FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN have named the final 23-player squad that will be flying the kingdom’s flag in the AGCFF Gulf Cup U20 2025.
The kingdom’s junior men’s football national team are in Abha, Saudi Arabia, for the eight-nation tournament, which is scheduled to kick off on Thursday and continue until September 10.
The Bahrainis are in Group B for the preliminary round alongside Oman, Iraq, and Egypt, while Group A features Qatar, Kuwait, Yemen, and hosts Saudi.
The competition is being held for the first time under the umbrella of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF).
The Bahrain Football Association (BFA) has announced the list of national team players selected for the championship by head coach Ali Aamer.
The roster includes Yahya Adel, Faisal Rashid, Ebrahim Ali, Ali Hussain, Hadi Ghazi, Mohammed Bahzad, Amjad Jaafar, Ali Mahran, Abdulla Osama, Mubarak Fawaz, Mohammed Salah, Khaled Mohammed, Abdulrahman Bassam, Mohammed Adel, Ebrahim Al Muraisi, Hussain Al Haiki, Khaled Al Khalidi, Adam Fareed, Ahmed Nasser, and Khaled Ahmed, along with goalkeepers Abdulla Ahmed, Hassan Ali, and Isa Al Thawadi.
The kingdom’s delegation is headed by junior national team manager Abdulla Fardan, and it includes technical, administrative, and support staff members.
They arrived in Abha at the beginning of the week and have stepped up their final preparations for the start of play.
The Bahrainis are scheduled to open their campaign against Iraq on Friday at 7pm. They then take on Oman on Monday next week, also at 7pm, before completing the group stage against Egypt on September 4 at 4.30pm. All times are Bahrain, and the three games will be played at Damac FC Stadium.
Following the single round-robin, the top two teams from each pool will move on to the semi-finals, scheduled for September 7. The final will then be held on September 10 at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City stadium, scheduled for a 4.30pm kick-off.
Bahrain’s junior men’s side have been preparing for the AGCFF Gulf Cup U-20 2025 for the past several weeks, with training both inside and outside the kingdom.
Although not a member of the AGCFF, Egypt are participating following the withdrawal of the UAE. The Egyptians will be using the event to gear up for their participation in the Fifa U20 World Cup in Chile, scheduled for September 27 to October 19.
Saudi Arabia are also amongst the 24 squads from six confederations who will be playing in the tournament. They are joined by three other Asian teams, namely Japan, South Korea, and Australia.
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