Bahrain End Arab Challenge Cup Strong

Bahrain closed their Arab Challenge Cup campaign with a hard-fought 3–2 win over hosts Jordan yesterday at Princess Sumaya Hall in Amman, capping a tournament that began with high expectations and ended with a welcome return to winning form.

The Bahrainis entered the event chasing a historic first Arab Challenge Cup title while riding a remarkable run of achievements: bronze at the Islamic Solidarity Games in November, silver at the West Asia Championship, a historic AVC Nations Cup gold — the kingdom’s first-ever AVC title — and last year’s Arab Men’s Championship crown.

They opened the tournament with a confident 3–0 sweep of Palestine, but momentum stalled with three consecutive defeats to Egypt, Kuwait and eventual champions Tunisia. Against Jordan, however, Bahrain rediscovered their rhythm.

They controlled the opening sets 25–12 and 25–19, before Jordan rallied to take the third 25–23 and dominate the fourth 25–15. In the decisive fifth set, Bahrain steadied their play and closed it out 20–15 to seal the win.

The match stats reflected Bahrain’s sharper edge in key moments, with the visitors producing 19 points won on serve to Jordan’s 15, and registering a six-point scoring streak, compared to the hosts’ four.

Bahrain finish the inaugural edition with five points, earned from victories over Palestine and Jordan, wrapping up their campaign on a positive note after a challenging mid-tournament stretch.