FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN’S senior men’s football national team could participate in a 14-nation international tournament in January of next year, it has emerged.
The competition is being planned as a replacement for the postponed AFC Asian Cup 2027, which was set to be held the same month and in February in Saudi Arabia. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced yesterday that the highly anticipated 24-country event has been rescheduled for December of next year to January of 2028.
The proposed new tournament is expected to feature 12 West Asian senior men’s teams along with an additional two invited national squads from outside the region. No other details were made available such as the host country or the competition’s name and format.
An official from Bahrain’s national team confirmed that talks are taking place to hold the event but nothing has been confirmed.
Meanwhile, the Bahrainis continued their latest training gathering last night under newly signed head coach Felix Sanchez at the Bahrain Football Association pitches in Riffa. The kingdom’s players underwent an indoor fitness session before hitting the field for on-ball drills.
The nationals welcomed the arrival yesterday of defensive midfielder Moses Atede, who currently plays as a professional in the Malaysia Super League. Atede is part of Sanchez’s initial 29-player squad, who have begun gearing up to compete in the 2026 CFA China Team Zhaoqing International Football Invitational Tournament, to be held from November 14 to 17.
The friendly championship is set to feature four senior men’s squads, including Yemen, Malaysia, Bahrain, and hosts China. The Bahrainis will first take on Yemen on November 14 and then play the Chinese on November 17. They will not be facing off with their Malaysian counterparts.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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