KUNA photo Kuwaiti player goes for a shot as the Iraqis defend.

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 22 (KUNA): Kuwait secured a convincing 29–16 win over Iraq at the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex on Thursday during the opening round of Group A in the main round of the 22nd Asian Handball Championship, a qualifier for the 2027 World Cup in Germany. The tournament began on January 15 and will run through January 29 in Kuwait.

Kuwait dominated from the start, particularly on defense, limiting Iraq to just six goals in the first half and taking a 14–6 lead into the break.

In the second half, Kuwait maintained its intensity, showing strong performances in both attack and defense, which helped it secure its first main round victory of the championship. Hassan Safar of Kuwait was named Man of the Match.

Thursday’s schedule included seven matches in total: South Korea and Japan drew 23–23 in Group A; in Group B, Bahrain defeated UAE 32–20 and Qatar overcame Saudi Arabia 32–25; Group C saw Jordan beat Oman 31–24; and in Group D, Iran defeated India 39–16 and China won 17–9 against Australia.

The championship continues on Friday with seven more matches: Kuwait vs Japan, Iraq vs South Korea, UAE vs Saudi Arabia, Qatar vs Bahrain, China vs India, Iran vs Australia, and Jordan vs Hong Kong.