FOOTBALL – Bahrain’s senior men’s football national team have received a formal invitation to participate in the 52nd edition of the prestigious King’s Cup in Thailand, which is scheduled to be held this November.
This was announced yesterday by the Bahrain Football Association (BFA).
The invitation-only event is an annual international men’s tournament organised by the Football Association of Thailand.
The competition is expected to feature four national teams, with three to-be-confirmed sides joining the host Thais.
An official on the kingdom’s senior men’s squad told the GDN last night that the BFA has yet to confirm their participation in Thailand’s King’s Cup as it may clash with the 2026 edition of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship, which is also slated for November later this year and will be hosted by Oman.
Bahrain are the defending champions of the WAFF tournament, having claimed the crown in its previous edition held in 2019.
The ensuing edition of the competition was postponed multiple times over the past few years but has been pencilled in for this year.
The official noted that since the WAFF Championship has yet to be finalised, the decision to play in Bangkok will be made in due course.
The King’s Cup in Thailand and the WAFF Championship in Muscat will both offer Bahrain a series of formidable opponents as they gear up for the AFC Asian Cup 2027, slated for January and February next year.
Bahrain are in Group B for the preliminary round of the continental event – to be hosted by Saudi Arabia – along with Uzbekistan, North Korea, and Jordan.
Thailand and Oman are also part of the 24-nation field.
Thailand are in Group F with Japan, Indonesia, and defending champions Qatar; Oman are in Group A with Kuwait, Palestine, and hosts Saudi.
Group C features Iran, Syria, Kyrgyzstan, and China; Group D is composed of Australia, Tajikistan, Iraq, and Singapore; Group E comprises South Korea, the UAE, Vietnam, and Yemen.
Bahrain will be participating in the AFC Asian Cup for the eighth time, including for the seventh straight edition.
Prior to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) tournament, the nationals are also taking part as defending champions in the 27th Gulf Cup in September and October of this year.
The eight-nation championship, also known as ‘Khaleeji 27’ and organised by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation, is to be held in Jeddah in Saudi.
Bahrain are in Group B for the preliminaries along with Qatar, the UAE, and Yemen, while Group A is composed of Iraq, Oman, Kuwait, and hosts Saudi.
The nationals completed earlier this month an overseas training camp in Europe – in Tbilisi, Georgia and at Antalya, Türkiye – in preparation for their upcoming events. It was held under the supervision of Croatian head coach Dragan Talajic.
The Bahrainis won the 26th Gulf Cup in January of 2025 after defeating Oman 2-1 in a thrilling final played in Kuwait City in Kuwait.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))