VOLLEYBALL – AL Ahli punched their ticket to the semi-finals of the 2025-26 His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s Cup with a hard-earned 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 30-28) sweep of a battling Al Najma at Isa bin Rashid Volleyball Arena at Isa Sports City in Riffa.
Ahli needed to dig deep to come away with their tight victory. They were led in the contest by their top Bahraini players Ali Ebrahim, Mahmood Abdulhussain, Hassan Al Haddad, Mahmood Hassan, Mohammed Habib, and Ayman Harwana, while Brazilian professional Lucas Madaloz also played a key role.
With their win, Ahli move on to face holders Muharraq in a mouth-watering encounter in the last four.
Muharraaq booked their berth in the ensuing stage after defeating Al Tadhamun in their own dominant three-setter.
Their head-to-head is scheduled to be played tomorrow night at 8.30pm at the same venue. It will be preceded by the other semis fixture at 7pm between recently crowned 2025-26 Isa bin Rashid Bahrain Volleyball League champions Dar Kulaib and Bani Jamra.
Dar Kulaib opened their tournament campaign in the quarter-finals with a rout of A’ali in three sets, while Bani Jamra edged past Nabih Saleh in a tough five-setter during the same stage.
The winners of tomorrow’s games will face off in the highly anticipated title-decider, which is slated for Saturday at Isa bin Rashid Volleyball Arena.
This year’s His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s Cup is a knockout competition that began with all 14 teams that are under the umbrella of the Bahrain Volleyball Association. Dar Kulaib and Muharraq were given automatic berths in the quarter-finals after finishing as the league’s top two teams.
Muharraq lifted last season’s trophy following a hard-earned victory in four sets against Dar Kulaib, who are now aiming for a sensational title double.