saudi Arabia with two and Syria with no points. Qatar began with a 30–22 victory over Saudi Arabia and followed it with a 30–19 win over Kuwait. Iran defeated Saudi Arabia 28–20, while Syria lost 19–29 to Kuwait. Qatar then edged Iran 24–22, while Saudi Arabia defeated Syria 32–19. Qatar later defeated Syria 42–29, Iran overcame Kuwait 21–18, Iran defeated Syria 45–30 and Kuwait closed the preliminary round with a 28–30 defeat of Saudi Arabia.
The quarter-finals produced four highly competitive encounters. The Republic of Korea defeated Kuwait 36–28, while the Islamic Republic of Iran overcame Uzbekistan 36–24. Bahrain advanced to the semi-finals after a 30–28 victory over Saudi Arabia, while Qatar secured its place in the last four with a commanding 33–13 win over hosts Jordan.
In the placement matches, Kuwait defeated Jordan 25–23 in the 5th–8th placement round, while Saudi Arabia defeated Uzbekistan 38–27. Jordan subsequently finished seventh after defeating Uzbekistan 29–25, while Saudi Arabia secured fifth place with a 31–21 victory over Kuwait. Syria finished ninth after defeating India 29–24 in the 9th–10th place match.
The semi-finals set up an exciting championship finale. Qatar defeated the Republic of Korea 32–28 to book its place in the Gold Medal Match, while Bahrain edged the Islamic Republic of Iran 26–23 in the second semi-final. The two victories ensured that Qatar and Bahrain would contest the Asian title, while Korea and Iran advanced to the bronze medal match.
With their semi-final victories, Qatar, Bahrain, Republic of Korea and Islamic Republic of Iran secured the four Asian qualification places for the 12th IHF Men’s Youth (U19) Handball World Championship, to be held from 29 July to 9 August 2027.
The Bronze Medal Match saw the Republic of Korea prevail over the Islamic Republic of Iran by a narrow 29–28 margin, securing third place and completing the podium. In the decisive Gold Medal Match, Qatar defeated Bahrain 28–24 to be crowned the 11th Asian Men’s Youth Handball Champion. Bahrain finished runners-up, while the Republic of Korea claimed the bronze medal.
The final standings saw Qatar finish first, followed by Bahrain, Republic of Korea and Islamic Republic of Iran. Saudi Arabia finished fifth, Kuwait sixth, Jordan seventh, Uzbekistan eighth, Syria ninth and India tenth.
The Asian Handball Federation congratulates Qatar on winning the 11th Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship and extends its congratulations to Bahrain, the Republic of Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran for securing qualification for the 2027 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship. AHF also expresses its appreciation to the Jordan Handball Federation for hosting the championship and to all participating teams, officials, referees and stakeholders for their contribution to a successful continental competition.