Oman participate in a friendly tournament in Bishkek
The Oman under-23 national football team delegation departed on Monday to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, to participate in the four-team international friendly tournament which will take place from Thursday and will run until July 23. This key assignment comes as part of the team's preparations for the upcoming AFC U-23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers which is scheduled in September.
Before the departure, the Olympic squad performed few training sessions in Muscat, under the leadership of head coach Badar al Maimani and his assistant coaching staff. The short camp, hosted at Seeb Club, included several tactical and physical training sessions designed to sharpen the players' readiness for the friendly tournament and the forthcoming assignment. The coaching staff focused on match fitness, team cohesion and technical drills to build momentum ahead of the crucial international fixtures.
The four-team tournament in Bishkek will include the hosts Kyrgyzstan, Syria, Bahrain, and the Sultanate of Oman. Oman team will kick off their campaign against Bahrain on Thursday, followed by a match against Kyrgyzstan on Sunday and wrap up their fixtures against Syria on July 23. The matches will be played across two stadiums in Bishkek: Alga Bishkek Stadium and Dolen Omurzakov Stadium.
Coach Badar al Maimani has called up 24 players for the Bishkek assignment, including a mix of young emerging talents who are expected to gain valuable match exposure and international experience through the tournament. This friendly event is more than a warm-up as the players will enter into the mood of actual matches and will enhance their preparations ahead of Oman's road to the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026. Oman placed in Group F alongside Iraq, Pakistan, and hosts Cambodia in the Asian qualifiers which will be held from September 1 to 9, with Oman opening their campaign against Cambodia on September 3, taking on Iraq on September 6, and concluding against Pakistan on September 9. Only the group winners and the best four runners-up will advance to the finals in Saudi Arabia, joining the host nation.
Also, it is expected that Oman Olympic team will take part in the four-team football tournament which will be hosted in Salalah, bringing together elite domestic and national teams in preparation for critical upcoming continental competitions. The tournament will feature: Oman Olympic U-23 team, Seeb Club reigning Omantel League champions, Al Shabab Club – His Majesty's Cup 2024–25 title holders and Al Nahdha Club – runners-up of the 2024–25 Omantel League. The event is scheduled to start on July 27.
Squad:
Jawad al Azi, Osama al Mahrouqi, Nasser al Saqri, Sameer al Hatmi, Said al Ghanbousi, Abdullah al Jabri, Abdulaziz al Shaqsi, Loqman al Jadidi, Mohammed Abdulhakim, Rashad al Dhaeen, Osama Majdi, Ziyad al Rasbi, Turki Abdullah, Nayef Faraj, Sultan al Marzooq, Mohammed al Oraibi, Ahed al Mashakheyi, Abdulaleem al Rawahi, Ali al Balushi, Abdulhadi al Manwari, Ibrahim al Kindi, Masoud al Bahri, Hamed al Naimi and Yassar al Balushi.
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