Aichi-Nagoya - Qatar’s national handball team face South Korea today in the semi-finals of the 20th Asian Games – Aichi-Nagoya 2026, looking to continue their successful campaign, secure a place in the final and move one step closer to retaining their Asian Games title. 

Team Qatar head into the match in high spirits following a string of positive results since the start of the competition. They topped Group A with a perfect six points after three consecutive victories, opening their campaign with a 40–17 win over Hong Kong before defeating China 30–25 and concluding the group stage with a 37–28 victory over Japan.

 Qatar continued their impressive run in the knockout stage with a 31–25 quarter-final victory over Iran. In a hard-fought encounter, Team Qatar overturned a 14–13 half-time deficit and took control in the second half to secure a six-goal victory and book their place in the semi-finals.

Team Qatar will be looking to maintain their strong form against South Korea, who secured their semi-final place after overcoming China in the quarter-finals, with a highly competitive encounter expected as both teams battle for a place in the final. The other semi-final will see hosts Japan face Bahrain.

Japan advanced after defeating Kuwait 37–32 in the quarter-finals, while Bahrain booked their place in the last four with a 37–16 victory over Hong Kong.

 The winners of the two semi-finals will meet in Tuesday’s final. Qatar have high ambitions at this edition of the Asian Games as they seek to retain the gold medal they won at the previous three editions ,  Incheon 2014, Jakarta 2018 and Hangzhou 2022. 

Team Qatar will now be aiming to reach another final and continue their pursuit of a fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal. Youssef Al Hail, Manager of Qatar’s national handball team, stressed the importance of giving everything in today’s Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games semi-final against South Korea. Pasted markdown Al Hail said the encounter would be difficult, describing South Korea as a strong team with a rich handball tradition and noting that they are no less formidable than any of the other teams to have reached the semi-finals.

 He said Team Qatar are determined to secure victory and reach the final despite the strength of the opposition, pointing out that the team completed the group stage with a perfect record before overcoming Iran in a very challenging quarter-final. On the possibility of winning a fourth consecutive gold medal, Al Hail said Team Qatar are taking the competition one step at a time, with their full focus currently on overcoming South Korea and reaching the final before continuing their pursuit of another gold medal. He also expressed confidence in the players’ ability to produce the required performance and represent Team Qatar in the best possible manner.