Gulf Champions Look to Defend Their Crown

TDT | Manama

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Bahrain will enter the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup as reigning champions, with the groupstage draw taking place on 19 May in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the opening fixtures for the region’s national teams will be confirmed.

The draw will be held at Culture Square in the Arts Centre building within the Red Sea International Film Festival complex. It marks the first step toward a tournament scheduled to be staged in Jeddah from 23 September to 6 October, with all Gulf nations expected to participate.

Bahrain’s national team arrives as defending champions after winning the 26th edition. They beat Oman 2-1 in the final in Kuwait on 4 January 2025 to claim their second Arabian Gulf Cup title, following their first success in 2019. That triumph was built on disciplined performances throughout the tournament, with Croatian head coach Dragan Talajić overseeing a structured and consistent campaign.

Since then, his side have found results harder to come by on the international stage. In the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifiers, they were eliminated after a 2-0 home defeat to Saudi Arabia last June.. They finished fifth in Group C behind Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia, missing out on a playoff spot despite a competitive showing.

Their struggles continued later in the year at the 2025 Arab Cup, where they exited at the group stage. Bahrain finished third in their group with three points, recording defeats to Algeria (5-1) and Iraq (2-1), alongside a 3-1 win over Sudan.

In preparation for the upcoming Arabian Gulf Cup, Bahrain have since focused on a series of international friendlies aimed at building match sharpness, including an upcoming fixture against Georgia on 5 June in Tbilisi.