Bahrain set for U20 qualifying bid

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Bahrain will begin their bid to reach the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 when they take on Tajikistan tomorrow at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town.

The kingdom’s junior men’s football national team are hosting Group D of the qualifiers, which also features Jordan and Afghanistan, with matches running until September 6.

Head coach Ali Aamer has selected a 23-player squad for the campaign as Bahrain look to end a decade-long absence from the continental tournament.

The Bahrainis begin against Tajikistan tomorrow before returning to action against Jordan on Thursday. They then conclude their Group D fixtures against Afghanistan on September 6, with all three matches kicking off at 8.30pm.

Aamer, the former Bahrain and Muharraq midfielder, has been overseeing the team’s final preparations at the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) pitches at Isa Sports City in Riffa.

His final squad features Hussain Zuhair, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaie, Amjad Jaafar, Khaled Ahmed, Bader Hussain, Khaled Alkhalaf, Mubarak Fawaz, Mohammed Salah, Khaled Alkhaldi, Adam Fareed, Jassim Qasem, Abdulrahman Bassam, Ali Mehran, Karrar Huwaida, Ahmed Nasser, Ahmed Almuraisi, Komail Alsitrawi, Abdulla Osama, Ali Hussain and Mohammed Aljazzaf.

Goalkeepers Abdulla Ahmed, Hassan Albastaki and Hussain Ebrahim complete the 23-man roster.

Bahrain are amongst 32 teams competing in the qualification competition, divided into eight groups of four playing at centralised venues.

Each group will be contested in a single round-robin format, with the eight group winners and seven best runners-up securing their places at next year’s AFC U20 Asian Cup in China.

The continental showpiece is scheduled to take place from March 24 to April 10.

Bahrain are seeking their 10th appearance at the tournament and their first since 2016, having missed out on each of the past three editions.

GROUP D SCHEDULE