Bahrain all set for U23 qualifiers

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Kingdom of Bahrain is all set to host starting Wednesday next week the Group D qualifying matches for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024.

Bahrain are one of four under-23 Olympic teams in their division, with the others being Palestine, Pakistan and Japan.

There are 11 groups in all in the qualifiers, being supervised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), with one featuring just three teams. Each group is holding their matches at a centralised venue.

Following a single round-robin, the 11 group winners and four best second-placed teams qualify for next year’s AFC U23 Asian Cup, which will be held in Doha. They join tournament hosts Qatar, who have received automatic qualification, to form a final cast of 16 in the competition, which is to be played between 15 April and 3 May, 2024.

Bahrain open their qualifying campaign against Palestine on Wednesday night. The match is scheduled for a 6.30pm kick-off, and it will be followed at 9.30pm by the Japanese taking on their Pakistani counterparts.

On Saturday next week, Bahrain and Pakistan face off and then Japan play Palestine; and then on 12 June, Japan and Bahrain clash while Palestine and Pakistan lock horns. All the games will be played at Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium at Muharraq Club in Arad.

The Bahraini under-23s are coached by Dario Basic from Croatia. They conducted a training camp in Thailand in recent weeks as part of preparations for the qualifiers. The Bahrain Football Association have yet to announce Basic’s final squad list for the upcoming games.

Bahrain have qualified just once in the previous five editions of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup. That was in the 2020 event held in Thailand, when they did not make it past the group stage. Group A of qualification will take place in Amman with hosts Jordan, Syria, Oman and Brunei.

Group B will see 2020 champions and group hosts South Korea, Myanmar, Kyrgyz Republic and Qatar contesting, with Qatar’s qualifiers considered as friendlies. Group C will see hosts Vietnam, Singapore, Yemen, and Guam; while in Group E are 2018 champions and group hosts Uzbekistan, Iran, Hong Kong and Afghanistan.

In Group F are 2013 winners Iraq, hosts Kuwait, Timor-Leste and Macau. In Group G are the UAE, India, Maldives and group hosts China; while Group H features group hosts Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

Group I will see Australia, group hosts Tajikistan, Laos and North Korea; Group J consists of AFC U23 Asian Cup defending champions and hosts Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Lebanon and Mongolia; and finally Group K comprises just three teams with Turkmenistan, group hosts Indonesia and Chinese Taipei.