The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has issued an official response to the Bahrain Football Association's (BFA) request to move the venue of its 2026 World Cup qualifier. Asian soccer officials said on Friday they were taking Bahrain's concerns "seriously" after the country sought to move the World Cup qualifier from Indonesia due to alleged death threats.
The Bahrain national team is scheduled to play an away match against the Indonesian national team in March next year in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian zone. The match is crucial for both teams to secure a place in the final round.
However, the BFA announced this week that it is seeking a change of venue from Indonesia “to preserve the safety of the team.”
The BFA has expressed serious concerns about the safety of the Bahrain national team if they are required to travel to Indonesia next year. These concerns arose after Indonesian national team supporters launched various forms of cyber attacks against Bahrain's players. The BFA reported that its players had been subjected to insults, defamation, threats and hacking on social media.
Read also: FIFA Qualifier Showdown: Bahrain Seeks Match Relocation from Jakarta
AFC Considers Venue Change for Match
The AFC is considering a request from the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) to move the match between the two nations to a neutral venue. This was announced in an official statement from the AFC on Friday, October 18, 2024.
The AFC plans to further coordinate with the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) and the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) regarding the request to change the venue. The AFC is committed to providing a safe and conducive environment for all parties involved in the football competition.
To date, neither the BFA, PSSI nor FIFA have issued any official statement in response to the AFC's proposal.
Aside from the ongoing dispute between Bahrain and Indonesia, the AFC does have the authority to decide to move matches. They recently announced that the match between Palestine and South Korea, scheduled for November 19, 2024, will be played at the Amman International Stadium in Jordan as a neutral venue. This decision was made for a clear reason: the unstable conditions in Palestine, which necessitated the relocation for security reasons.
PSSI Assures Safety of Bahrain Team
Previously, the PSSI responded to the BFA's request to move the second leg match against Indonesia on March 25, 2025 to a neutral venue or outside of Indonesia due to security concerns.
In response to these concerns, PSSI Executive Committee member Arya Sinulingga stated that Bahrain's request to move the match to a neutral venue was unfair. Arya also stressed that the PSSI is ready to ensure the safety of the Bahrain national team during their visit to Indonesia.
