Bahrain U23 exit Asian Cup qualifiers

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

Last-gasp Qatar turnaround breaks Abdulmajeed’s side

Bahrain’s U23 side needed a four-goal win over Qatar to top Group H of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers and reach the finals. Instead, they lost 2-1 at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, conceding twice in stoppage time. Abdulrahman Sami Al Khayyat had given Bahrain the lead in the 71st minute with a header after some fine build-up from Mahmood AlBannai. Bahrain's fortunes then took a turn as Qatar mounted a late comeback. Substitute Ayoub Mohamed was sent off for Qatar, but they still went on to win a penalty and Jassem Al Sharshani made no mistake from the spot.  

The result confirmed Bahrain’s elimination from the qualifiers.

Starting lineups

Bahrain coach Ali Abdulmajeed fielded Abdullah Ali Fried in goal, with Mahmood AlBannai, Sayed Mahmood AlMoosawi, Bader Al Asam, Isa Abdulla, Khalid Khalaf, Salman Yunes, Hashim Khulaifat, Mohammed AlShaikhani, Saud Mohsin, and Abdulla Obaidali completing the starting XI. 

Qatar, led by Portuguese coach Llidio Vale, lined up with Amir Hassan in goal, supported by Saifeldeen Hassan, Alhashimi Alhussain, Hassan Al Ghareeb, Abdulaziz Mohammed, Mubarak Shanan, Mohammed Khaled, Jassem Al Sharshani, Nabil Irfan, Marwan Brimil, and Anas Abdulsalam.

Group H recap

Bahrain opened the qualifiers with a 2-0 defeat to India, before bouncing back with a 10-0 win over Brunei. Their hopes of topping the group were dashed in the 2-1 loss to Qatar. Qatar finished first with a perfect record, thrashing Brunei 13-0, India 2-1, and Bahrain 2-1. India ended second with six points after beating Bahrain 2-0, losing 2-1 to Qatar, and beating Brunei 6-0 – though it could have been even more.

While the four best second-placed teams (from 11 groups) also qualified, India finished the campaign at number five among the group runner-ups, meaning their emphatic win over Brunei was not enough. Brunei lost all three matches, conceding 29 goals across the group stage.

The AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 finals will feature 16 teams: 11 group winners, the four best second-placed teams from the qualifiers, plus host Saudi Arabia.