Australia beat Iran to finish fifth at the Asian Women's Handball Championships and qualify for the 2019 IHF Women's Handball World Championships ©Asian Handball Federation

Australia claimed fifth place at the Asian Women's Handball Championships in Kumamoto and qualified for next year's International Handball Federation (IHF) Women's World Championships.

Australia secured fifth place in the competition after beating Iran 30-24 at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium to consign their opponents to sixth place. 

Their fifth place finish means that they have now qualified for the 2019 IHF Women's Handball World Championships, also due to take place in Japan.

India and Hong Kong also met to determine who would finish seventh and eighth. 

A close fixture saw Hong Kong emerge as eventual 31-27 winners and take the seventh place spot. 

Hong Kong defeated India 31-27 to finish seventh at the Asian Women's Handball Championships in Kumamoto ©Asian Handball Federation
Hong Kong defeated India 31-27 to finish seventh at the Asian Women's Handball Championships in Kumamoto ©Asian Handball Federation

Tomorrow is scheduled to see see the final and bronze medal match played at the same venue. 

Hosts Japan will meet defending champions South Korea in the final, while Kazakhstan play China to decide who finishes third and fourth.

The European Women's Handball Championship is also due to resume tomorrow in France when Sweden will take on the hosts and Serbia play Russia, both in Group I in Nantes.

The African Women's Handball Championship, in Congo, is also set to resume with the quarter-finals.