Bahrain to face UAE in Arab Gulf Cup opener

TDT | Manama                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com 

Bahrain will kick off their long-awaited title-defence in the 25th Arab Gulf Cup against the UAE, it was revealed yesterday.

The competitions committee of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF) issued yesterday the schedule of matches for the competition, which will be held in Basra, Iraq, from 6 to 19 January.

Eight teams are competing in the tournament.

The Bahrainis and Emiratis are in Group B for the preliminary round along with Kuwait and Qatar. Group A consists of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman and hosts Iraq.

Bahrain’s game against the UAE will be on 7 January. Following that fixture, the nationals next take on Qatar on 10 January, before playing their final group fixture on 13 January against Kuwait.

Following a single round-robin in stage one, the top two teams from each group move on to the semi-finals, which will be played on 16 January.

The winners of those two games then go through to the title-deciding contest, slated for 19 January.

Basra International Stadium will be the main venue for the matches, with a capacity of up to 60,000 spectators in the stands.

Some games will also be played at Al Mina’a Stadium.

AGCFF secretary general Jassim Al Rumaihi said yesterday that Basra will be ready to host the Arab Gulf Cup on time and as scheduled.

Al Rumaihi commented: “We have continuous and joint coordination with the brothers in the organizing committee of the championship and the Iraqi Football Association, and there is constant knowledge of all developments, and all other related organizational matters.”

The Bahrainis have already begun their preparations for the Gulf Cup, which will be one of their main competitions of 2023.

The nationals played last week a pair of high-profile international friendly matches against FIFA World Cup 2022 participants Canada and Serbia, as part of their programme leading up to the tournament.

They drew 2-2 with the Canadians but were then dealt a 1-5 loss to their Serbian counterparts.

Bahrain won the previous edition of the Arab Gulf Cup in 2019.

It was an historic achievement for the national team after winning the title for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Mohammed Al Rumaihi scored the decisive goal in their 1-0 victory against Saudi Arabia in the tournament final.

Bahrain hosted the first-ever edition of the regional competition in 1970 but had previously never won until then.

They finished as runners-up four other times. Aside from the Arab Gulf Cup, Bahrain will also be taking part in the AFC Asian Cup 2023.

The continental showcase will be held in June and July.