It will be the fourth time that the two sides have met in the tournament's gold-medal match following the 2014, 2016 and 2018 editions.

Qatar and Iran began proceedings with the former pulling off a routine victory.

Qatar shot into an early lead and held their opponents at arm's length throughout, going into the second half 20-10 up.

The dominance continued into the second half as Qatar managed to see out a 34-19 win.

It will be a seventh appearance in the final for Qatar, who are seeking a fifth title in a row.

In the second semi-final, Bahrain met Saudi Arabia and also recorded a comfortable victory with the final score 29-20.

Bahrain have reached the final on four previous occasions but failed to win each time, so still seek their maiden title.

The final is set to take place on Monday (January 31) after the bronze-medal match between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

If Qatar win the final then only South Korea, on nine, will have won more titles.

Play is due to continue tomorrow with the seventh-place playoff between Uzbekistan and Kuwait.

South Korea and Iran will then meet for the fifth-place playoff, if South Korea - previously hit by a COVID-19 outbreak - are able to field a team.

The winner of that match will take the tournament's final qualification spot for the 2023 World Men's Handball Championship in Poland and Sweden.