Bahrain beat Kuwait in their Group B opener at the Asian Men's Handball Olympic Qualification Tournament for Tokyo 2020 ©Asian Handball Federation/Twitter

Bahrain and Iran picked up wins in their opening Group B matches at the Asian Men's Handball Olympic Qualification Tournament for Tokyo 2020.

Iran beat South Korea 28-27, before Bahrain defeated Kuwait 26-21 at the Duhail Handball Sports Hall in Qatar's capital Doha.

The two teams will play each other on Sunday (October 20), immediately after Kuwait's clash with South Korea.

Action in Doha continues tomorrow with Hong Kong facing Saudi Arabia and India meeting hosts Qatar in Group A.

The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals, taking place on Thursday (October 24).

The medal matches are scheduled for next Saturday (October 26).

Overall victory in the eight-team tournament will ensure qualification for Tokyo 2020.

The runners-up have another chance to book a berth at the International Handball Federation qualification tournaments in April.