Bahrain Volleyball Team Named for 4th Gulf Games

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain have announced their men’s volleyball squad for the 4th Gulf Games in Doha, Qatar (May 11–22), marking the beginning of a new cycle for the team.

The 17-player squad will be led by Montenegrin head coach Ivan Joksimovic, who arrives on the back of a dominant domestic campaign with Dar Kulaib, guiding them to the 2025–26 Isa Bin Rashid Bahrain Volleyball League title without a single defeat. He replaces French coach Arnaud Josserand, who oversaw one of the Kingdom’s most successful periods in recent years, including gold at the 2025 AVC Men’s Volleyball Nations Cup, bronze at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games, and the Arab Men’s Championship title in 2024. The squad features Ali Habib, Mahmood Abdulwahid, Hassan Ali Al Warqaa, Abbas Abdullah Sultan, Mahmood Al Affia, Sayed Hashim Isa, Mohammed Jassim, Hussain Mansoor, Mahmood Abdulhussain, Hani Al Alawi, Hassan Al Shakhouri, Hussain Abdullah Sultan, Ayman Haroona, Ali Ibrahim, Ahmed Sadiq, Mohammed Al Khabbaz, and Abdullah Mohammed Jaafar.

Bahrain will begin their Gulf Games campaign against Oman on May 16. They will then face the United Arab Emirates on May 17, Kuwait on May 19, hosts Qatar on May 20, and Saudi Arabia on May 22.

Beyond regional competition, the nationals are also set to compete in the 2026 AVC Men’s Volleyball Cup in Ahmedabad, India (June 20–28). They have been drawn into a demanding group alongside India, Australia, Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, and New Zealand.

With a new coach at the helm and a squad built on recent regional success, Bahrain face a key test of whether they can maintain their upward trajectory on both Gulf and Asian stages.