FOOTBALL – THE stage is set for a mouth-watering showdown between Bahraini football juggernauts Muharraq and Riffa tomorrow evening in the final of the 2025-26 His Majesty the King’s Cup – Bahrain’s richest annual football tournament.
The title-decider is scheduled for a 5.20pm kick-off and it will be played at the National Stadium in Riffa, with a large crowd of fans expected to attend in support of both clubs.
The two teams have been gearing up intensively for this high-profile clash, which will be a re-match of their head-to-head in the championship game of the 2026 Khalid bin Hamad Cup, held last February and won by Riffa 8-7 in a thrilling penalty shootout after extra-time ended tied at 1-1.
Both Muharraq and Riffa are also amongst the three remaining contenders for the crown in the 2025-26 Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League, with Muharraq in second and Riffa third and only four fixtures remaining this campaign.
But before that title is determined, their focus remains on tomorrow’s night’s HM the King’s Cup final.
“We know we will face a difficult opponent,” said Muharraq’s Portuguese head coach Fernando Manuel de Jesus Santos yesterday during his pre-match Press conference.
Santos, left, alongside Muharraq’s veteran goalkeeper Sayed Mohammed Jaafar at their Press conference yesterday
“It will be a tough and very competitive match – we’ve played three times with them and we saw how difficult it was. But the good thing is we are here to play a final.
“We prepared for this game the same way we are preparing for all our matches. Muharraq always play for a win, and the focus must be on our limits.”
Riffa’s Kuwaiti head coach Mohamed Mashaan said in his own Presser yesterday that his players are in a good place mentally before the contest.
Mashaan, right, with inspirational defender Hamad Shamsan during their Presser yesterday
Speaking in Arabic, Mashaan acknowledged that Muharraq are a strong and popular team, but Riffa will strive to make their fans happy.
He added that finals are always different from other fixtures, and that reaching them is not easy, although by qualifying for tomorrow’s game, Riffa have received a boost in confidence.
Muharraq booked their tickets to the title-decider after defeating long-time rivals Al Ahli 2-1 in the tournament’s semi-final encounter. Riffa, on the other hand, edged past last year’s HM the King’s Cup winners Al Khaldiya 4-3 following a tense penalty shootout, after their contest ended deadlocked at 3-3 after extra-time.
Muharraq will be looking to add to their record 33 titles in Bahrain’s most precious football competition. They last won the HM the King’s Cup in the 2019-2020 season and had since made it to the championship match just once – in 2023-24 when they lost to Ahli on penalties.
Riffa will be gunning for their eighth tournament crown – third-best in the kingdom behind Muharraq and Ahli’s nine trophies. They last triumphed in 2020-21 against Ahli.
Meanwhile, the game’s official technical meeting was also held yesterday at the BFA headquarters in Riffa, chaired by BFA board member and competitions committee head Nayef Al Majed.
A number of other BFA officials were on hand, along with representatives from Muharraq and Riffa.
Al Majed emphasised the importance of co-operation in implementing all administrative and organisational procedures related to the HM the King’s Cup final to ensure that the game is held in the best possible way.
During the gathering, it was agreed that Muharraq will be wearing their red kits tomorrow evening and that Riffa will be using their sky blue uniforms.
Al Majed also met with the heads of the fan associations from both teams, with whom he stressed the importance of adhering to the organisational procedures to reflect the celebration of Bahrain’s most prestigious cup in football.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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