Bangladesh is set to host the age-group men's IHF Trophy 2026 at the Shaheed Captain M. Mansur Ali National Handball Stadium in Paltan, with six nations competing in the five-day tournament from June 10 to 14.
The competition, organized under the umbrella of the International Handball Federation (IHF), will feature teams from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Yemen, Maldives and Afghanistan.
Dhaka has previously hosted three international handball tournaments, but the Bangladesh Handball Federation is expecting this edition to surpass all previous events in scale and competitiveness.
In the Under-20 category, the six participating teams have been divided into two groups. Group A consists of India, Nepal and Yemen, while Group B features Maldives, Afghanistan and hosts Bangladesh. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, with the final scheduled for June 14.
The Under-18 competition will be played in a round-robin league format, where the team finishing with the highest number of points will be crowned champion.
As part of its global development strategy, the IHF has divided Asia into several geographical zones to promote handball and provide young players with greater opportunities to gain international experience. South and Central Asian countries form Asian Zone 2, under which this year's age-group IHF Trophy is being held.
The champions of the Zone 2 tournament will qualify for the continental phase of the competition, where they will compete against the best teams from across Asia.
To mark the upcoming event, the Bangladesh Handball Federation held a press conference on Sunday at the auditorium of the Bangladesh Olympic Association.
Among those present were Bangladesh Handball Federation vice-presidents Dr. Abu Naser Mohammad Abdullah and Mohammad Majnu Molla, general secretary Md. Salauddin Ahmed, Head of Marketing of Dhaka Ice Cream Industries Limited Abdullah Al Mamun, Under-18 team manager Kamrul Islam, Under-20 team manager Mohammad Selim Mia and tournament coordinator Rashida Afzalun Nesa.
