TEHRAN – Iran will start the 20th Asian Women's Handball Championship with a match against Japan on Tuesday.

The competition will take place in New Delhi from Dec. 3 to 10 at the Gandhi Arena and Iran are drawn in Group B along hosts India, Japan and Hong Kong.

The event, organized by the Asian Handball Federation and presented by the World Handball League, marks a significant milestone as it's the first time the tournament is being held in South Asia.

The tournament will feature eight teams divided into two groups of four. Group A includes reigning champions South Korea, Kazakhstan, China, and Singapore.

 The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.

Nashmin Shafeian, head coach of Iran women's handball team, is optimistic about her team’s success in the competition.

The event acts as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2025 World Women's Handball Championship, with the top four teams qualifying.

“We have previously qualified for the world championship twice and are determined to book our place in the competition once again. We know that there is a difficult task ahead of us but it’s not impossible,” Shafeian said.

“Team Melli will start the tournament with a match against Japan and they are the team to beat but we are not an underdog. The match against India will be difficult because they will be supported by their home fans. Hong Kong also play fast and we are well aware of the importance of that match,” she added.

“I think we can win a berth in the world championship but you cannot guarantee anything in the sport. We will do everything possible to make it happen,” Shafeian concluded.