MAS-TPE | IKF #U21WKC 2026

Chinese Taipei launched their IKF U21 World Korfball Championship 2026 campaign in style, defeating hosts Malaysia 26-13 in the tournament’s opening match in Nilai on Saturday morning.

Playing in Group C alongside Portugal and Thailand, the higher-ranked Chinese Taipei side controlled proceedings from the outset. Ya-Chi Lee, Pei-Yun Wu and Yu-Ju Wu scored in quick succession to establish an early 0-3 lead. Although Malaysia responded through Li Xian Marvin Tan, Chinese Taipei continued to pull away, leading 8-2 by the end of the first quarter and 12-5 at half-time.

Pei-Yun Wu was outstanding, finishing as the match’s top scorer with six goals. Shao-En Chiu contributed four after coming off the bench, while Pin-Wei Lin, Tzu-Yen Ho and Yu-Ju Wu each added three. Chinese Taipei’s clinical finishing from medium range, running-in shots and penalties proved decisive.

Malaysia showed resilience and scored regularly in the second half, with Li Xian Marvin Tan leading their attack with three goals. Zheng Keat Chong, Yu Qin Tea and Zheng Hou Chong each scored twice. The hosts closed the gap briefly in the final quarter but could not match their opponents’ intensity or accuracy, eventually falling to a 13-goal defeat.

The result gives Chinese Taipei an ideal start to the group phase, while Malaysia will look to regroup quickly ahead of their remaining matches on home soil.

Final score: Malaysia U21 13 – 26 Chinese Taipei U21

Half-time: 5–12 Top scorers: Pei-Yun Wu (Chinese Taipei) 6; Shao-En Chiu (Chinese Taipei) 4; Li Xian Marvin Tan (Malaysia) 3.

The IKF U21 World Korfball Championship 2026 continues until 16 August in Nilai, Malaysia.