BAHRAIN is set to host one of the 11 groups in qualifying for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Championship next year in Thailand.
The qualifiers begin tomorrow and Bahrain is the host of Group ‘B’, which also includes Palestine, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The Bahrainis are attempting to book their place in the competition for a fourth consecutive edition.
Only the 11 group winners and four best second-placed teams qualify for the tournament, with host Thailand receiving an automatic berth.
In the event that Thailand finish among the qualified teams after either topping their group or being one of the four best second-placed squads, a fifth second-placed team in the ranking among all groups will qualify instead.
All the matches in Bahrain will be held at the Khalifa Sports City stadium in Isa Town.
Campaign
The home side kick off their campaign against Bangladesh tomorrow in a match scheduled for a 7pm kick-off. The earlier tie at 4pm will see Palestine take on Sri Lanka.
The Bahrainis’ next game on Sunday will be against the Sri Lankans, and then their final clash on Tuesday next week is against Palestine.
The under-23 squad will conclude their preparations for the tournament tonight with training under head coach Samir Ben Chammam at the match venue.
The qualifiers will set up the roster of teams that will compete in the AFC U23 tournament that is scheduled to take place in January of next year. The championship will then determine the continental representatives for the Tokyo Olympic Games later in 2020.
Match Schedule
Tomorrow
4pm: Palestine v Sri Lanka; 4pm: Bahrain v Bangladesh
Sunday
4pm: Bangladesh v Palestine; 7pm: Sri Lanka v Bahrain
Tuesday
4pm: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka; 7pm: Palestine v Bahrain