Young Bahrainis eye Asian return
Bahrain begin their quest to return to the AFC U20 Asian Cup after a decade when they take on Tajikistan in their opening qualifier tonight at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town.
The kingdom’s junior men’s football team are hosting Group D of the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, with Jordan and Afghanistan completing the four-team pool.
Tonight’s clash kicks off at 8.30pm and will follow the group’s opening fixture between Jordan and Afghanistan at 5pm at the same venue.
Head coach Ali Aamer will hope his side can make the most of home advantage and get their three-match campaign off to a winning start.
The former Bahrain and Muharraq midfielder has selected a 23-player squad for the campaign; the youngsters completed their preparations at the Bahrain Football Association pitches at Isa Sports City in Riffa.
The qualifiers feature 32 teams divided into eight groups of four, with matches in each pool played at a centralised venue.
Each group will be contested in a single round-robin format, with the eight group winners and seven best runners-up advancing to next year’s AFC U20 Asian Cup in China.
That leaves little room for error during the three-match campaign as the youngsters look to secure the kingdom’s 10th appearance at the continental showpiece.
A coordination meeting for the participating Group D teams was also held ahead of the qualifiers, with Bahrain team manager Turki Abdulla in attendance as administrative arrangements for the matches were finalised.
Aamer’s 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 roster.
Bahrain first competed in the Asian U20 championship in 1973 and are now looking to end a run of three successive missed editions.
The 2027 finals, which will be the 43rd edition of the tournament, are scheduled to take place in China from March 24 to April 10.
Group D action continues on Thursday, when Afghanistan face Tajikistan at 5pm before Bahrain meet Jordan at 8.30pm.
The final round of matches will be played on Sunday, with Jordan taking on Tajikistan at 5pm and Bahrain facing Afghanistan at 8.30pm.
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