Bahrain vs Saudi Arabia

Bahrain National Stadium sets the stage for a high-stakes 2026 World Cup qualifying showdown between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain’s qualifying campaign is on the precipice of disaster as they trail fourth-placed Indonesia by three points heading into the last two Group C fixtures. Since shockingly beating Australia 1-0 on the road in September, Dilmun’s Warriors have gone winless in seven consecutive World Cup qualifiers (D3, L4), including a brace of defeats ‘to nil’ against Indonesia and Japan in March. Anything other than a win against Saudi Arabia would likely deem Bahrain’s hopes of securing a first-ever appearance in the World Cup finals dead in the water. However, they can draw heart from a decent track record in this match-up, having gone unbeaten in their last three H2Hs (W2, D1), most recently beating the Saudis in December’s Asian Gulf Cup showdown (3-2).

On the other hand, Herve Renard returned to the helm of Saudi Arabia in late October to help the country secure a third consecutive World Cup qualification for the second time in nation history. However, the Green Falcons have only won one of their four World Cup qualifiers since the famous Frenchman replaced Roberto Mancini in the dugout (D2, L1), failing to get on the scoresheet three times! With only two wins from eight outings in Group C (D4, L2), the Saudis should consider themselves lucky for heading into the penultimate round in third. Yet, automatic qualification looks unlikely, as they languished three points adrift of second-placed Australia pre-round after a spirited 0-0 draw at pacesetters Japan.