TEHRAN – Iran beat Saudi Arabia 2-1 at the opening match of the 9th Asian Men’s Beach Handball Championship on Friday.

Iran, who have been drawn in Group A along with the Philippines, Qatar, South Korea and Saudi Arabi, will meet the Korean team on Saturday.

Host Indonesia, Vietnam, Oman, Hong Kong, Kuwait and China are in Group B.

The 9th Asian Men’s & Women’s Beach Handball Championship started on Friday (March 10) in Bali, Indonesia and will run until March 19.

The winners will qualify for the beach handball competition of the 2nd ANOC World Beach Games, which will be held in Bali, Indonesia, from Aug. 5 to 12, 2023.

The top two teams will also advance to the 11th IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championships, to be held in June/July 2024.