The Iranian national handball team has made its way to the world cup for the first time after a draw against Bahrain in the 16th Asian Senior Men’s Handball Championship.

Iran tied with the hosts 30-30 at a Group A match in the Khalifa Sports City’s Hall in the capital Manama late on Sunday, securing its place in the 2015 World Men’s Handball Championship in Qatar.

Iran managed to advance to the semifinal round as the second team with seven points after Bahrain with nine points.

In its two previous matches, Iran trounced Uzbekistan 54-22 on Friday and beat China 34-27 on Wednesday. The team also gained two other draws against Saudi Arabia and South Korea since the beginning of the tourney, yet with no losses.
 
The Iranians will take on Qatar in their semifinal match on Tuesday.

The 16th Asian Senior Men’s Handball Championship opened in the Bahraini capital on January 25, and will wrap up on February 6.

Spain, France, Denmark, Croatia, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, and Bahrain have also qualified for the 2015 world cup so far.

NT/MAM/AS