Islamic Republic of Iran aim to improve in return to the IHF Women's World Championship

For the third time in history and for the third time in a row, the Islamic Republic of Iran have qualified for the IHF Women’s World Championship, establishing themselves as one of the most consistent Asian sides in women’s handball over the last years.

The gap between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the two powerhouses of the continent – Japan and the Republic of Korea – remains substantial, with a clear distance in level, achievements, and consistency, but Iran have been making their strides and improving over the last years.

Their debut came at the 2021 IHF Women’s World Championship, when the Asian sides won the hearts of neutral fans, despite conceding big losses, such as the one against Norway, but in that match, goalkeeper Fatemeh Khalili Behfar was named the Player of the Match.

The Islamic Republic of Iran finished 31st in their maiden appearance in the competition, but lost all matches, avoiding the last place only due to the People’s Republic of China’s withdrawal due to Covid-19 cases in the team.

Two years later, at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, Iran finished again on the 31st place, but this time around, they snapped the 12-match losing streak on the court by finally winning their first match, 28:23, against Greenland, in the Placement Match 31/32.

In that edition, up and coming left back Fatemeh Merikh, who had already impressed at the junior and youth levels in the IHF Women’s World Championships, proved her potential, scoring 41 goals and finishing 10th in the top goal scorer standings, just six goals less than three players which finished joint third.

Since than, Iran have tried to improve and finished fourth for the third time in a row at the AHF Asian Women’s Handball Championship last year. They ended up on the second place in their group in the preliminary round, with a loss against Japan, making the semi-finals of the continental competition, therefore sealing their place at Germany/Netherlands 2025.

But in the knock-out phase, they had no chance against the Republic of Korea in the semi-finals, conceding a 20:33 loss, followed by a 22:28 loss against Kazakhstan in the bronze-medal match, eventually finishing fourth.

With less than three months before the start of the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship, the Islamic Republic of Iran Handball Federation announced the appointment of a new coach for the women’s team, Ana Cristina Teixeira Seabra.

Seabra, 48, brings a wealth of international experience both as a player and a coach, and is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished figures in Portuguese women’s handball. Having represented the Portugal national team in 215 matches, Seabra enjoyed an stellar career at club level with stints at Club Balonmáno Atlético Guardés in Spain and AA São Pedro do Sul in Portugal.

“I am ready to help this team grow and improve for the future and it is an honour to be here,” said Seabra, once on Iranian soil.

At the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship, Iran will have their work cut out once again, as they will be underdogs in their group. Matches against European sides have always finished in double-digits losses for Iran, therefore a surprise against Hungary and Switzerland will be hard to imagine.

Against Senegal, the runners-up at the 2024 CAHB African Women’s Handball Championship, Iran might feel a bit better, but once again, the Asian side’s disadvantage is the lack of experience in major international competitions for their players.

Key players: Fatemeh Merikh (left back), Nastaran Koudzarifarahani (left back), Fatemeh Khalili Behfar (goalkeeper)

Coach: Ana Cristina Teixeira Seabra

Qualification for GER/NED 2025: 2024 AHF Asian Women’s Handball Championship: 4th

History in tournament: 2021: 31st, 2023: 31st

Group at GER/NED 2025: Group B (Hungary, Switzerland, Senegal, Islamic Republic of Iran)