ROAD TO DOHA

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

Four Nations, One Purpose

Bahrain’s U23 national football team are in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan this week, competing in a four-nation tournament against Oman, Syria, and the host nation. The action begins tomorrow with Bahrain taking on Oman at the Dostuk Arena in Besh-Kungey, kicking off at 5pm Bahrain time.

All matches will be held either at Dostuk Arena or Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek. Bahrain’s second game is against Syria on Sunday, followed by their final match next Wednesday versus Kyrgyzstan.

Tournament as a Springboard

This competition is a dress rehearsal for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, which begin in September. Head coach Ali Abdulmajeed has been putting the squad through daily training sessions since their arrival in Kyrgyzstan last week, using this tournament to assess match fitness.

Meet the 26-Man Squad

The squad coach Abdulmajeed has called up is as follows:

Abdulla Freah, Ashraf Mubarak, Mohammed Khalifa, Jawad Ali, Bader Al Asam, Salman Younis, Mohammed Al Shehani, Abdulla Al Qassab, Hashem Khulaifat, Issa Abdulla, Abdulrahman Al Khayyat, Rashid Mujiran, Abdulrahman Aboud, Mahmood Al Bannai, Ramzi Abdulla, Abdulla Al Obaidli, Hassan Sameer, Ali Tarada, Saud Mohsen, Mohammed Ahmed, Ali Sahwan, Salem Al Dosari, Khaled Khalaf, Mubarak Mohammed, Saad Al Attar, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaie.

Eyes on Doha

Come September, Bahrain will compete in Group H of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, held in Doha, Qatar. They’ll face Qatar, India, and Brunei Darussalam in a centralized round-robin format.

In total, 44 teams are vying for a spot in the final tournament. To qualify, Bahrain must top their group or rank among the four best runners-up across all groups. If successful, they’ll join host nation Saudi Arabia, who is staging the AFC U23 Asian Cup for the first time ever.

Who’s Playing Where?

Here’s a glance at the full qualifying group structure:

• Group A: Jordan (hosts), Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Bhutan
  
  

• Group B: Myanmar (hosts), Japan, Kuwait, Afghanistan
  
  

• Group C: Vietnam (hosts), Yemen, Singapore, Bangladesh
  
  

• Group D: China (hosts), Australia, Timor-Leste, Northern Mariana Islands
  
  

• Group E: Kyrgyzstan (hosts), Uzbekistan, Palestine, Sri Lanka
  
  

• Group F: Thailand (hosts), Malaysia, Lebanon, Mongolia
  
  

• Group G: Cambodia (hosts), Iraq, Oman, Pakistan
  
  

• Group H: Qatar (hosts), Bahrain, India, Brunei Darussalam
  
  

• Group I: UAE (hosts), Iran, Hong Kong, Guam
  
  

• Group J: Indonesia (hosts), South Korea, Laos, Macau
  
  

• Group K: Tajikistan (hosts), Syria, Philippines, Nepal
  
  

Bahrain’s Upcoming Fixtures (BH Time – 5pm Kick-offs)

• Tomorrow (Thu, July 17) – Oman vs Bahrain (Dostuk Arena, Besh-Kungey)
  
  

• Sunday (July 20) – Syria vs Bahrain (Dostuk Arena, Besh-Kungey)
  
  

• Wednesday (July 23) – Kyrgyzstan vs Bahrain (Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek)
  
  

The Road Ahead

Bahrain’s U23s know this week could set the tone for a long-awaited return to the Asian stage. Tomorrow’s four-nation tournament kickoff may just be the launchpad they need.

Their journey to Saudi Arabia begins here, and it runs through Bishkek.