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Bahrain’s football officials are anxiously waiting to find out which teams the Under-23s will face in the third round of the 2012 London Olympics qualifiers.
The nationals edged closer to securing a spot at the Games following a stunning 2-1 away victory over Palestine last week in a second round play-off.
Bahrain lost at home to Palestine in the first leg but were able to advance on the away goal rule. The game was played in front of 15,000 fans at the Faisal Al Husseini International Stadium on the West Bank.
Palestine went ahead through Khalid Saad Salem but Bahrain fired two goals in the space of six minutes during the second half, thanks to Muharraq’s Sayed Dhia Saeed and Al Najma’s Ali Khalil.
Bahrain are now in the draw with Australia, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Syria, Qatar, Oman, South Korea, Iraq, UAE and Japan to be held at the Asian Football Confederation’s House in Kuala Lumpur on July 7.
The teams will be drawn into three groups of four. Matches are scheduled for September 21and 23, November 27, February 5 and 22 and on March 14.
The group winners automatically make it through to London. The three runners-up will play each other at a neutral venue on March 25, 27 and 29. The winner of the group will then advance to play the fourth-ranked Confederation of African Football team in a play-off for a spot at the Olympic Games.
Football will be a major feature of the Olympic programme at London 2012. Beginning with group matches and ending with a knockout phase, the competition will offer all the drama that fans have come to expect from major international tournaments.
Due to the intense schedule, the competition actually kicks off two days before the July 27 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony with the first group matches.
The teams will be divided into groups of four and the best eight teams will qualify for the quarter-finals. From here, the competition will be played in a knockout format.
