The 19th Asian Men’s Junior Handball Championship will take place from 15 to 27 July 2026 in Chuzhou, People’s Republic of China, marking the second occasion the competition will be hosted by the Chinese Handball Association.

The event will serve as the qualification event for the 26th IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, with the top four teams securing direct qualification for the event.

13 teams will line up at the start of the competition in Chuzhou, with the teams being divided into two groups – one of six teams and one of seven teams. All of the previous seven winners of the competition – Kuwait, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Qatar, Japan, Bahrain, People’s Republic of China and United Arab Emirates – will be at the start.

In Group A, hosts People’s Republic of China, which have finished 9th in their previous four appearances in 2008, 2016, 2018 and 2024, will face several top sides, including Bahrain, which have finished on the podium in 2018, 2022 and 2024, sealing the bronze in 2018 and 2024 and the silver in 2022.

Saudi Arabia, which have finished top-5 in the last six editions, will also be aiming for a place on the podium and need good results, with the group being rounded up by Oman, the Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong-China.

The two finalists of the previous edition – Japan and the Republic of Korea – headline Group B. Japan have reached the final in the last three editions, finishing as runners up in 2018 and winning the last two editions, with a 24:20 win against Bahrain in 2022 and a 32:27 win against the Republic of Korea in 2024.

Japan are also the Asian team with the best finish at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, when they ended up on the 14th place.

Korea have the largest number of medals – 13 in 18 editions so far – reaching the final in five of the last seven editions. However, the battle for one of the top four places which ensure a quarter-finals spot will be tough, as Qatar (winners in 1994, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016) will be looking to bounce back after finishing 11th in 2024.

The Islamic Republic of Iran have always finished in the top-10 in 15 appearances, therefore being a strong contender for a podium place, while Kuwait are the team with the joint-largest number of titles – five.

India and the United Arab Emirates round up the group.

The preliminary round will take place between 15 and 22 July, in a round-robin format. The top four teams in each group will advance to the quarter-finals, which are set to be played on 24 July.

The winner of each quarter-final will advance to the semi-finals, also securing their place to the 2027 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship.

The semi-finals are scheduled for 25 July, while the final and the bronze-medal match take place on 27 July.

19th Asian Men’s Junior Handball Championship – preliminary round

Group A: People’s Republic of China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Chinese Taipei, Hong-Kong China

Group B: Japan, Republic of Korea, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, India, United Arab Emirates