TEHRAN – Iran’s men’s national handball lost to Qatar, defending champions, 31-25 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya on Saturday.

Nenad Kljaić’s side produced an impressive first-half performance, taking a 14–13 lead into the break and putting one of the tournament’s main gold-medal contenders under significant pressure.

However, Iran could not maintain their advantage in the second half and ultimately bowed out of the Asian Games at the quarterfinal stage