The 11th AHF Asian Women’s Youth Handball Championship will took place in Jinggangshan, People’s Republic of China, between 18 and 26 July 2025, provided a huge shock, with the hosts, China, won their maiden title in the competition, after having previously sealed the silver medal once, in 2019, and the bronze three times, in 2015, 2017 and 2023.

The eight participating teams have been divided into two groups of four teams each, with the most decorated team in the history of the competition, the Republic of Korea, drawn in the same group as their arch-rivals and reigning champions, Japan.

Japan were the winners of the group, with three wins in three matches, looking confident ahead of the knockout phase of the competition, after securing a 40:27 win over the Islamic Republic of Iran, a 38:22 win over India and, eventually, a 29:25 win against the Republic of Korea, where back Eunyul Kim scored nine goals.

In Group A, the People’s Republic of China recorded three big wins, boasting the biggest goal difference in the preliminary round, after a 37:21 win over Hong Kong, a 34:25 win over Kazakhstan and a 33:16 win over the Chinese Taipei.

Kazakhstan came second, after taking a 31:24 win over the Chinese Taipei and a 44:18 win over Hong-Kong, virtually sealing their place at the 2026 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship.

Japan had no issues against Kazakhstan in the semi-finals, securing back-to-back appearances in the final of the competition with a 39:24 win, but the second semi-final produced a huge shock.

Winner of the first eight editions of the AHF Asian Women’s Youth Handball Championship, the Republic of Korea were outplayed by China, which took a 14:10 lead at the break and never looked back, as the hosts took a 28:26 win. Jingwen Zhang scored seven goals, with Yifan Zhu adding five goals.

Everything was set for a crunch final against the People’s Republic of China and Japan and the match did not disappoint, producing a fantastic encounter, which China dominated from start to finish.

Yahan Cheng, Shuoyan Zhang and Jingwen Zhang each scored six goals for the hosts, which led 18:15 at the break and eventually took a 35:33 win, the highest-ever scoring final at the  AHF Asian Women’s Youth Handball Championship.

In the bronze medal match, the Republic of Korea took their 10th medal in the history of the competition, with a 30:21 win over Kazakhstan.

The top four sides in the 2025 AHF Asian Women’s Youth Handball Championship – People’s Republic of China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Kazakhstan - secured their tickets for the 2026 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship.

Credit photo: AHF