The Islamic Republic of Iran were crowned champions at the inaugural AHF Asian Men’s U-17 Handball Championship, after a hard-fought final against the Republic of Korea, 28:25. Both sides are now qualified for the inaugural IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship, which will take place in Morocco from 24 October to 1 November.

The inaugural edition of the AHF Asian Men’s U-17 Handball Championship threw off on 15 September, in Amman, Jordan, with 13 teams at the start, with the teams being divided in the preliminary round into three groups of three teams and one group of four teams. 

The top two sides in each group progressed to the main round, with the top two sides in each of the two groups in the main round making it to the semi-finals.

In Group A, Bahrain and Kuwait progressed to the main round, with Bahrain beating Hong Kong-China, 54:24, and Kuwait, 31:30. Group B was won by Qatar, which disposed of the People’s Republic of China, 38:24, and Saudi Arabia, 27:23, while hosts Jordan finished second in Group C, where Chinese Taipei secured the first place, by taking a 58:27 win over India and a 39:34 win over the hosts.

The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Korea were the two teams progressing from Group D, as Iran dominated Maldives, then beat Syria, 44:22, and Korea, 31:25. 

In the main round, in Group I, Korea were the team progressing to the semi-finals from the first place, with a 30:26 win over Bahrain, a 29:29 draw against Saudi Arabia and a 48:32 win over the Chinese Taipei. Bahrain followed through, as they beat Saudi Arabia, 34:33, and the Chinese Taipei, 43:33.

The Islamic Republic of Iran were flawless in the main round, extending their winning run to six matches, after wins against Kuwait (35:30), Jordan (42:22) and Qatar (46:25). Qatar also made it through, with wins over Jordan and Kuwait.

The first semi-final, between the Republic of Korea and Qatar, was a fiery encounter, with Korea taking an early 10:5 lead, and leading 15:14 at the break. A perfect start for Qatar in the second half saw the Gulf side open a 20:17 lead, with the match ending in a stalemate, 31:31, in regular time. Dongho Kang scored 12 goals for Korea, including three in the overtime, to lift his side to a 36:35 win.

Iran had no issues against Bahrain in the second semi-final, with their seven win being as clear as day, 37:19, as they secured their place in the final, where they faced Korea.

A 3:0 run early in the match for Iran saw them take a 5:3 lead, a gap maintained throughout the whole of the first half, as Iran had a 13:11 lead at the break. Arshia Javidi scored six goals, with Ali Ghayour and Mahdi Ahmadi Far adding four goals each, with Korea only tying the score, 16:16, after 40 minutes.

There was no question about the winner in the end, with Iran using a 4:0 run to take the score to 20:16 and never look back, eventually clinching a 28:25 win, their eighth in a row in the competition, which enabled them to win the title.

Qatar secured the bronze medal, with a 33:26 win over Bahrain, finishing on the podium, but missed out on a place at the 2025 IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship, where only the finalists – the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Korea – qualified.

Final standings – 2025 AHF Asian Men’s U-17 Handball Championship

1. Islamic Republic of Iran
2. Republic of Korea
3. Qatar
4. Bahrain, 5. Saudi Arabia, 6. Kuwait, 7. Chinese Taipei, 8. Jordan, 9. People’s Republic of China, 10. Syria, 11. Hong Kong-China, 12. India, 13. Maldives

2025 AHF Asian Men's U-17 Handball Championship - All Star team

Goalkeeper: Omar Elsayed (Qatar)
Right wing: Mahmood Ali (Bahrain)
Right back: Moaaz Saber (Qatar)
Centre back: Mahdi Ahmadi Far (Islamic Republic of Iran)
Left back: Jiseong Seong (Republic of Korea)
Left wing: Seyedmohammad Keshavarz (Islamic Republic of Iran)
Line player: Amirhossein Nik Eghbal (Islamic Republic of Iran)
MVP: Dongho Kang (Republic of Korea)

Credit photo: Asian Handball Federation