The 19th Asian Youth Handball Championship for men's teams (under 21) kicked off today, Wednesday, hosted by the city of Chuzhou in the People's Republic of China from July 15 to 27, 2026, with the participation of 13 Asian teams competing for the title, as well as securing qualification spots for the 2027 World Youth Championship.

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The first day of competition featured six matches. The Saudi national team began its campaign with a big victory over its Omani counterpart 40-27, while the Bahraini team defeated Chinese Taipei 27-39, and the host Chinese team beat Hong Kong 28-12, all in Group A matches. In Group B, the Iranian team managed to overcome Kuwait 29-27, the UAE earned a deserved win over Japan 32-29, and South Korea sealed their match against Qatar with a 28-27 victory, one of the toughest games of the opening round. The tournament continues tomorrow, Thursday, with six matches in the second round: South Korea meets Iran, Saudi Arabia faces Bahrain, Qatar takes on the UAE, China plays Chinese Taipei, India faces Japan, and the day concludes with Hong Kong vs. Oman. It is worth noting that the draw placed the teams into two groups: Group A includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, Chinese Taipei, Oman, and Hong Kong; Group B includes Qatar, South Korea, Kuwait, Iran, the UAE, Japan, and India.