Bahrain national football team

History

Early years

Although Bahrain’s first national football team was established in 1959, the side was not officially organized until 1966, when it played a friendly match against Kuwait that ended in a 4–4 draw. During this period, Bahrain, despite remaining under British influence, had been granted a degree of autonomy that allowed the country to develop its football infrastructure. Historically, Bahrain was considered one of the weaker teams in the Gulf region, which included stronger sides such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. As a result, Bahrain’s early international participation was largely limited to the Arabian Gulf Cup.

Bahrain qualified for its first AFC Asian Cup in 1988, but finished at the bottom of its group with two draws. In the years that followed, the senior national team received limited attention and investment, despite notable achievements at youth levels, particularly with the under-17 and under-20 teams. It was not until the late 20th century that Bahrain began to show significant improvement, marking a turning point in the development of football in the country.

Bahrain delivered notable performances during the qualification campaigns for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup and the 2002 FIFA World Cup, reaching the final round of World Cup qualifying for the first time. Although the team did not qualify in either competition, Bahrain recorded significant victories over Iran—winning 1–0 in Aleppo during the 2000 Asian Cup qualifiers and 3–1 at home during the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. The latter result had implications for the regional qualification standings, as it prevented Iran from securing a direct World Cup berth and contributed to Saudi Arabia’s qualification. The match subsequently drew attention due to celebrations by some Bahraini supporters, which added to existing tensions between the two countries’ football fan bases.

2004 AFC Asian Cup

Bahrain delivered a strong performance at the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in only its second appearance in the tournament. Drawn into a group with hosts China, Qatar, and Indonesia, the team progressed through the group stage undefeated, earning a 2–2 draw against China in Beijing, a 1–1 draw with Qatar, and a 3–1 victory over Indonesia to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time. Bahrain then defeated Uzbekistan on penalties after a 2–2 draw in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, Bahrain narrowly lost 4–3 after extra time to defending champions Japan, before falling 4–2 to Iran in the third-place match. The team’s performance in the tournament is regarded as a significant milestone in the development of Bahraini football.

2006 World Cup

After both Uzbekistan and Bahrain finished third in their respective groups during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the two teams met in a two-legged AFC playoff. Bahrain advanced on the away goals rule after a 1–1 aggregate draw. This result qualified Bahrain for an inter-confederation playoff against the fourth-placed CONCACAF team, Trinidad and Tobago, for a place at the World Cup. The first leg ended 1–1 in Port of Spain, but Bahrain lost the return match 1–0 in Manama, allowing Trinidad and Tobago to qualify for the World Cup for the first time.

2007 Asian Cup

Bahrain competed in Group D during the qualification stage for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. The team fielded a largely under-23 squad in its match against Australia, which ended in a 2–0 defeat. Bahrain ultimately secured qualification by defeating Kuwait in their final group match. At the tournament, Bahrain were eliminated in the group stage after losses to Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, despite recording an upset victory over the Korea Republic.

2010 World Cup

In the third round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, Bahrain were placed in Group B alongside Japan, Oman, and Thailand, finishing second to advance to the final round. In the final group stage, Bahrain placed third behind Australia and Japan, but ahead of Uzbekistan and Qatar. This set up a two-legged playoff against Saudi Arabia to determine Asia’s fifth-placed team. After a 0–0 draw in the home leg, Bahrain earned a 2–2 draw in Riyadh with a stoppage-time goal, progressing on the away goals rule.

Bahrain then faced New Zealand in the inter-confederation playoff, where a win would have secured their first World Cup appearance. The first leg in Manama ended goalless on 10 October 2009, and Bahrain were defeated 1–0 in the return leg in Wellington on 14 November 2009, narrowly missing out on qualification for a second consecutive cycle.

Crisis period

2011 Asian Cup

Bahrain qualified for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, hosted by neighbouring Qatar, and were placed in a group with Australia, South Korea, and India. In their opening match, Bahrain faced South Korea in an attempt to replicate their 2–1 victory from the 2007 tournament, but South Korea came from behind to win by the same scoreline. Bahrain then kept their qualification hopes alive with a 5–2 win over India. However, a 1–0 defeat to Australia in their final group match resulted in Bahrain’s elimination at the group stage.

2014 World Cup

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.

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.

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 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.

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Bahrain's 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign had been the worst since their return to the final round in 16 years. After dominating the second round with ease, Bahrain started the third round with a glorious shock 1–0 away win over Australia in the opener, triggering widespread optimism of Bahrain's fulfillment of qualifying for a maiden FIFA World Cup. Yet, what followed later had been a string of catastrophic defeats, such as consecutive losses to Japan, and three shock losses to China and Indonesia, despite being unbeaten to Australia and a goalless away draw to Saudi Arabia, and their conquest at the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup. In particular, the shock 1–0 home defeat to China, as well as the similar shock away loss by the same scoreline against Indonesia, were particularly damaging as they contributed to Bahrain's WCQ collapse. More noteworthy, after winning the Gulf Cup in early January 2025, Bahrain failed to score in four consecutive WCQ fixtures while conceded six in total, suggesting Bahrain had severe issues in finding reliable strikers throughout the remainders. In the end, Bahrain finished bottom of the table with only five goals (the worst offensive power in the third round) and just two sole goalscorers, Mahdi Abduljabbar and Mohamed Marhoon, to end the country's forgettable final round campaign as Bahrain's 2026 FIFA World Cup quest ended in disaster as Bahrain missed out of a spot for the World Cup again.

Team image

Kit suppliers

Results and fixtures

Main article: Bahrain national football team results (2020–present), 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.

2024

• Al-Juwayr
• Al-Shehri
• Abduljabbar
• Al-Humaidan
• Marhoon
• Al-Zubaidi
• Marhoon

2025

• Al-Mushaifri
• Marhoon
• Al-Musalami
• Kamada
• Kubo Report (AFC) Report (AFC)
• Al-Juwayr
• Al-Aboud
• Wang Yudong
• Muntari
• Alaaeldin
• Al-Aswad
• Al-Khattal
• Luanzinho
• Gaber
• Sherif
• Hamdi
• Al-Romaihi
• Omar
• Marsis
• Lutfalla
• M. Ali
• Hashim
• Al-Khattal
• Boulbina
• Benzia
• Al-Romaihi
• Al-Humaidan
• Muzamel

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

Coaching history

• BHR Jassim Al-Maawada and EGY Abdul-Salam Alam (1966)
• EGY Hamada El-Sharqawi (1970–1974)
• SCO Danny McLennan (1974–1975)
• BHR Adnan Ayoub and BHR Khalifa Al-Hamdan (1975)
• ENG Jack Mansell (1976)
• ENG Mal Thompson and Michael Gorman (1979)
• YUG Ljubiša Broćić (1979–1981)
• EGY Farouq Ahmed Ali (1981)
• BRA Sebastião Pereira de Araújo (1982–1984, 1992–1993)
• ENG Keith Burkinshaw (1984–1986)
• ENG Robbie Stepney (1986–1987)
• TUN Abdelmajid Chetali (1988)
• TUN Mohamed Al-Arabi Al-Zouaui (1988)
• FRG Uli Maslo (1990–1992)
• BHR Faisal Alshehabı (2007)
• FRY Ivan Čabrinović (1994)
• ROU Victor Stănculescu (1995–1996)
• BHR Fuad Boshqar (1996)
• AUT Josef Hickersberger (1997)
• BRA Ernesto Rosa Guedes (1998)
• ROU Alexandru Moldovan (1999)
• BHR Ahmed D. Al Jalahama (2000)
• GER Wolfgang Sidka (2001–2002, 2005)
• FRA Yves Herbet (2003)
• CRO Srećko Juričić (2003–2005)
• CRO Luka Peruzović (2005–2006)
• BHR Riyadh Al-Thawadi (2006)
• GER Hans-Peter Briegel (2006–2007)
• BIH Senad Kreso (2007)
• CZE Milan Máčala (2008–2010)
• AUT Josef Hickersberger (2010)
• BHR Marjan Eid (2010)
• BHR Salman Sharida (2010–2011)
• ENG Peter Taylor (2011–2012)
• ARG Gabriel Calderón (2012–2013)
• ENG Anthony Hudson (2013–2014)
• IRQ Adnan Hamad (2014)
• BHR Marjan Eid (2014–2015)
• ARG Sergio Batista (2015–2016)
• Czech Republic Miroslav Soukup (2016–2019)
• POR Hélio Sousa (2019–2023)
• ESP Juan Antonio Pizzi (2023–2024)
• CRO Dragan Talajić (2024– )

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games against Saudi Arabia and China in June 2025.

:Caps and goals correct as of 10 June 2025, after the match against China.

Recent call-ups

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

Individual records

: :Players in bold are still active with Bahrain.

Most appearances

Top goalscorers

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

AFC Asian Cup

Main article: Bahrain at the AFC Asian Cup

Arabian Gulf Cup

FIFA Arab Cup

Asian Games

Arab Games

WAFF Championship

Head-to-head record

:As of 9 December 2025 after match against Sudan.

Honours

Regional

• Arabian Gulf Cup
  • Champions (2): 2019, 2024–25
  • Runners-up (4): 1970, 1982, 1992, 2003
  • Third place (3): 1990, 1994, 2004
• WAFF Championship
  • Champions (1): 2019
  • Third place (1): 2014
• Arab Games
  • Gold medal (1): 2011
• Arab Cup
  • Runners-up (2): 1985, 2002

References

References

1. (5 January 2025). "5 things we learned from 26th Gulf Cup in Kuwait".
2. "History of Iran vs. Bahrain {{!".
3. (15 August 2019). "Bahrain wins WAFF Championship 2019 title".
4. (8 December 2019). "Bahrain beat Saudi Arabia to win the 2019 Gulf Cup".
5. (16 June 2021). "Bahrain beat Hong Kong of China in FIFA World Cup qualifier".
6. (4 December 2014). "Khamis Al Rumaithi: No commercial objectives behind Romai's sponsorship of Palestine's national team". UAE Today.
7. (19 April 2015). "The president of the football union hosts a press conference in the presence of several club managers". Akhbar Alkhaleej.
8. "MACRON APPROVED AS OFFICIAL KIT SUPPLIER". Bahrain Football Association.
9. "Bahrain National Team Coaches".
10. (27 May 2025). "قائمة الأحمر لمواجهتي السعودية والصين ضمن الجولتين التاسعة والعاشرة من المرحلة الثالثة من تصفيات كأس العالم 2026 🇧🇭📝". Bahrain FA.
11. "Bahrain - Record International Players".
12. "Bahrain".
13. "Bahrain national team".