FUTSAL – BAHRAIN suffered a tough 0-2 loss to South Korea yesterday in their opening Group B match of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers.
The Bahrainis’ pool is being held in Bangkok, Thailand, with Brunei Darussalam and the host Thais also in the fray.
Second-half goals from Kang Ju-kwang and Shin Jong-hoon were enough to separate the two sides, as the Bahrainis were unlucky not to score despite having multiple chances.
Salman Al Mulla had their first opportunity in the third minute but South Korea goalkeeper Jeong Joo-ho tipped his effort onto the crossbar. Joo-ho then had another save on an Ahmed Antar effort, and then Ammar Mihad came close but the score remained goalless at the break.
After the re-start, South Korea got their opener when Ju-kwang sent in a rebound off a Jong-hoon attempt.
Antar and Mihad had chances to equalise but Joo-ho was up to the task. Jong-hoon then put the game away in the 28th minute after Bahrain went for a ‘power play’ with a man advantage on the court and their goalkeeper on the bench. But the nationals were unsuccessful in their attack and Jong-hoon seized the opportunity, sending the ball into an empty net.
The nationals will be looking to bounce back from yesterday’s seback when they next take on Thailand tomorrow at 3.30pm. They then complete their schedule against Brunei Darussalam on Wednesday at 12.30pm. Both times are Bahrain.
Bahrain have a 14-player squad in Thailand. The others are Hassan Marzooq, Mohammed Fouad, Hassan Al Jadahasa, Mohammed Al Sindi, Mohammed Abdulla, Hassan Budahoom, Raouf Al Asfoor, Ali Al Araibi, and goalkeepers Amin Hussain, Sayed Fadhel Mahfouz, and Louay Jaafar.
The Bahrainis are one of 31 national teams competing in qualifying. The field has been divided into seven groups of four and one group of three. Each division is being held at a centralised location.The eight group winners and the seven best-ranked runners-up will join hosts Indonesia at next year’s edition of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup, which will be held next year in Jakarta, from January 27 to February 7.
The AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 will be the 18th edition of the competition. Bahrain are aiming to be a part of the tournament for the fifth time.
&uuid=(email))