FOOTBALL – Champions Muharraq were last night set up against long-time rivals Al Ahli for their opening matches in two of Bahrain’s biggest football competitions this upcoming 2026-27 season.
Muharraq were drawn against Ahli in the round of 16 of the His Majesty the King’s Cup, the kingdom’s richest annual tournament, which kicks off on December 14 with the preliminaries.
The two teams will also first be facing off in a week one fixture of the Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League, which gets underway on August 27.
The Bahrain Football Association (BFA) held last night the draws for both contests, along with that for the Bahrain First Division.
The ceremonies took place at Royal Saray Resort in Seef.
BFA president Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa was on hand, along with other high-ranking BFA officials and representatives from the kingdom’s clubs under the BFA umbrella.
For the HM the King’s Cup, Muharraq and Ahli are directly in the last 16, where they are joined by the kingdom’s other premiership sides.
The other match-ups already determined for that stage see Al Khaldiya paired with Al Ettifaq, Riffa taking on Manama, East Riffa facing Al Najma, and Hidd playing Malkiya.
A’ali and Sitra are both awaiting their opponents, which will be sides from the first division, who will all be playing in the two preliminary rounds.
In the opening phase, Busaiteen face Galali, Al Tadhamun take on Etehad Al Reef, Um Al Hassam go up against Isa Town, and Al Hala battle Buri.
The winners of Busaiteen-Galali will move on to play Budaiya in round two, after which the victors will advance to the round of 16 to face A’ali.
The Um Al Hassam-Isa Town winner will play Bahrain Club for the right to move on to battle Sitra in the last 16.
The victors of the Tadhamun-Etehad Al Reef match will next take on Al Shabab in round two, while the Hala-Buri contest will determine the opponents of Al Ettihad.
The two teams to come away triumphant from the ensuing matches will face off in the last fixture of the round of 16.
Muharraq won last season’s HM the King’s Cup after defeating Riffa in the final 2-1.
Meanwhile, last night’s draw also set the matches for the first 11 rounds of this year’s Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier League.
In other fixtures in the first week of action, Khaldiya face Najma, Riffa take on Ettifaq, A’ali go against Manama, Hidd battle East Riffa, and Malkiya play Sitra.
Muharraq secured last season’s premier league title by the narrowest of margins, with just a single point separating them from runners-up Khaldiya.
Meanwhile, in the opening week of the Bahrain First Division, starting on September 13, Etehad Al Reef and Tadhamun will also be going up against one another – just like in their opener in the HM the King’s Cup.
Other games scheduled in the first of 11 rounds pit Hala against Busaiteen, Shabab against Buri, Um Al Hassam against Galali, Bahrain Club against Ettihad, and Budaiya against Isa Town.
Ettifaq were last season’s champions in the first division, earning their promotion to the premier league.
Aside from the three competitions, Bahrain will also see action in the age-group leagues, kicking off on September 10; the Khalid Bin Hamad Cup, to be played from December 12; and the single-game Bahrain Super Cup, slated for December 29.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh