BEACH SOCCER – Bahrain named yesterday a final 12-player squad that will be competing in the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2026.
The 12-nation tournament kicks off on Wednesday next week and continues until November 28 in Phang Nga, Thailand.
The Bahrainis are in Group A for the preliminary round, which also features Japan, Iraq, and the host Thais.
The kingdom’s squad features skipper Hussain Al Dosari, and it also includes Issa Ghaleb, Salman Alyaqoobi, Mohammed Darwish, Hesham Yousef, Issa Al Dosari, Ebrahim Almarzooqi, Mehran Mohammed, Ali Hassanain, Mohammed Jaafar, and goalkeepers Hussain Marhoon and Ahmed Abdulrasool.
The nationals open their campaign at Ban Nam Khem Beach Arena against the Japanese on the first day of action at 1pm.
They then take on Thailand at 2.30pm next Friday before completing the group stage against Iraq on November 22, also at 1pm.
All times are Bahrain.
Group B is composed of two-time defending champions Iran, Lebanon, Vietnam, and Afghanistan, while Group C features Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan.
Following a single round-robin, the top two teams from each group plus the two best third-placed teams will advance to the quarter final.
The elite eight is scheduled for November 25, to be followed by the semis on November 27.
That will set the stage for the gold and bronze medal contests on the concluding day of the championship on November 28.
Bahrain are competing in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) event for the 11th time.
They were the champions of its first-ever edition in 2006 and also climbed the podium as silver-medallists in 2009.
In last year’s tournament, they made it through to the quarters but lost to eventual gold-medallists Iran.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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