Iran’s youth handball team secured a 21–18 victory over Kuwait on Monday, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship in Amman, Jordan. The win marked Iran’s second triumph in three group stage matches.

Following a close 24–22 loss to two-time champion Qatar the previous day, the Iranian squad rebounded strongly to earn a runner-up position in Group B. Mohammad-Taha Ebrahim Khanlari led the team’s offense with five goals, while captain Mahdi Ahmadifar added four and was named Man of the Match. Mohsen Hadizadeh, Mohammad Keshavarz, and Farshad Norouzpour each contributed three goals as Iran established a 13–9 halftime lead.

Iran had opened the tournament with a notable 28–20 victory against Saudi Arabia, which had reached the semifinals in the last two editions of the championship. The team is set to conclude the group phase with a match against Syria on Tuesday. Syria currently sits at the bottom of Group B, having lost all three of its matches, including a heavy 42–29 defeat to Qatar earlier on Monday.

Looking ahead, Iran will face either host nation Jordan or Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals scheduled for Friday. The decisive Group A match between Jordan and Uzbekistan will determine the third-place finisher, with both teams tied on two points but Jordan holding a slight advantage in goal difference. Bahrain and South Korea have already secured the top two positions in Group A after winning all three of their matches. South Korea, the most successful team in the tournament’s history with three titles, and Bahrain will clash on Tuesday to decide the group’s top spot.