Handball at Asian Games 2026: Schedule, Groups & Venues
Handball will be played during the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya from 19 to 29 September in Japan. The games will be played at Kasugai City General Gym in Kasugai and Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) in Inazawa, Aichi Prefecture. The handball will be held at the Games in two forms – men’s handball and women’s handball – with separate formats determining the winners.
This is the complete Handball Asian Games 2026 guide: schedule, format, quarter-finals and semi-finals, results, standings and the men’s and women’s teams and groups. For the wider picture, see all Asian Games 2026 participating countries.
When Is Handball at the 2026 Asian Games?
Handball at the Asian Games 2026 will take place from Saturday, 19 September, through Tuesday, 29 September 2026.
The men’s preliminary round begins on 19 September, followed by the remaining group matches through 25 September. The men’s quarterfinals are scheduled for 26 September, with the semifinals on 28 September and the bronze-medal match and final on 29 September.
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Event | Handball at the 2026 Asian Games |
| Asian Games | 20th Asian Games |
| Host country | Japan |
| Host region | Aichi-Nagoya |
| Handball dates | 19–29 September 2026 |
| Men’s competition | 19–29 September |
| Women’s competition | 19–27 September |
Where Will Handball Be Played at the 2026 Asian Games?
Handball games are to be played in two locations in the prefecture of Aichi:
Kasugai City General Gymnasium
Kasugai City General Gymnasium is the general gymnasium in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture. It will host the men’s preliminary matches, all four men’s quarter-finals, and some of the women’s league matches.
Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO)
ENTRIO (Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium) in the city of Inazawa, Aichi Prefecture. It will feature a considerable part of the group stage level where Japan will play, as well as the men’s semi-finals, bronze medal match, and final.
Men’s Handball Schedule
The preliminary round is followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals, bronze-medal game and final. All times below are local Japanese times.
Handball Asian Games 2026 Schedule
Find Handball Asian Games 2026 matches by date and match type.
19 September 2026
| Time | Group | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:30 | Group B | Iran vs Kuwait | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
20 September 2026
| Time | Group | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:30 | Group B | Kazakhstan vs Bahrain | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
| 15:00 | Group A | China vs Japan | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
| 17:30 | Group A | Hong Kong, China vs Qatar | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
21 September 2026
| Time | Group | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 | Group A | Hong Kong, China vs Japan | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
| 14:30 | Group B | Iran vs Bahrain | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
| 17:00 | Group B | Republic of Korea vs Kuwait | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
| 19:30 | Group A | China vs Qatar | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
22 September 2026
| Time | Group | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 | Group B | Kuwait vs Kazakhstan | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
| 17:30 | Group B | Iran vs Republic of Korea | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
23 September 2026
| Time | Group | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:30 | Group B | Kazakhstan vs Iran | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
| 15:00 | Group A | China vs Hong Kong, China | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
| 17:30 | Group B | Republic of Korea vs Bahrain | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) |
25 September 2026
| Time | Group | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:30 | Group B | Bahrain vs Kuwait | Kasugai City General Gymnasium |
| 15:30 | Group A | Qatar vs Japan | Kasugai City General Gymnasium |
| 17:30 | Group B | Kazakhstan vs Republic of Korea | Kasugai City General Gymnasium |
Men’s Handball Quarterfinal Schedule
All four men’s quarterfinals are scheduled for 26 September 2026 at Kasugai City General Gymnasium.
| Date | Time | Match |
|---|---|---|
| 26 September | 12:00 | A2 vs B3 |
| 26 September | 14:00 | B2 vs A3 |
| 26 September | 16:00 | A1 vs B4 |
| 26 September | 18:00 | B1 vs A4 |
The actual teams will be determined by the final Group A and Group B standings.
Men’s Handball Semifinal Schedule
The semifinals will take place on 28 September 2026 at ENTRIO.
| Date | Time | Match |
|---|---|---|
| 28 September | 15:00 | Winner QF 1 vs Winner QF 4 |
| 28 September | 17:30 | Winner QF 2 vs Winner QF 3 |
The semifinal winners will advance to the gold-medal final.
Men’s Final
The final day of men’s handball is scheduled for 29 September 2026 at ENTRIO.
| Date | Time | Match |
|---|---|---|
| 29 September | 17:00 | Loser SF 1 vs Loser SF 2 — Bronze Medal |
| 29 September | 19:30 | Winner SF 1 vs Winner SF 2 — Gold Medal Final |
The 19:30 match is the men’s handball final and will decide the Asian Games gold medal.
Women’s Handball at Asian Games 2026
The women’s competition has a different format from the men’s tournament.
Seven teams play a single round-robin instead of a group-plus-knockout format. Each team faces the other six, and the final standings decide the medals.
Women’s Handball Teams
| Team |
|---|
| Japan |
| Republic of Korea |
| Kazakhstan |
| China |
| Hong Kong, China |
| Uzbekistan |
| Vietnam |
Japan is the host nation and will face Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, China, Kazakhstan, and Republic of Korea during the women’s competition.
Women’s Handball Schedule
| Date | Time | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 September | 10:00 | Hong Kong, China vs Republic of Korea | ENTRIO |
| 19 September | 10:00 | Kazakhstan vs China | Kasugai |
| 19 September | 12:00 | Japan vs Vietnam | Kasugai |
| 20 September | 13:30 | Republic of Korea vs Kazakhstan | Kasugai |
| 20 September | 15:30 | Vietnam vs Hong Kong, China | Kasugai |
| 20 September | 17:30 | Japan vs Uzbekistan | Kasugai |
| 22 September | 13:30 | Vietnam vs Kazakhstan | Kasugai |
| 22 September | 15:30 | Hong Kong, China vs Japan | Kasugai |
| 22 September | 17:30 | Uzbekistan vs China | Kasugai |
| 23 September | 13:30 | Hong Kong, China vs Kazakhstan | Kasugai |
| 23 September | 15:30 | Uzbekistan vs Republic of Korea | Kasugai |
| 23 September | 17:30 | China vs Japan | Kasugai |
| 25 September | 12:30 | Vietnam vs Uzbekistan | ENTRIO |
| 25 September | 15:00 | Kazakhstan vs Japan | ENTRIO |
| 25 September | 17:30 | Republic of Korea vs China | ENTRIO |
| 26 September | 12:30 | Kazakhstan vs Uzbekistan | ENTRIO |
| 26 September | 15:00 | China vs Hong Kong, China | ENTRIO |
| 26 September | 17:30 | Republic of Korea vs Vietnam | ENTRIO |
| 27 September | 12:00 | Uzbekistan vs Hong Kong, China | ENTRIO |
| 27 September | 14:30 | China vs Vietnam | ENTRIO |
| 27 September | 17:00 | Japan vs Republic of Korea | ENTRIO |
Frequently Asked Questions
Where will Handball Asian Games 2026 be played?
Handball will be played at Kasugai City General Gymnasium in Kasugai and Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO) in Inazawa, Aichi Prefecture.
How many men’s handball teams are there?
There are nine men’s teams, split into Group A (four teams) and Group B (five teams) after four nations withdrew before the draw.
How many women’s teams can you see playing?
The women’s competition is a single round-robin, with a contention pool of 7 teams.
Final Thoughts
With the Asian Games 2026 to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, a competitive field is expected in both the men’s and women’s events, each with its own path to the medals.
Nine men’s teams compete across two preliminary groups before a knockout stage decides the gold and bronze medals. For the women’s event, there are a total of 7 teams, which will participate in a full round-robin running throughout the competition; hence, consistency is important in the women’s event.
From 19 to 29 September 2026 there is plenty to watch — Japan’s home fixtures, the group-stage clashes, and a decisive run of quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches. Also see our basketball, football and field hockey guides.
