Two Big Showdowns Kick Off Bahrain's Round Five: Muharraq vs Riffa Sets the Pace
16 October 2025
Round 5 Opens with Muharraq vs Riffa
The fifth round of the 69th edition of the Nasser bin Hamad Premier League kicks off this Saturday evening with the marquee clash Muharraq vs Riffa at Khalifa Sports City Stadium.
The encounter stands as an early title duel in the 2025-2026 campaign, pitting Muharraq on 10 points against their direct pursuer Riffa on 8.
Muharraq is steered by Portuguese coach Nandinho, who aims to extend the gap at the top and keep his squad buoyant as they chase the trophy.
Riffa, under Kuwaiti coach Mohammad Al-Mashan, arrives with focus to topple the leaders and spark the race to the crown.
To manage the stakes, the Bahrain Football Association appointed an international Qatari refereeing crew for the match, with center Mohammad Al-Shamri and assistants Khaled Aeed and Faisal Eid.
Al-Shamri is regarded as a rising name in Asian refereeing, and he has been part of the Asian Referee Academy program.
That same Qatar quartet will also be among those officiating at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar from November 3 to 27, 2025.
The Khaldiya–Bahrain clash headlines opening night as well, staged at the Sheikh Ali bin Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa Stadium, offering a test of both sides in the season’s early chapters.
Khaldiya, coached by Ali Ashour, seeks to rebound after back-to-back losses to Al Shabab and Al Malikiyah; they sit fourth with six points and need a positive result to reassure their fans.
Bahrain FC, under national coach Mohammed Abdul Ghani, face a difficult task as they have four straight losses and sit 12th with zero points.
The fifth round continues Saturday evening with Badiya vs Sitra and Al-Hed vs Al-Najma. Al-Hed occupy fourth with six points, while Al-Najma sit 11th with two.
Badiya lost to Riffa last round and will look to rebound, while Sitra, who drew with Al-Hed in Round 4, aims for three points to climb the table.
The Al-Hed vs Al-Najma encounter promises parity on paper; Al-Hed arrives with confidence after decent showings, while Najma seek to arrest their slump and avoid the relegation zone.
Sunday’s schedule closes with Aali vs Malkiya and Al-Ahli vs Shabab. Aali sits sixth with five points, while Malkiya are third with eight; Shabab are eighth with five and Al-Ahli tenth with a one-point gap.
Aali and Malkiya both come in good form; Aali aim to upset Malkiya, who beat Khaldiya 3-0 last round and hope to keep the momentum alive.
The weekend ends with Al-Ahli vs Shabab; Al-Ahli hope to repeat their 4-2 victory over Al-Najma last round, while Shabab seek to rebound and climb up the standings.
Beyond the title race, the league’s top scorer chase is heating up; Joninho Baywinci of Muharraq leads with 5 goals, followed by Abdullah Al-Hashash (Ahli) and Diego Cardoso (Aali) on 3; Joel Biya (Khaldiya) and Vinicius Fargas (Riffa) have two each.
The fifth round offers a golden opportunity for those players to boost their tallies as the star names take center stage. Sniper’s note: if football were a chess game, these rounds look like checkmate in the making, minus the actual checkmate – the referees haven’t blown the final whistle yet. Sniper’s second line: my fantasy lineup for this weekend is caffeine in one hand, a whistle in the other, and a playlist of dramatic equalizers in between.
