China’s narrow victory over Iran in the Hangzhou 2022 final remains one of the defining moments of blind football at the Asian Para Games history. Three years later, the two nations are preparing for another continental contest, with hosts Japan determined to make their own mark at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
China arrive with the confidence of defending champions and a fresh Asian Championship title. Iran will be looking to improve on their silver medal from Hangzhou, while Japan have the advantage of playing at home and the encouragement of reaching the continental final earlier this year.
At the 5th Asian Para Games, the competition is scheduled for October 16 to 23 at the Nagoya City Tsuruma Park Multipurpose Sports Field (Terraspo Tsuruma) in Nagoya city, in Aichi, with 48 players from six nations in action.
China bring winning form
China won the inaugural Asian Para Games title in Guangzhou in 2010 and reclaimed gold at Hangzhou in 2023, defeating Iran 2-1 on penalties after a goalless final. They also claimed silver at the 2023 IBSA World Games, losing to Argentina in another penalty shootout.
At Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, China held five-time Paralympic champions Brazil to a goalless draw but missed the semifinals, eventually finishing fifth after beating Morocco 1-0.
Their latest continental success came in April 2026, when they defeated Japan 1-0 in Osaka to secure their eighth Asian Championship title and qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics. Zhang Jiabin scored the winner and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while Xu Huachu received the best goalkeeper award.
Tang Zhihua will join Jiabin at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, as they were part of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games squad, which won the gold medal.
Iran’s experienced campaigners seek redemption
Iran, the gold medallist at Incheon 2014, will be looking to reverse their Hangzhou 2022 defeat against China.
Their confirmed squad includes Sadegh Rahimighasr and Hossein Rajabpour, both members of the team that claimed a historic silver medal at Rio 2016.
Rajabpour, who also competed at London 2012, scored during Iran’s 2-0 group-stage victory over Morocco in Rio. Rahimighasr was part of the side that defeated Argentina on penalties in the semifinals before losing 1-0 to Brazil in the gold-medal match.
Iran did not compete at the April 2026 Asian Championship, leaving their current form relatively untested against their leading continental rivals.
Japan seek home advantage
Japan will hope to improve on their medal-less finishes at the major championships including the Hangzhou 2022 Games, where they finished fourth after losing to Thailand in a penalty shoot-out. They had ended in eighth position at Paris 2024, where they lost all three group matches before suffering a 2-0 defeat to Türkiye.
However, their recent results offer encouragement. At the April 2026 Asian Championship, Japan defeated India 2-0 and Australia 10-0 before overcoming Thailand 2-0 in the semifinals.
Although China edged the final 1-0, Japan’s Taichi Hirabayashi finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with six goals.
Playing at home provides Japan with another opportunity to challenge China’s continental dominance and improve on their previous records.
Thailand among other contenders
Thailand will also be looking to build on their recent achievements, having claimed bronze at Hangzhou 2022.
They repeated that result at the 2026 Asian Championship, recovering from their semifinal defeat against Japan to beat India 4-1 in the third-place playoff.
With China defending their crown, Iran seeking another Asian title and Japan carrying home expectations, Aichi-Nagoya 2026 promises another closely contested chapter in Asian blind football.
