Bahrain’s Asian futsal journey officially kicks off today, with the team set to face Kuwait in their first match of the 17th AFC Futsal Asian Cup, being held in the Thai capital of Bangkok, which also acts as a qualifier to the 2024 Fifa Futsal World Cup Finals.
This will be Bahrain’s fourth ever appearance at the final stages of the competition. The first one was in 2002, and then the team had to wait 16 years before qualifying again in 2018, and once more in 2022.
The boys in red will be hoping to surpass their best ever finish in 2018, where they reached the quarter-finals, only to narrowly lose to tournament favourites Japan 2-0.
Bahrain have been drawn in Group D against Iran, Afghanistan and Kuwait, with the team aiming for a top two finish to qualify into the knockout stages.
The two faced off in the qualifiers for the tournament back in October last year, where the Kuwaitis won a hotly contested match 5-3.
Bahrain ended up finishing second in the group, qualifying for the tournament finals after a 1-0 win over East Timor and 6-1 thumping of Brunei.
According to head coach Rafael Fogageiro, the team is in high spirits and up for the challenge against their Gulf rivals.
“The overall mood in the team is encouraging and we are confident of winning our match against Kuwait,” the Brazilian told the AFC ahead of today’s match.
“We had a five-day training camp and the players are prepared and ready to do what it takes to win the opening match and qualify for the knockout phase.
“Kuwait is one of the strongest teams competing in this tournament. However, we have an injury-free squad capable of challenging the best teams in Asia.”
Kuwait meanwhile, is being headed by Iranian coach Mohammad Nazemasharieh, who is anticipating a difficult match for both teams.
“Bahrain are a formidable challenge with skilled players and effective attacking tactics,” he told the AFC. “However, we are equally matched and anticipating a balanced game. The group is strong but my players are ready to give their all.”
Bahrain will then face a difficult test against tournament favourites Iran on April 20 (Saturday), who have won the AFC Futsal Asian Cup a record 12 times, including eight triumphs in a row from the inaugural tournament in 1999 all the way to 2005. Additionally, they have never finished below third place.
They are being led by head coach Vahid Shamsaei who is also the team’s all time top goal scorer, with a total 392 goals in just 189 matches.
Also in the mix is Afghanistan, who will be making their debuts in the tournament under the guidance of Iranian head coach Majid Mortezaei. They will face Bahrain in the final group stage game on Monday.
The current edition began yesterday with hosts Thailand defeating China 3-1, and Southeast Asian duo Vietnam and Myanmar battling to a 1-1 draw.
The tournament also doubles as a qualifier for the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup Finals, to be held in Uzbekistan in September. The top four teams in the Asian championship will qualify.
Since Uzbekistan have already qualified as hosts, if the Uzbeks finish in the top four, a play-off round will be held to determine Asia’s fifth and final team, meaning a quarterfinal finish could be just enough this time around.
nader@gdnmedia.bh