FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN will be taking on the UAE in an international friendly match next month, the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) has announced.
The kingdom’s senior men’s football national team will be playing the tune-up in Dubai on September 8. It will be part of both teams’ preparations for their upcoming competitions, including the Fifa Arab Cup 2025 this December in Doha, Qatar.
The game against the Emiratis will be held at Dubai’s Zabeel Stadium. It is scheduled for a 7.15pm kick-off, Bahrain time.
The contest will be the second of two friendlies scheduled for the Bahrainis early next month, with another two planned for October. They will also be facing Qatar in Doha on September 3. The clash will be at Al Thumama Stadium in the Qatari capital with a 6.15pm kick-off, Bahrain time.
The two upcoming exhibitions will be strong tests for the nationals ahead of their expected participation in the Fifa Arab Cup 2025. Both the UAE and Qatar are currently ahead of Bahrain on the Fifa World Ranking. The Emiratis are 65th overall and 10th in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), while Qatar are 53rd in the world and fifth in the continent.
The Bahrainis are presently 89th on the Fifa World Ranking and 12th in the AFC.
Aside from this year’s Fifa Arab Cup, both the UAE and Qatar are also gearing up for the fourth round of AFC qualifiers for the Fifa World Cup 2026, which begin in October. Bahrain have already been eliminated from this qualification competition.
The Bahrainis conducted last month an overseas summer training camp in Maribor, Slovenia, under the supervision of head coach Dragan Talajic. The Croatian tactician worked with a new-look squad following the exclusion of a number of veteran players, who have been replaced with younger stars.
Prior to competing in the Fifa Arab Cup 2025, the nationals must first play a qualifying game in November against Djibouti to secure their spot in the tournament proper’s group stage. The date and venue of the single-game contest has yet to be announced.
Should the Bahrainis win, they will be in Group D where they will join Algeria, Iraq, and either Lebanon or Sudan. Group A features competition hosts Qatar, Tunisia, Syria or South Sudan, and Palestine or Libya; Group B is composed of Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Oman or Somalia, and Yemen or Comoros; and Group C includes Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, and either Kuwait or Mauritania.
The Fifa Arab Cup 2025 is the 11th edition of the tournament and the second time it is being held under Fifa’s jurisdiction. The tournament is scheduled for December 1 to 18. It is the third time Doha is hosting the event.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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