FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN’S under-23 football team play their counterparts from the UAE tonight in their opening match of the 2025 West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Under-23 Championship, taking place in Muscat, Oman.
The game is scheduled for an 8.30pm kick-off at Al Seeb Stadium.
The regional competition is being held in its sixth edition and is being organised and run by the WAFF.
Bahrain are coached by Moroccan Hicham Dimai, who has a 26-player squad in the Omani capital.
The team roster includes Mohammed Arhama, Ashraf Mubarak, Abdullah Freeh, Badr Al Assam, Ahmed Mahmood, Ali Al Bannai, Sayed Mahmood Al Mosawi, Salman Younes, Faisal Saleh, Ali Al Enezi, Ramzi Abdulla, Mahmood Al Bannai, Mohammed Al Jishi, Khaled Khalaf, Ahmed Dhiya, Jamal Al Tiri, Ali Sahwan, Ali Al Dosari, Jassim Dadallah, Ali Tarada, Rashid Majeran, Hashem Khulaifat, Abdulrahman Al Khayyat, Abdulla Al Subaie, Ali Sanad, and Saud Mohsen.
Bahrain are one of eight teams participating in the tournament. Based on its unique format, the under-23 nationals and the UAE make up the Group B fixture of the preliminary round. Hosts Oman take on Saudi Arabia in Group A, Syria will take on Lebanon in Group C, and Jordan will lock horns with Kuwait in Group D, all also this evening.
Speaking ahead of the competition in his pre-match Press conference yesterday, Dimai said that the championship is an important part of Bahrain’s preparations for their upcoming qualifiers for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026, set for September of this year.
He added that the event gives the players an opportunity to gain further fitness and experience.
Dimai further noted that their match against the UAE tonight will be tough, given the two sides’ familiarity with each other. He added that the direct elimination system increases the stakes for all the teams, which thus raises the intensity for each game.
Bahrain remains ambitious to reach the furthest they can in the championship and hopefully compete for gold, Dimai added.
Also yesterday, the official pre-tournament technical meeting took place, with representatives from all participating countries on hand.
The winner of Bahrain’s match-up with their Emirati counterparts will move on to face the victor of the Oman-Saudi clash in a semi-final encounter on Saturday. The other game in the final four will pit the winner of the Jordan-Kuwait game against the victor of the Syria-Lebanon affair.
The losers of each contest will face off in classification contests.
The concluding day of the tournament on Tuesday next week will then be headlined by the final between the two winners from the semis, while the losers will lock horns for the right to claim the bronze medals. Ranking contests will also be held to place the teams from fifth through eighth.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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