FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN take on the UAE in their opening preliminary round fixture of the second U-17 Gulf Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Doha, Qatar from October 16 to November 4.
The Gulf Football Federation (GFF) announced the match schedule for the tournament, which features a record 10 youth men’s national teams competing across 23 matches.
The Bahrainis and Emiratis are in Group A alongside Oman, China, and hosts Qatar, while defending champions Saudi Arabia are in Group B along with Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen, and Egypt.
Action kicks off on October 16, with Qatar facing China, who will make their first appearance in the event. That will be followed by the Bahrainis facing the Emiratis that same evening.
The group stage will continue until October 29, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals on November 1. The tournament will conclude with the final on November 4.
Under the competition regulations, if either semi-final or the final is level at the end of regulation, the winner will be decided directly by a penalty shootout.
Bahrain, coached by Ugo Klingor from Croatia, completed on Monday night an overseas training camp in the UAE in preparation for the GFF tournament. They played two friendly games during their stay against the hosts, losing both times.
Aside from the U-17 Gulf Cup, Bahrain’s youth men’s squad are also gearing up for the qualifiers of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2027, to be held in November later this year.
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