Iran and South Korea played out a 26-26 draw in their Asian Games handball match on 22 September 2026. The result leaves both sides with something to ponder ahead of their next fixtures. To be fair, neither side dominated for long stretches of the contest.
Iran now sit fourth in the table with one point from three games, having managed two draws and one defeat. South Korea occupy third place with three points from two matches, recording one win and one loss. The gap between them remains narrow, though the South Koreans have played fewer games.
The hosts arrived with a mixed recent record. They lost 20-34 to Bahrain on 21 September after drawing 24-26 with Kuwait a couple of days earlier. Before that, results were uneven against Jordan, China and Australia. And here's the thing, they needed this point to steady their campaign.
South Korea came into the match with slightly better momentum. They had beaten Kuwait 26-23 on the previous day, following a narrow 31-32 defeat to Saudi Arabia in late January. Their January fixtures also included losses to Kuwait and Iraq, plus a draw with Japan. By then, they had shown they could compete at this level.
The draw means Iran remain without a victory so far, while South Korea hold on to their winning record from the tournament. Neither side has pulled away from the pack, and the standings could shift dramatically with just a few more points at stake.
