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Bahrain national football team

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 2001:448a:50e0:d7bc:8d45:65f0:b37d:6c5e (talk) at 05:50, 13 October 2024. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Bahrain women's national football team.

The Bahrain national football team (Template:Lang-ar) represents Bahrain in international football and is controlled by the MAFIA, which was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so. Bahrain won the FIFA's most improved team award in 2004, and finished fourth in the 2004 Asian Cup, beating Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals but losing to Japan in the semi-finals 4–3. Bahrain then lost to Iran in the third-place match, thus finishing in fourth place overall. Bahrain had a golden year in 2019, winning both the WAFF Championship and the Arabian Gulf Cup for the first time, under the stewardship of Hélio Sousa.

History

The 1959 national football team

Early years

Even though the first national team was founded in 1959, Bahraini team was only first officially assembled in 1966 when they played a friendly game against Kuwait that was drawn 4–4. At that time, despite being under British rule, Bahrain was given autonomy and they had utilized this opportunity to expand its football development. Nonetheless, Bahrain was regarded as a weaker side in the Gulf Arab region, which constituted the stronger Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Kuwait. For this reason, Bahrain's international feat had been mostly limited in the Arabian Gulf Cup.

In 1988, Bahrain qualified for its first ever AFC Asian Cup, but finished bottom with only two draws in the 1988 AFC Asian Cup. Since then, Bahraini side remained neglected and less invested, despite its youth successes at the U-17 and U-20. Only by the end of the 20th century, Bahrain began to really emerge and would change the country's football history.

Rise

Bahrain managed a fine performance during 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification and 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification, the latter was the first time Bahrain reached the final round. Despite being unable to reach either of them, Bahrain managed one of their greatest football feats, by beating Iran in both qualifications 1–0 in Damascus in 2000 Asian Cup run, and 3–1 at home in 2002 World Cup run, which remains one of the most embarrassing defeats for Iranian football. This win, though mean less for Bahrain, did manage to pull Iran out from reaching a direct World Cup ticket and helped Saudi Arabia to qualify for 2002 FIFA World Cup, Iran later failed to qualify; Bahraini fans waved the Saudi flag as a response to this win, fueling tensions between Bahrain and Iran.[1]

2004 Asian Cup

The form of Bahrain in 2004 AFC Asian Cup was a complete stunning for many. In their just second appearance, Bahrain was drawn with mighty host China, neighbor Qatar and Southeast Asia's finest Indonesia. However, Bahrain went on undefeated at the group stage, including a famous 2–2 draw to China in Beijing, 1–1 to Qatar before trashed Indonesia 3–1 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time. Then, Bahrain overcame Uzbekistan on penalty shootout in the quarter-finals, having been held 2–2. Bahrain put up another astonishing performance against defending champions Japan, only lost 3–4 after extra time, before losing 2–4 to Iran in the third place game. This tournament would mark the rise of Bahrain as a serious competitor for football in Asia.

2006 World Cup

After Uzbekistan and Bahrain both finished third in their respective groups during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, Bahrain entered a two-legged playoff with Uzbekistan, which they won on away goals with an aggregate score of 1–1. This allowed Bahrain to enter another two-legged playoff with the fourth-placed CONCACAF nation, (Trinidad and Tobago), for a spot in the World Cup. But a 0–1 Bahrain loss in Manama after a 1–1 draw in Port of Spain saw the CONCACAF nation go through as debutant.

2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - AFC fourth round play-offs
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Uzbekistan  1–1 (a)  Bahrain 1–1 0–0
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC – CONCACAF play-off) play-offs
Bahrain  1–2  Trinidad and Tobago 1–1 0–1

2007 Asian Cup

Bahrain played in group D in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification group games. Bahrain fielded a side which was essentially the Olympic (under 23) team against Australia, and they lost 2–0. Bahrain qualified for the 2007 Asian Cup after defeating Kuwait in their last match. Bahrain were knocked out in the group stage via two losses against Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, despite a shock win against Korea Republic.

2010 World Cup

The Bahrain national football team playing Australia on 10 June 2009 in a World Cup qualifier

In the third round of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Bahrain were drawn into group B along with Japan, Oman, and Thailand. They finished second overall to qualify to the final round, in which Bahrain finished third overall in their group, below Australia and Japan, but above Uzbekistan and Qatar. In the second leg of the playoff against Saudi Arabia to decide Asia's fifth best team, Bahrain drew 2–2 with Saudi Arabia after scoring in stoppage time which allowed them to go through on away goals, after drawing their home leg 0–0. They went on to play New Zealand in the final playoff in which a victory would qualify them for the World Cup, but after a goalless draw in Manama on 10 October 2009, Bahrain lost the return leg 1–0 in Wellington on 14 November 2009, missing out on qualification at the last hurdle for the second time running.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fifth round play-offs
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Bahrain  (a) 2–2  Saudi Arabia 0–0 2–2
AFC 5th place v OFC winner play-offs
Bahrain  0–1  New Zealand 0–0 0–1

Crisis period

2011 Asian Cup

Bahrain qualified for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup held in neighbouring Qatar, and was drawn in a tough group composing Australia, South Korea and India. Bahrain faced its first task to overcome South Korea, with the hope to repeat the surprise 2–1 victory of the 2007 edition, but South Korea turned the deficit to beat Bahrain with the same score. After the loss, Bahrain cruised past India in a seven-goal party, Bahrain scored five to keep its hope alive; but its campaign ended in vain when they lost to Australia 0–1 and was dismissed from the group stages.

2014 World Cup

See also: Bahrain 10–0 Indonesia

In the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Bahrain did considerably worse. In the third round, they were drawn against Indonesia, Iran and Qatar. Although they managed to defeat Indonesia both home and away, they also lost 6–0 by Iran away from home, and drew their other 3 games. Although they had a higher goal difference than Qatar, they needed an extra point to advance to the next round, or Qatar had to be beaten by Iran in the final round. If they had also drawn to Iran away from home, they would have advanced. But neither luck came to them, and their campaign ended in the third round, their worst result since the 1998 World Cup qualifiers.

Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
 Iran 6 3 3 0 17 5 +12 12 Fourth round — 2–2 6–0 3–0
 Qatar 6 2 4 0 10 5 +5 10 1–1 — 0–0 4–0
 Bahrain 6 2 3 1 13 7 +6 9 1–1 0–0 — 10–0
 Indonesia 6 0 0 6 3 26 −23 0 1–4 2–3 0–2 —
Source: [2]

2015 Asian Cup

The 2015 AFC Asian Cup once again became a disappointment for the Bahrainis, even though their group was easier, with only Iran being the biggest opponent while the UAE and Qatar were no strangers. Bahrain lost two opening games against Iran and the UAE 0–2 and 1–2, the latter defeat was subject to the earliest goal in Asian Cup history by Ali Mabkhout. Bahrain salvaged some pride with a 2–1 win over Qatar, condemning its neighbour to bottom of the group while Bahrain finished third for the second consecutive Asian Cup.

2018 World Cup and 2019 Asian Cup qualifications

In the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers second round, Bahrain finished fourth in a group with Uzbekistan, North Korea, Philippines and Yemen. The poor performance of the Bahraini side caused huge public uproar over the team's ongoing decline, rocked the chair of manager Sergio Batista. He was eventually sacked and replaced by Czech youth coach Miroslav Soukup, who decided to revamp the team.

Later on, Bahrain participated in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification, where finished first in the third round in a group with Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei and Singapore, to qualify to the next AFC Asian Cup. However, the team's performance was far from perfect. The team suffered a home draw to minnows Singapore, before getting humiliated by Chinese Taipei away 1–2 that was considered as a shock, since Taiwan is not a football nation. This defeat also prompted Bahrain's main star, Ismail Abdullatif, to retire from the team.

Bahrain managed some promising performance during this deteriorating era, reaching semi-finals of the 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup held in Kuwait.

Short-lived glory

2019: Asian Cup; WAFF Championship and Gulf Cup champions

At the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Bahrain was grouped with India, Thailand and hosts United Arab Emirates. The Bahrainis managed a promising early performance when they faced the hosts, scored a goal lead in 78', but was eventually held 1–1 following an unclear penalty decision by the Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh. However, Bahrain suffered a blasting loss to Thailand 0–1, leaving the team flounder despite its earlier performance. In the final match against India, which the Indians only required a draw to progress, Bahrain however managed to get a needed penalty in injury time, where Jamal Rashid turned hero as Bahrain won the fixture 1–0 to seal the team into the knockout stage for the only second times ever, and eliminated the Indians from the competition. The Bahraini side then played its own round of sixteen match, where they lost 2–1 to South Korea after extra time. This was considered as a major success for Bahraini football, and also to be the end of the country's football misfortune that endured since 2010s.

Afterwards, Bahrain managed to win two competitions for the first time, after defeating both Iraq and Saudi Arabia, 1–0 under the leadership of Hélio Sousa against all odds, in the WAFF Championship and Gulf Cup respectively.[3][4]

2022 World Cup

Bahrain defeated Iran 1–0 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification Round 2, delivering a major upset in the qualifying process, and with Bahrain enjoying huge edge in the qualifiers, Bahrain was expected to reach the third round. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic, Bahrain's great progression in 2019 was reversed when it lost significant home supports (despite being designated as hosts for the remaining games) due to pandemic, as fans were barred from attending, Iran having replaced manager as well, combining the Bahrain's domestic league under frequent disruption due to the pandemic, all left Bahraini players little time to organise their team. Bahrain triumphed against Cambodia 8–0 in their first game since the pandemic began, but against an Iranian side that was entirely revamped, a Bahraini side without home support was completely demoralised, losing 0–3 in process. This defeat proved to be disastrous for Bahrain, as their 4–0 victory over Hong Kong[5] was too little, too late, due to Iran prevailing 1–0 over Iraq in the final game.

2023 Asian cup

In the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, Bahrain won their group (which contained Malaysia, South Korea, and Jordan). After a first matchday loss to South Korea, they followed it up with back-to-back wins, before falling to Japan in the Round of 16.

Team image

Rivalries

Qatar

Bahrain has a major rivalry against Qatar due to historical tension between the two countries. Through 39 matches played between the teams, Bahrain has an overall positive performance against Qatar, winning eleven matches, lost eight matches while nineteen matches ended in a draw.

Kit providers

Manufacturer Period
England Umbro 1981
Germany Puma 1982
Thailand Grand Sport 1983–1986
Saudi Arabia Faisok 1986
Thailand Grand Sport 1987–1996
Germany Puma 1997
Bahrain Baraka 1998–1999
South Korea Kika 2000–2002
Bahrain Shoot 2002–2003
Italy Diadora 2003–2005
Germany Puma 2005–2014
United Arab Emirates Romai[6][7] 2014–2018
Italy Macron[8] 2019–2022
Germany Puma 2023–present

Results and fixtures

Main articles: Bahrain national football team results (2020–present) and Bahrain national football team results

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

12 October Friendly Bahrain  2–0  Kyrgyzstan Arad, Bahrain
22:00 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Al Muharraq Stadium
16 October Friendly Bahrain  1–0  Philippines Arad, Bahrain
19:00 UTC+3 Al-Khattal 16' Report Stadium: Al Muharraq Stadium
16 November 2026 World Cup qualification Yemen  0–2  Bahrain Abha, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium
Attendance: 1,291
Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)
21 November 2026 World Cup qualification Bahrain  0–2  United Arab Emirates Riffa, Bahrain
18:45 UTC+4 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium
Attendance: 18,267
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoish (Saudi Arabia)

2024

6 January Friendly Bahrain  0–2  Australia Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
17:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Baniyas Stadium
Referee: Mohamed Al-Harmoodi (United Arab Emirates)
10 January Friendly Bahrain  0–3  Angola Dubai, United Arab Emirates
18:00 UTC+4 Report
Stadium: Police Officers' Club Stadium
15 January 2023 Asian Cup GS South Korea  3–1  Bahrain Al Rayyan, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3
Report Al-Hashash 51' Stadium: Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
Attendance: 8,388
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
20 January 2023 Asian Cup GS Bahrain  1–0  Malaysia Al Rayyan, Qatar
22:30 UTC+8
Report Stadium: Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
Attendance: 10,386
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
25 January 2023 Asian Cup GS Jordan  0–1  Bahrain Al Rayyan, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3 Report Helal 34' Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium
Attendance: 39,650
Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)
31 January 2023 AFC Asian Cup R16 Bahrain  1–3  Japan Doha, Qatar
14:30 UTC+3 Ueda 64' (o.g.) Report
Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium
Attendance: 31,832
Referee: Ahmad Al-Ali (Kuwait)
21 March 2026 World Cup qualification Nepal    0–5  Bahrain Riffa, Bahrain
22:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium
Attendance: 5,041
Referee: Alex King (Australia)
26 March 2026 World Cup qualification Bahrain  3–0    Nepal Riffa, Bahrain
22:00 UTC+3
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium
Attendance: 2,475
Referee: Ryo Tanimoto (Japan)
6 June 2026 World Cup qualification Bahrain  0–0  Yemen Riffa, Bahrain
20:30 UTC+3 Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium
Attendance: 2,632
Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)
11 June 2026 World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  1–1  Bahrain Dubai, United Arab Emirates
21:00 UTC+4 Adil 10' Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)		 Abduljabbar 4' Stadium: Rashid Stadium
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
5 September 2026 World Cup qualification Australia  0–1  Bahrain Gold Coast, Australia
20:10 UTC+10 Report
Stadium: Robina Stadium
Attendance: 24,644
Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)
10 September 2026 World Cup qualification Bahrain  0–5  Japan Riffa, Bahrain
19:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium
Attendance: 22,729
Referee: Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan)
10 October 2026 World Cup qualification Bahrain  2–2  Indonesia Riffa, Bahrain
19:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
15 October 2026 World Cup qualification Saudi Arabia  v  Bahrain Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3 Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City

Current staff

Role Name
Head coach Croatia Dragan Talajić
Assistant coach Croatia Goran Lackovic
Bahrain Isa Al Alawi
Bahrain Khalid Abdulghafour
Bahrain Salman Sharida
Goalkeeper coach Bahrain Sayed Khamis
Youth coach Bahrain Sulaiman Al Bulaihi
Assistant coach & analyst Bahrain Ahmed Kamal

Coaching history

As of March 2019[9]

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players

Current squad

The following 27 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against  Indonesia and  Saudi Arabia on 10 and 15 October 2024.[10]

Caps and goals correct as of 12 June 2024, after the match against  United Arab Emirates.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
21 1GK Sayed Mohammed Jaffer (1985-08-25) 25 August 1985 (age 39) 162 0 Bahrain Al-Muharraq
22 1GK Ebrahim Lutfalla (1992-09-24) 24 September 1992 (age 32) 14 0 Bahrain Al-Ahli
1 1GK Ammar Mohamed (1999-02-10) 10 February 1999 (age 25) 3 0 Bahrain Al-Khaldiya
2DF Sayed Dhiya Saeed (1992-07-17) 17 July 1992 (age 32) 112 8 Bahrain Al-Khaldiya
2 2DF Amine Benaddi (1993-05-09) 9 May 1993 (age 31) 23 0 Bahrain Al-Muharraq
17 2DF Sayed Baqer (1994-04-14) 14 April 1994 (age 30) 30 0 Bahrain Al-Riffa
3 2DF Waleed Al Hayam (1988-11-04) 4 November 1988 (age 36) 114 0 Bahrain Al-Muharraq
5 2DF Hamad Al-Shamsan (1997-09-29) 29 September 1997 (age 27) 21 0 Bahrain Al-Riffa
23 2DF Abdulla Al-Khulasi (2003-09-02) 2 September 2003 (age 21) 10 1 Bahrain Al-Muharraq
6 2DF Ahmed Nabeel (1995-08-25) 25 August 1995 (age 29) 10 0 Bahrain Manama Club
18 2DF Hazza Ali (1995-06-09) 9 June 1995 (age 29) 6 0 Bahrain Al-Riffa
17 2DF Vincent Emmanuel (2001-04-29) 29 April 2001 (age 23) 2 0 Bahrain Sitra Club
14 3MF Ali Haram (1988-12-11) 11 December 1988 (age 36) 49 5 Bahrain Al-Riffa
13 3MF Moses Atede (1997-12-17) 17 December 1997 (age 27) 3 0 Malaysia Kuching City
11 3MF Ebrahim Al-Khattal (2000-09-19) 19 September 2000 (age 24) 19 3 Bahrain Manama
8 3MF Mohamed Marhoon (1998-02-12) 12 February 1998 (age 26) 56 14 Kuwait Kuwait SC
19 3MF Kamil Al-Aswad (captain) (1994-04-08) 8 April 1994 (age 30) 106 13 Bahrain Al-Riffa
10 3MF Abdulwahab Al-Malood (1990-06-07) 7 June 1990 (age 34) 79 5 Bahrain Al-Muharraq
7 3MF Ali Madan (1995-11-30) 30 November 1995 (age 29) 85 11 United Arab Emirates Ajman
4 3MF Abbas Al-Asfoor (1999-02-02) 2 February 1999 (age 25) 13 0 Bahrain Al-Ahli
3MF Sayed Sharaf (2002-12-23) 23 December 2002 (age 21) 0 0 Bahrain Al-Ahli
20 4FW Mahdi Al-Humaidan (1993-05-19) 19 May 1993 (age 31) 56 5 Bahrain Al-Khaldiya
12 4FW Mahdi Abduljabbar (1991-06-25) 25 June 1991 (age 33) 32 9 Bahrain Manama
15 4FW Jasim Al-Shaikh (1996-02-01) 1 February 1996 (age 28) 60 4 Bahrain Al-Riffa
4FW Hashim Sayed Isa (1998-04-03) 3 April 1998 (age 26) 17 6 Bahrain Al-Riffa
9 4FW Husain Abdulkarim (2002-05-14) 14 May 2002 (age 22) 4 0 Bahrain Al-Muharraq
4FW Sayed Alwadaei 0 0 Spain Villareal U17

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Abdulkarim Fardan (1992-04-25) 25 April 1992 (age 32) 1 0 Bahrain Al-Riffa v.  United Arab Emirates, 12 June 2024
GK Ammar Ahmed (1999-02-10) 10 February 1999 (age 25) 3 0 Bahrain Manama Club v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
GK Omar Salem (1995-05-26) 26 May 1995 (age 29) 1 0 Bahrain Budaiya v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
DF Mohamed Adel (1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 (age 28) 32 0 Bahrain Al-Khaldiya v.  United Arab Emirates, 11 June 2024
DF Mohamed Al-Banna (1989-10-17) 17 October 1989 (age 35) 2 0 Bahrain Al-Muharraq v.  Yemen, 6 June 2024
DF Ahmed Bughammar (1997-12-30) 30 December 1997 (age 26) 26 1 Bahrain Al-Khaldiya v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
DF Hussain Al-Eker (2001-09-30) 30 September 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Bahrain Al-Riffa v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
DF Sayed Redha Isa (1994-08-07) 7 August 1994 (age 30) 62 3 Bahrain Al-Riffa v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
MF Ahmed Al-Sherooqi (2000-05-22) 22 May 2000 (age 24) 5 0 Bahrain Al-Muharraq v.  United Arab Emirates, 11 June 2024
MF Mohamed Abdulwahab (1989-11-13) 13 November 1989 (age 35) 18 1 Bahrain Al-Najma v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
MF Mohamed Al-Hardan (1997-10-06) 6 October 1997 (age 27) 29 2 Bahrain Al-Muharraq v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
MF Ibrahim Al-Wali (1997-06-12) 12 June 1997 (age 27) 1 0 Bahrain Al-Najma v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
MF Mohammed Abdul Qayoom (2001-06-04) 4 June 2001 (age 23) 2 0 Bahrain Al-Riffa v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
MF Ali Hassan Isa (1999-05-21) 21 May 1999 (age 25) 3 0 Bahrain Al-Riffa v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
MF Jasim Khelaif (1998-02-22) 22 February 1998 (age 26) 11 0 Bahrain East Riffa v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
MF Mahdi Abdullatif (1993-02-15) 15 February 1993 (age 31) 12 0 Bahrain Manama Club v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
MF Husain Al-Qassab (2000-11-28) 28 November 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Bahrain Al-Shabab v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
FW Ismail Abdullatif (1986-09-11) 11 September 1986 (age 38) 135 48 Bahrain Al-Khaldiya v.  United Arab Emirates, 11 June 2024
FW Abdulla Yusuf Helal (1993-06-12) 12 June 1993 (age 31) 90 13 Czech Republic Bohemians 1905 v.  United Arab Emirates, 11 June 2024
FW Abdullah Al-Hashsash (1992-08-17) 17 August 1992 (age 32) 8 2 Bahrain Al-Ahli v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023
FW Hamza Al-Juban (2000-04-17) 17 April 2000 (age 24) 2 0 Bahrain Al-Muharraq v.  United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2023

INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad / standby
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Records

As of 5 September 2024[11][12]
Players in bold are still active with Bahrain.

Most appearances

Rank Name Caps Goals Career
1 Sayed Mohammed Jaffer 162 0 2004–present
2 Mohamed Husain 161 10 1997–2015
3 Salman Isa 160 24 2000–2012
4 Mohamed Salmeen 146 10 2000–2013
5 Ismail Abdullatif 135 48 2005–present
6 Sayed Mahmood Jalal 125 6 1998–2010
7 Hussain Ali Baba 124 8 2001–2016
8 Talal Yousef 118 28 2001–2016
9 Husain Ali 117 33 1998–2013
10 Sayed Dhiya Saeed 116 8 2011–present

Top goalscorers

Ismail Abdullatif is Bahrain's top scorer with 48 goals.
Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Ismail Abdullatif 48 135 0.36 2005–present
2 Husain Ali 33 116 0.28 1998–2013
3 Talal Yousef 28 118 0.24 1998–2009
4 A'ala Hubail 26 88 0.3 2003–2009
5 Salman Isa 24 160 0.15 2001–2012
6 Faouzi Aaish 20 104 0.19 2004–2016
7 Mohamed Al-Romaihi 16 46 0.35 2010–2022
8 Mohamed Marhoon 14 64 0.22 2018–present
9 Ali Madan 13 89 0.15 2016–present
Abdulla Yusuf Helal 13 90 0.14 2015–present
Mahmood Abdulrahman 13 91 0.14 2006–2014
Kamil Al-Aswad 13 105 0.12 2015–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1954 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
1958 to 1966 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1970 and 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 4 1 0 3 4 6
Spain 1982 4 1 0 3 1 6
Mexico 1986 4 1 2 1 8 6
Italy 1990 Withdrew Withdrew
United States 1994 Did not qualify 8 3 3 2 9 6
France 1998 4 1 0 3 3 9
South Korea Japan 2002 14 7 4 3 17 13
Germany 2006 16 5 6 5 21 14
South Africa 2010 20 7 7 6 19 17
Brazil 2014 6 2 3 1 13 7
Russia 2018 6 2 0 4 7 9
Qatar 2022 8 4 3 1 15 4
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 8 4 2 2 12 8
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total − 0/14 − − − − − − 102 38 30 34 129 105

AFC Asian Cup

Main article: Bahrain at the AFC Asian Cup
AFC Asian Cup record AFC Asian Cup qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
South Korea 1960
Israel 1964
Iran 1968 Did not enter Did not enter
Thailand 1972 Did not qualify 4 2 0 2 8 4
Iran 1976 Withdrew Withdrew
Kuwait 1980 Withdrew after qualifying 3 0 0 3 0 5
Singapore 1984 Withdrew Withdrew
Qatar 1988 Group stage 9th 4 0 2 2 1 3 3 2 1 0 4 0
Japan 1992 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 5
United Arab Emirates 1996 Withdrew Withdrew
Lebanon 2000 Did not qualify 6 3 0 3 6 6
China 2004 Fourth place 4th 6 1 3 2 13 14 6 4 1 1 14 9
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 Group stage 13th 3 1 0 2 3 7 4 1 1 2 3 6
Qatar 2011 Group stage 10th 3 1 0 2 6 5 6 4 0 2 12 6
Australia 2015 Group stage 12th 3 1 0 2 3 5 6 4 2 0 7 1
United Arab Emirates 2019 Round of 16 14th 4 1 1 2 3 4 14 7 1 6 25 13
Qatar 2023 Round of 16 15th 4 2 0 2 4 6 11 7 3 1 15 4
Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualified 6 3 2 1 11 3
Total Fourth place 8/19 27 7 6 14 33 44 68 33 10 23 106 62

Gulf Cup

Gulf Cup record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
Bahrain 1970 Runners-up 3 1 1 1 3 4
Saudi Arabia 1972 Record annulled
Kuwait 1974 Group stage 2 0 0 2 1 8
Qatar 1976 Fourth place 6 3 0 3 9 15
Iraq 1979 Fourth place 6 2 2 2 8 9
United Arab Emirates 1982 Runners-up 5 3 1 1 10 7
Oman 1984 Fifth place 6 1 2 3 3 6
Bahrain 1986 Fifth place 6 1 4 1 4 5
Saudi Arabia 1988 Fourth place 6 3 0 3 4 4
Kuwait 1990 Third place 4 1 2 1 1 1
Qatar 1992 Runners-up 5 3 0 2 6 4
United Arab Emirates 1994 Third place 5 1 3 1 5 6
Oman 1996 Fifth place 5 0 2 3 4 8
Bahrain 1998 Fifth place 5 0 3 2 3 6
Saudi Arabia 2002 Fourth place 5 1 2 2 4 6
Kuwait 2003 Runners-up 6 4 1 1 13 3
Qatar 2004 Third place 5 2 2 1 10 6
United Arab Emirates 2007 Semi-finals 4 1 1 2 4 5
Oman 2009 Group stage 3 1 0 2 3 4
Yemen 2010 Group stage 3 0 1 2 4 7
Bahrain 2013 Fourth place 5 1 1 3 4 9
Saudi Arabia 2014 Group stage 3 0 2 1 0 3
Kuwait 2017 Semi-finals 4 1 2 1 3 3
Qatar 2019 Champions 5 2 2 1 7 6
Iraq 2023 Semi-finals 4 2 1 1 5 4
Total 25/25 111 34 35 42 118 139

Arab Cup

FIFA Arab Cup record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA
Lebanon 1963 Did not enter
Kuwait 1964
Iraq 1966 Group stage 4 0 1 3 7 22
Saudi Arabia 1985 Runners-up 4 1 2 1 4 3
Jordan 1988 Group stage 4 0 3 1 2 3
Syria 1992 Did not enter
Qatar 1998 Withdrew
Saudi Arabia 2002 Runners-up 6 3 1 2 8 5
Saudi Arabia 2012 Group stage 3 0 0 3 1 8
Qatar 2021 Group stage 3 0 1 2 0 4
Total Best: Runners-up 24 4 8 12 22 45

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
1951 to 1970 Did not enter
Iran 1974 15th place 3 0 0 3 1 15
Thailand 1978 14th place 3 0 0 3 1 12
India 1982 Did not enter
South Korea 1986 12th place 3 1 1 1 4 5
China 1990 Did not enter
Japan 1994 10th place 4 1 2 1 6 5
Thailand 1998 Did not enter
2002 to present See Bahrain national under-23 football team
Total 4/13 14 3 3 8 12 37

Arab Games

Arab Games record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
Egypt 1953 Did not enter
Lebanon 1957
Morocco 1961
United Arab Republic 1965
Syria 1976
Morocco 1985
Lebanon 1997
Jordan 1999 First round 2 0 0 2 0 6
Egypt 2007 Did not enter
Qatar 2011 Champions 4 3 1 0 9 3
Total 2/10 6 3 1 2 9 9

WAFF Championship

WAFF Championship record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA GD
Jordan 2000 Did not participate
Syria 2002
Iran 2004
Jordan 2007
Iran 2008
Jordan 2010 Group stage 2 1 0 1 2 3 –1
Kuwait 2012 Fourth place 5 2 2 1 3 2 +1
Qatar 2014 Third place 4 0 3 1 0 1 –1
Iraq 2019 Champions 4 3 1 0 3 0 +3
Total 4/9 15 6 6 3 8 6 +2

Head-to-head record

As of 10 October 2024 after match against  Indonesia.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Against Played Won Drawn Lost Goal scored Goal against % Won[a]
 Albania 2 2 0 0 6 0 100%
 Algeria 2 0 2 0 0 0 50%
 Angola 1 0 0 1 0 3 0%
 Australia 7 1 0 6 2 11 14.29%
 Azerbaijan 3 0 0 3 3 8 0%
 Bangladesh 2 2 0 0 4 0 100%
 Belarus 1 0 0 1 0 1 0%
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 0 0 1 0 1 0%
 Brazil 1 0 0 1 0 2 0%
 Brunei 1 1 0 0 7 0 100%
 Burkina Faso 2 2 0 0 5 2 100%
 Burundi 1 1 0 0 1 0 100%
 Cambodia 2 2 0 0 9 0 100%
 Canada 1 0 1 0 2 2 50%
 Cape Verde 1 0 0 1 1 2 0%
 Chad 1 0 1 0 1 1 50%
 Chile 1 0 0 1 0 2 0%
 China 8 0 5 3 9 15 31.25%
 Chinese Taipei 3 2 0 1 7 2 66.67%
 Colombia 1 0 0 1 0 6 0%
 Congo 1 1 0 0 3 1 100%
 Curaçao 1 1 0 0 4 0 100%
 Denmark 2 1 0 1 2 2 50%
 DR Congo 1 1 0 0 1 0 100%
 Egypt 1 0 0 1 0 1 0%
 Finland 5 0 1 4 1 9 10%
 Haiti 1 1 0 0 6 1 100%
 Hong Kong 7 5 1 1 17 3 78.57%
 Iceland 2 1 0 1 2 3 50%
 India 7 6 1 0 16 4 92.86%
 Indonesia 8 3 3 2 21 9 57.14%
 Iran 19 5 4 9 13 32 36.84%
 Iraq 31 5 13 13 26 50 38.33%
 Japan 14 2 1 11 11 31 14.29%
 Jordan 31 11 6 14 26 35 35.48%
 Kazakhstan 2 0 0 2 0 3 0%
 Kenya 2 2 0 0 4 2 100%
 Kuwait 44 14 11 19 41 59 44.32%
 Kyrgyzstan 8 6 1 1 17 7 81.25%
 Lebanon 15 7 6 2 23 18 66.67%
 Libya 5 2 1 2 9 8 50%
 Malaysia 16 9 5 2 34 17 71.88%
 Maldives 2 2 0 0 5 1 100%
 Mauritania 1 1 0 0 1 0 100%
 Morocco 2 0 0 2 0 5 0%
 Myanmar 5 4 0 1 13 6 80%
 Netherlands 1 0 0 1 1 8 0%
   Nepal 2 2 0 0 8 0 100%
 New Zealand 5 0 1 4 1 6 10%
 North Korea 7 2 1 4 10 10 35.71%
 North Macedonia 1 0 1 0 1 1 50%
 Norway 1 0 0 1 0 1 0%
 Oman 40 12 17 11 37 33 51.25%
 Pakistan 1 0 0 1 1 5 0%
 Palestine 9 4 1 4 12 8 50%
 Panama 2 1 0 1 5 2 50%
 Paraguay 1 0 0 1 1 2 0%
 Philippines 7 4 2 1 10 5 71.43%
 Qatar 40 11 12 9 30 34 42.5%
 Saudi Arabia 37 7 11 19 26 55 33.78%
 Serbia 1 0 0 1 1 5 0%
 Singapore 10 8 1 1 18 6 85%
 Slovakia 1 1 0 0 2 0 100%
 South Korea 25 3 5 17 21 58 22%
 Sri Lanka 1 1 0 0 1 0 100%
 Sudan 3 2 0 1 4 3 66.67%
 Sweden 2 0 0 2 0 5 0%
 Syria 23 6 7 10 24 25 41.3%
 Tajikistan 5 3 2 0 16 1 80%
 Thailand 10 3 4 3 11 10 30%
 Togo 1 1 0 0 5 1 100%
 Trinidad and Tobago 2 0 1 1 1 2 25%
 Tunisia 2 1 0 1 1 3 50%
 Turkmenistan 6 4 2 0 15 5 83.33%
 Uganda 2 1 1 0 3 1 75%
 Ukraine 1 0 1 0 1 1 50%
 United Arab Emirates 32 12 6 14 46 53 37.5%
 Uzbekistan 12 3 4 5 8 20 41.67%
 Vietnam 1 0 0 1 3 5 0%
 Yemen 16 12 2 2 31 8 86.67%
 Zimbabwe 1 1 0 0 5 2 100%
  1. ^ A draw counts as a ½ win

Honours

Regional

References

  1. ^ "History of Iran vs. Bahrain | TeamMelli". Archived from the original on 15 January 2015.
  2. ^ "FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) 2014, football - table and standings". soccer365.me. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Bahrain wins WAFF Championship 2019 title". bna.bh. 15 August 2019. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Bahrain beat Saudi Arabia to win the 2019 Gulf Cup". as.com. 8 December 2019. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Bahrain beat Hong Kong of China in FIFA World Cup qualifier". Xinhuanet. 16 June 2021. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Khamis Al Rumaithi: No commercial objectives behind Romai's sponsorship of Palestine's national team". UAE Today. Emaratalyoum. 4 December 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  7. ^ "The president of the football union hosts a press conference in the presence of several club managers". Akhbar Alkhaleej. 19 April 2015. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  8. ^ "MACRON APPROVED AS OFFICIAL KIT SUPPLIER". BFA. Bahrain Football Association. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Bahrain National Team Coaches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  10. ^ "Instagram". September 2024.
  11. ^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Bahrain - Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Bahrain". National Football Teams.
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