BFA confirms King’s Cup final

The Bahrain Football Association (BFA) confirmed that the King’s Cup final will take place on April 24 at 5:20 PM at the Bahrain National Stadium, with Riffa facing Muharraq in the 49th edition of the competition. The final adds another chapter to a rapidly intensifying rivalry between Bahrain’s two most successful clubs. Riffa already holds a psychological edge this season, having defeated Muharraq in the Khalid bin Hamad Cup final in February.

Their league meetings have also been tightly contested, finishing level in two 1-1 draws, and highlighting how evenly matched the sides have been across all competitions. Historically, the two clubs are also separated by fine margins in domestic cup success. Riffa are chasing an eighth King’s Cup title, while Muharraq remains the competition’s most successful club with 9 titles.

Al Ahli also holds 9, underlining the significance of silverware in Bahrain’s elite football hierarchy. Both teams reached the King’s Cup final through dramatic semi-final ties involving late twists and VAR controversy. Riffa secured their place after a 3-3 draw with ex-holders Al Khaldiya, eventually winning 4-3 on penalties. After falling behind early, they responded through Bader Al Asam and later took the lead via Rodrigo Yuri’s penalty.

Despite twice conceding equalisers, including a late spot kick that forced extra time, Riffa held their nerve in the shootout to progress. Muharraq also endured a tense route to the final, beating Al Ahli 2-1 in a heated “Clásico” despite playing more than 50 minutes with 10 men. Arthur Rezende opened the scoring before being sent off for a highboot challenge, but Soufiane Mahrouk doubled their lead soon after. Al Ahli pulled one back and pushed hard for an equaliser, but a stoppage-time penalty was overturned by VAR as Muharraq survived late pressure to seal their place in the final. With both teams having navigated testing semi-finals and separated by fine margins across the season, attention now turns to a final between the Kingdom’s most decorated clubs.