BAHRAIN’S national sports competitions will be able to resume in the coming days – should the situation stabilise and under certain conditions – following the postponement of recent fixtures due to the unfortunate events that have been taking place in the kingdom.
This was announced yesterday by a number of local federations in separate statements, where it was highlighted that games will be taking place without spectators in attendance.
The Bahrain Football Association (BFA) revealed that matches in the His Majesty the King’s Cup football tournament will be played on Saturday, with games to follow in the Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League, the Bahrain First Division, the 2025-26 Bahrain Super Cup, and age group competitions later this month.
The Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) announced that the quarter-finals in the Khalifa Bin Salman Cup will be held this Friday and Saturday, while the Bahrain Handball Federation said that matches in the Khalid Bin Hamad Bahrain Handball League are set to go forward from tonight.
Amongst the major guidelines that are to be followed in this planned resumption are action must take place without fans and with only players, team staff members, and officials permitted to be on site, and play must also be halted immediately for a specific period should any warning alerts be issued.
In football, two remaining matches in the His Majesty the King’s Cup will be held on Saturday, followed by the premier league contests on March 12. First division fixtures are then set for March 15, the Super Cup on March 18, and the age group tournaments on March 24.
In the His Majesty the King’s Cup, holders Al Khaldiya and Muharraq are already through to the semi-finals, while the games upcoming are Al Ittifaq against Al Ahli and Riffa against Bahrain Club.
The BFA noted that the full schedule of other matches will be announced later.
The BFA also stated that should the current situation remain the same and not improve, the postponement will continue.
Meanwhile, the Khalifa Bin Salman Cup will be back on the hardwood.
Holders Muharraq will be battling Sitra and Ahli will clash with Al Hala in their quarter-final pairings on Friday. Then, on Saturday, Al Ettihad take on Manama and Nuwaidrat lock horns with Al Najma.
The BBA added that the return of spectators to games will be contingent upon the stabilisation of the situation and will be gradual.
Meanwhile, in the Khalid Bin Hamad Bahrain Handball League, Al Shabab are scheduled to play Bahrain Club and Tubli will lock horns with Al Tadhamun, both this evening.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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