On 13 August 2013, Hudson was appointed manager of Bahrain, succeeding Calderón. Hudson first took charge of Bahrain in a 2–1 friendly loss to Kuwait in September followed by wins over Malaysia and Yemen in November, which secured Bahrain qualification for the 2015 Asian Cup. Hudson was listed as a potential candidate as coach of Denmark in October. Hudson led the Bahrain U23 team to their first title at the U23 Gulf Cup of Nations, beating Saudi Arabia in the final. This was the first official gold medal the Bahrain U23 national team have won in their history.