FUTSAL – BAHRAIN’S men’s futsal national team have been drawn in a tough Group B for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers.
The draw was held on Thursday at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Bahrainis are part of a 31-nation field that has been divided into seven groups of four and one group of three for the qualifying competition, which is set to be held from September 20 to 24 later this year.
Each group will be holding their games at a centralised location.
Bahrain will be facing off with continental futsal standouts Thailand and South Korea, as well as Brunei Darussalam. Both the Thais and the South Koreans have clinched the tournament’s silver medals in past editions, with Thailand claiming them thrice – including in the 2024 event in Bangkok – and South Korea once.
The Thai capital will play host to Group B’s matches.
Group A will take place in Kuwait, Group C in Tajikistan, Group D in Saudi Arabia, Group E in China, Group F in Kyrgyzstan, Group G in Malaysia, and Group H in Myanmar.
The eight group winners and the seven best-ranked runners-up from the Qualifiers will join hosts Indonesia at the 18th edition of next year’s finals, which will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, from January 27 to February 7.
The Bahrainis will be looking to qualify for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup for the fifth time, including for the fourth straight edition. Their best ranking ever in the tournament was eighth in the 2018 championship held in Chinese Taipei, where they made it to the quarter-finals but lost to eventual runners-up Japan.
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