Talajić Calls on Fans to Rally Behind Bahrain

Bahrain Eyes Arab Cup Finals in Crucial Playoff Against Djibouti

Bahrain’s national football team will face Djibouti tomorrow at 4 PM at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha in a FIFA Arab Cup 2025 playoff, with the winner earning a place in the main tournament from December 1 to December 18 in Qatar. The Bahrainis have twice finished as runners-up in the Arab Cup (1985 in Ta’if, Saudi Arabia; 2002 in Kuwait) and will be looking to repeat that success, but they must first get past the struggling Djiboutian side.

The FIFA Arab Cup returns four years after Algeria captain Rais M’Bolhi lifted the trophy at Qatar’s iconic Al Bayt Stadium. The tournament begins with the qualification phase today and tomorrow, before the 16-nation group stage kicks off on 1 December. Lusail Stadium, which hosted the 2022 World Cup final, will once again host the Arab Cup final on 18 December. Nine nations are already directly seeded into the tournament, while the remaining seven places will be decided through one-off qualifiers taking place across Qatar during the next 2 days. The teams already qualified are hosts Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, and Iraq.

Coach Dragan Talajic confirmed the squad’s full readiness during a press conference held in Doha yesterday, emphasizing that the team has been preparing with high morale and a clear goal to reach the finals. “We want to deliver a performance that reflects the thorough preparations,” the Croatian said, while also highlighting the importance of fan support.  

Bahrain and Riffa forward Jassim Al Shaikh echoed Talajic’s sentiments, noting that recent preparations—including last week’s friendly against Somalia, which ended in a 1-2 defeat—have helped identify areas for improvement. “It was a technical lesson that sharpened our focus and gave us a better understanding of the challenges ahead,” Al Shaikh explained.

Despite a challenging run of recent results, the squad’s morale remains high. Talajic pointed out that a league break allowed players, especially those competing in Asian club competitions, to recover physically and regain readiness for the high-stakes qualifier.

The Bahrain squad features: Mohammed Jassim Marhoon, Mahdi Abduljabbar, Komail Al Aswad, Ali Madan, Mahdi Al Humaidan, Sayed Dhiya Saeed, Abdulla Al Khalasi, Waleed Al Hayyam, Amine Benaddi, and goalkeeper Ebrahim Luthfallah. Mehdi Humaidan and Amine Benaddi join the squad following club commitments and injury recovery, ensuring the team is at full strength.

Djibouti, meanwhile, comes into the match in equally poor form as their opponents. They arrive in the match on the back of six consecutive losses and will be looking to regroup after heavy defeats in recent friendlies against Morocco. A win tomorrow will send Bahrain into Group D of the Arab Cup, where they will face defending champions Algeria, Iraq, and the winner of Lebanon vs Sudan.

Kick-off is scheduled for 4 PM local time, with Bahraini fans expected to turn out in support. “As always, we hope our fans will stand behind the players, giving them a significant morale boost toward achieving their goal,” Talajic said.