Kuwait Youth Defeats Japan in Asian Youth Championship

Kuwait’s national team secured a thrilling and crucial 30-29 victory over Japan on Sunday, within the Group B matches of the 19th Asian Youth Handball Championship, which runs until July 26 in the Chinese city of Chuzhou. The tournament serves as qualifiers for the 26th IHF Men’s Junior World Championship (U-21), scheduled to take place from June 23 to July 4, 2027, in North Macedonia, with the top four teams advancing to the World Cup.

This marks the second consecutive win for the “Youth Blues,” following their dominant 47-15 victory over India, compensating for their opening match loss to Iran, 27-29. The result lifts Kuwait to four points from three matches, placing them fourth and bolstering their chances of competing for one of the spots in the main round.

Conversely, Japan suffered their third defeat of the tournament, leaving them with two points from four matches after losses to the United Arab Emirates (29-32) and Qatar (25-29), alongside a win against India (47-14). They remain in fifth place.

The national team will face a tough clash against South Korea at 3:00 PM on Monday, followed by a match against Qatar on July 21, and will conclude the group stage against the United Arab Emirates on July 22.

In the same group, Iran edged out Qatar in a tight 26-25 contest, while South Korea recorded a dominant 49-19 victory over India.

South Korea moved up to six points, taking the top spot with a one-point lead over both the United Arab Emirates and Iran. Qatar remained on two points in sixth place, while India stayed winless in seventh.