TEHRAN – Iran defeated Kyrgyzstan 77-12 in the 2025 Asian Women’s Junior Handball Championship on Monday.

Iran lost to Japan 30-18 in their opening match and defeated Kazakhstan 37-25 in their following match but were defeated 39-19 by South Korea.

The Iranian team will vie for the 5th–8th place in the competition.

The Championship takes place from Aug. 20 to 29 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This year’s edition features 10 participating teams and marks the first time that Uzbekistan hosts a continental event in this age category.

As a qualification tournament for the 2026 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, the competition will award places to the top four teams, who will secure their participation at the upcoming global event.

The Republic of Korea have been the dominant force in the history of the championship, winning 16 of the 17 previous editions. The only exception came in 2022, when India claimed the title in a tournament where Korea, the People’s Republic of China, and Japan — traditionally the most successful nations in the competition — were absent due to Covid-19–related restrictions.