Bahrain national football team

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 (Arabic: منتخب الْبَحرَيْن لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم) represents Bahrain in international football and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association, which was founded in 1951. The country has afiliated with FIFA since 1968 and has been a member of the AFC since 1957. They have never reached the FIFA World Cup.

Bahrain

Nickname(s)	مُحَارِبِيّ دِيْلمُون (Muharabi Dilmun, Dilmun's Warriors) غَوَاصِيْنُ الْلُؤْلُؤْ (Ghawaseen Al-Lulu, The Pearl Divers) الأَحمَر (The Reds) الشياطين الحمر (The Red Devils)
Association	Bahrain Football Association (BFA)
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	WAFF (West Asia)
Head coach	Dragan Talajić
Captain	Sayed Dhiya Saeed
Most caps	Sayed Mohammed Jaffer (163)
Top scorer	Ismail Abdullatif (48)
Home stadium	Bahrain National Stadium
FIFA code	BHR
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	89 5 (10 July 2025)[1]
Highest	44 (September 2004)
Lowest	139 (March 2000)
First international
Bahrain 4–4 Kuwait  (Baghdad, Iraq; 2 April 1936)
Biggest win
Bahrain 10–0 Indonesia  (Riffa, Bahrain; 29 February 2012)
Biggest defeat
Iraq 10–1 Bahrain  (Baghdad, Iraq; 5 April 1966)
Asian Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 1988)
Best result	Fourth place (2004)
Arab Cup
Appearances	6 (first in 1966)
Best result	Runners-up (1985, 2002)
WAFF Championship
Appearances	4 (first in 2010)
Best result	Champions (2019)
Arabian Gulf Cup
Appearances	26 (first in 1970)
Best result	Champions (2019, 2024–25)

Bahrain won the FIFA's most improved team award in 2004, and finished fourth at the 2004 AFC 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. On 4th January 2025, Bahrain won the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup, defeating Oman 2–1.^[2]

History

The 1959 national football team

Early years

Even though the first national team was founded in 1959, the Bahraini national team was only first officially assembled in 1966 when they played a friendly game against Kuwait that ended in a 4–4 draw. 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 win either, 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.^[3]

2004 Asian Cup

The form of Bahrain in the Asian Cup was quite surprising. In their just second appearance, Bahrain was drawn with host China, neighbor Qatar, and Indonesia. However, Bahrain went undefeated at the group stage, including a 2–2 draw to China in Beijing, and a 1–1 draw to Qatar before they beat 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. During the semi-finals, Bahrain put up another astonishing performance against defending champions Japan, only losing 3–4 after extra time. The team then lost 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. A 1–1 draw in Port of Spain followed by 0–1 Bahrain loss in Manama saw the CONCACAF nation make their World Cup debut.

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 afc 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 FIFA 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.

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

Source: ^[4]

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.^[5][6]

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^[7] 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 Umbro 1981 Puma 1982 Grand Sport 1983–1986 Faisok 1986 Grand Sport 1987–1996 Puma 1997 Baraka 1998–1999 Kika 2000–2002 Shoot 2002–2003 Diadora 2003–2005 Puma 2005–2014 Romai[8][9] 2014–2018 Macron[10] 2019–2022 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

2024

Bahrain  v  Yemen

6 June World Cup qualification R2	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)

United Arab Emirates  v  Bahrain

11 June World Cup qualification R2	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 Attendance: 953 Referee: Ma Ning (China)

Australia  v  Bahrain

5 September World Cup qualification R3	Australia	0–1	Bahrain	Gold Coast, Australia
20:10 UTC+10		Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Souttar 89' (o.g.)	Stadium: Robina Stadium Attendance: 24,644 Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)

Bahrain  v  Japan

10 September World Cup qualification R3	Bahrain	0–5	Japan	Riffa, Bahrain
19:00 UTC+3		Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Ueda 37' (pen.), 47' Morita 61', 64' Ogawa 81'	Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium Attendance: 22,729 Referee: Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan)

Bahrain  v  Indonesia

10 October World Cup qualification R3	Bahrain	2–2	Indonesia	Riffa, Bahrain
19:00 UTC+3	Marhoon 15', 90+9'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC))	Oratmangoen 45+3' Struick 74'	Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium Attendance: 10,731 Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

Saudi Arabia  v  Bahrain

15 October World Cup qualification R3	Saudi Arabia	0–0	Bahrain	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
21:00 UTC+3		Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)		Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Attendance: 35,437 Referee: Salman Ahmad Falahi (Qatar)

Bahrain  v  China

14 November World Cup qualification R3	Bahrain	0–1	China	Riffa, Bahrain
17:00 UTC+3		Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Zhang Yuning 90+1'	Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium Attendance: 7,921 Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)

Bahrain  v  Australia

19 November World Cup qualification R3	Bahrain	2–2	Australia	Riffa, Bahrain
18:15 UTC+3	Abduljabbar 75', 77'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Yengi 1', 90+6'	Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium Attendance: 6,873 Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

Saudi Arabia  v  Bahrain

22 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup GS	Saudi Arabia	2–3	Bahrain	Kuwait City, Kuwait
20:30 UTC+3	Al-Juwayr 73' Al-Shehri 86' (pen.)	Report	Abduljabbar 19' Al-Humaidan 38' Marhoon 76'	Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Attendance: 7,726 Referee: Ahmad Al-Ali (Kuwait)

Bahrain  v  Iraq

25 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup GS	Bahrain	2–0	Iraq	Kuwait City, Kuwait
20:30 UTC+3	Madan 38', 47'	Report		Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Attendance: 13,150 Referee: Halil Umut Meler (Turkey)

Bahrain  v  Yemen

28 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup GS	Bahrain	1–2	Yemen	Kuwait City, Kuwait
17:30 UTC+3	Al-Romaihi 62'	Report	Al-Khatal 41' (o.g.) Al-Zubaidi 88'	Stadium: Sulaibikhat Stadium Attendance: 4,293 Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)

Bahrain  v  Kuwait

31 December 26th Arabian Gulf Cup SF	Bahrain	1–0	Kuwait	Kuwait City, Kuwait
20:45 UTC+3	Marhoon 75'	Report		Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Attendance: 60,122 Referee: István Kovács (Romania)

2025

Oman  v  Bahrain

4 January 26th Arabian Gulf Cup F	Oman	1–2	Bahrain	Kuwait City, Kuwait
19:00 UTC+3	Al-Mushaifri 17'	Report	Marhoon 78' (pen.) Al-Musalami 80' (o.g.)	Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Attendance: 57,674 Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Japan  v  Bahrain

20 March World Cup qualification R3	Japan	2–0	Bahrain	Saitama, Japan
19:35 UTC+9	Kamada 66' Kubo 87'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)		Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002 Attendance: 58,137 Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Indonesia  v  Bahrain

25 March World Cup qualification R3	Indonesia	1–0	Bahrain	Jakarta, Indonesia
20:45 UTC+7	Romeny 24'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)		Stadium: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium Attendance: 69,599 Referee: Sadullo Gulmurodi (Tajikistan)

Bahrain  v  Saudi Arabia

5 June World Cup qualification R3	Bahrain	0–2	Saudi Arabia	Riffa, Bahrain
		Report	Al-Juwayr 16' Al-Aboud 78'	Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium Attendance: 15,075 Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

China  v  Bahrain

10 June World Cup qualification R3	China	1–0	Bahrain	Chongqing, China
19:00 UTC+8	Wang Yudong 90+3' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Longxing Football Stadium Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)

Istra 1961 v  Bahrain

16 July Hybrid friendly	Istra 1961	3–1	Bahrain	Slovenia
17:30 UTC+2

Bahrain  v  Djibouti

November 2025 FIFA Arab Cup	Bahrain	v	Djibouti	Doha, Qatar
--:-- UTC+3				Stadium: TBD

Current staff

Role	Name
Head coach	Dragan Talajić
Assistant coaches	Goran Lacković
	Ahmed Kamal
Fitness Coach	Matej Filipić
Team manager	Mahmoud Riyad

Coaching history

As of March 2019^[11]

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

• Jassim Al-Maawada and
  Abdul-Salam Alam (1966)
• Hamada El-Sharqawi (1970–1974)
• Danny McLennan (1974–1975)
• Adnan Ayoub and
  Khalifa Al-Hamdan (1975)
• Jack Mansell (1976)
• Mal Thompson and Michael Gorman (1979)
• Ljubiša Broćić (1979–1981)
• Farouq Ahmed Ali (1981)
• Sebastião Pereira de Araújo (1982–1984, 1992–1993)
• Keith Burkinshaw (1984–1986)
• Robbie Stepney (1986–1987)
• Abdelmajid Chetali (1988)
• Mohamed Al-Arabi Al-Zouaui (1988)
• Uli Maslo (1990–1992)
• Faisal Alshehabı (2007)
• Ivan Čabrinović (1994)
• Victor Stănculescu (1995–1996)
• Fuad Boshqar (1996)
• Josef Hickersberger (1997)
• Ernesto Rosa Guedes (1998)
• Alexandru Moldovan (1999)
• Ahmed D. Al Jalahama (2000)
• Wolfgang Sidka (2001–2002, 2005)
• Yves Herbet (2003)
• Srećko Juričić (2003–2005)
• Luka Peruzović (2005–2006)
• Riyadh Al-Thawadi (2006)
• Hans-Peter Briegel (2006–2007)
• Senad Kreso (2007)
• Milan Máčala (2008–2010)
• Josef Hickersberger (2010)
• Marjan Eid (2010)
• Salman Sharida (2010–2011)
• Peter Taylor (2011–2012)
• Gabriel Calderón (2012–2013)
• Anthony Hudson (2013–2014)
• Adnan Hamad (2014)
• Marjan Eid (2014–2015)
• Sergio Batista (2015–2016)
• Miroslav Soukup (2016–2019)
• Hélio Sousa (2019–2023)
• Juan Antonio Pizzi (2023–2024)
• 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.^[12]

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

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Abdulkarim Fardan	(1992-04-25) 25 April 1992 (age 33)	1	0	Al-Riffa
21	1GK	Sayed Mohammed Jaffer	(1985-08-25) 25 August 1985 (age 39)	163	0	Al-Muharraq
22	1GK	Ebrahim Lutfalla	(1992-09-24) 24 September 1992 (age 32)	34	0	Al-Muharraq
2	2DF	Amine Benaddi	(1993-05-09) 9 May 1993 (age 32)	37	0	Al-Muharraq
3	2DF	Waleed Al Hayam	(1988-11-04) 4 November 1988 (age 36)	125	0	Al-Muharraq
5	2DF	Hamad Al-Shamsan	(1997-09-29) 29 September 1997 (age 27)	33	0	Al-Riffa
13	2DF	Vincent Emmanuel	(2001-04-29) 29 April 2001 (age 24)	10	0	Sitra
16	2DF	Sayed Baqer	(1994-04-14) 14 April 1994 (age 31)	41	2	Al-Riffa
19	2DF	Hazza Ali	(1995-06-09) 9 June 1995 (age 30)	14	0	Al-Riffa
23	2DF	Abdulla Al-Khulasi	(2003-09-02) 2 September 2003 (age 21)	21	1	Al-Muharraq
	2DF	Ahmed Bughammar	(1997-12-30) 30 December 1997 (age 27)	27	1	Al-Khaldiya
	2DF	Mahmood Al-Moosawi	(2004-03-27) 27 March 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Al-Shabab
4	3MF	Sayed Dhiya Saeed	(1992-07-17) 17 July 1992 (age 33)	128	8	Al-Khaldiya
6	3MF	Hussain Al-Eker	(2001-09-30) 30 September 2001 (age 23)	4	0	Al-Riffa
7	3MF	Ali Madan	(1995-11-30) 30 November 1995 (age 29)	101	15	Ajman
8	3MF	Mohamed Marhoon	(1998-02-12) 12 February 1998 (age 27)	78	19	Kuwait SC
9	3MF	Ebrahim Al-Khattal	(2000-09-19) 19 September 2000 (age 24)	28	4	Manama
10	3MF	Kamil Al-Aswad (captain)	(1994-04-08) 8 April 1994 (age 31)	119	13	Al-Arabi
14	3MF	Ali Haram	(1988-12-11) 11 December 1988 (age 36)	58	5	Al-Riffa
15	3MF	Jasim Al-Shaikh	(1996-02-01) 1 February 1996 (age 29)	67	4	Al-Riffa
18	3MF	Ahmed Al-Sherooqi	(2000-05-22) 22 May 2000 (age 25)	9	0	Al-Muharraq
20	3MF	Mahdi Al-Humaidan	(1993-05-19) 19 May 1993 (age 32)	73	7	Al-Khaldiya
	3MF	Sayed Al-Wadaei	(2008-07-08) 8 July 2008 (age 17)	1	0	Villarreal Juvenil
11	4FW	Ismail Abdullatif	(1986-09-11) 11 September 1986 (age 38)	136	48	Al-Khaldiya
12	4FW	Mahdi Abduljabbar	(1991-06-25) 25 June 1991 (age 34)	46	13	Al-Khaldiya
17	4FW	Husain Abdulkarim	(2002-05-14) 14 May 2002 (age 23)	10	0	Al-Muharraq

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	Ammar Mohamed	(1999-02-10) 10 February 1999 (age 26)	3	0	Al-Khaldiya	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF	Mohamed Adel	(1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 (age 28)	38	0	Al-Khaldiya	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF	Ahmed Nabeel	(1995-08-25) 25 August 1995 (age 29)	11	0	Manama	v.  Australia, 19 November 2024
DF	Mohamed Al-Banna	(1989-10-17) 17 October 1989 (age 35)	2	0	Al-Muharraq	v.  Yemen, 6 June 2024
MF	Hasan Al-Karrani	(1997-11-27) 27 November 1997 (age 27)	2	0	Al-Muharraq	v.    Nepal, 26 March 2024
MF	Abdulwahab Al-Malood	(1990-06-07) 7 June 1990 (age 35)	86	5	Al-Muharraq	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Abbas Al-Asfoor	(1999-02-02) 2 February 1999 (age 26)	16	0	Al-Ahli	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Moses Atede	(1997-12-17) 17 December 1997 (age 27)	8	0	Kuching City	v.  Australia, 19 November 2024
MF	Sayed Sharaf	(2002-12-23) 23 December 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Al-Ahli	v.  Saudi Arabia, 15 October 2024
MF	Mohamed Al-Hardan	(1997-10-06) 6 October 1997 (age 27)	29	2	Al-Muharraq	v.    Nepal, 26 March 2024
FW	Mohamed Al-Romaihi	(1990-09-09) 9 September 1990 (age 34)	53	17	Al-Khaldiya	v.  Saudi Arabia, 5 June 2024 INJ
FW	Hashim Sayed Isa	(1998-04-03) 3 April 1998 (age 27)	19	6	Al-Riffa	v.  Saudi Arabia, 15 October 2024
FW	Abdulla Yusuf Helal	(1993-06-12) 12 June 1993 (age 32)	89	13	Bohemians 1905	v.  United Arab Emirates, 11 June 2024
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 4 January 2025^[13][14]

Players in bold are still active with Bahrain.

Most appearances

Rank	Name	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Sayed Mohammed Jaffer	163	0	2004–present
2	Mohamed Husain	161	10	1997–2015
3	Salman Isa	160	24	2000–2012
4	Mohamed Salmeen	148	11	2000–2013
5	Ismail Abdullatif	138	48	2005–present
6	Sayed Dhiya Saeed	128	8	2011–present
7	Sayed Mahmood Jalal	125	6	1998–2010
8	Hussain Ali Baba	124	8	2001–2016
9	Waleed Al-Hayam	123	0	2010–present
10	Talal Yousef	118	28	2001–2016

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	115	0.29	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 Marhoon	19	74	0.26	2018–present
8	Mohamed Al-Romaihi	17	52	0.33	2010–present
9	Ali Madan	15	99	0.15	2016–present
10	Mahdi Abduljabbar	13	42	0.31	2016–present
	Abdulla Yusuf Helal	13	90	0.14	2015–present
	Kamil Al-Aswad	13	115	0.11	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
1978	Did not qualify									4	1	0	3	4	6
1982										4	1	0	3	1	6
1986										4	1	2	1	8	6
1990	Withdrew									Withdrew
1994	Did not qualify									8	3	3	2	9	6
1998										4	1	0	3	3	9
2002										14	7	4	3	17	13
2006										16	5	6	5	21	14
2010										20	7	7	6	19	17
2014										6	2	3	1	13	7
2018										8	3	0	5	10	10
2022										8	4	3	1	15	4
2026										16	4	5	7	16	19
2030	To be determined
2034
Total	−	0/14	−	−	−	−	−	−		112	39	33	40	136	117

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
1956	Part of  United Kingdom									Part of  United Kingdom
1960
1964
1968	Did not enter									Did not enter
1972	Did not qualify									4	2	0	2	8	4
1976	Withdrew									Withdrew
1980	Withdrew after qualifying									3	0	0	3	0	5
1984	Withdrew									Withdrew
1988	Group stage	9th	4	0	2	2	1	3		3	2	1	0	4	0
1992	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	5
1996	Withdrew									Withdrew
2000	Did not qualify									6	3	0	3	6	6
2004	Fourth place	4th	6	1	3	2	13	14		6	4	1	1	14	9
2007	Group stage	13th	3	1	0	2	3	7		4	1	1	2	3	6
2011		10th	3	1	0	2	6	5		6	4	0	2	12	6
2015		12th	3	1	0	2	3	5		6	4	2	0	7	1
2019	Round of 16	14th	4	1	1	2	3	4		14	7	1	6	25	13
2023		15th	4	2	0	2	4	6		11	7	3	1	15	4
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
1970	Runners-up	3	1	1	1	3	4
1972	Record annulled
1974	Group stage	2	0	0	2	1	8
1976	Fourth place	6	3	0	3	9	15
1979	Fourth place	6	2	2	2	8	9
1982	Runners-up	5	3	1	1	10	7
1984	Fifth place	6	1	2	3	3	6
1986	Fifth place	6	1	4	1	4	5
1988	Fourth place	6	3	0	3	4	4
1990	Third place	4	1	2	1	1	1
1992	Runners-up	5	3	0	2	6	4
1994	Third place	5	1	3	1	5	6
1996	Fifth place	5	0	2	3	4	8
1998	Fifth place	5	0	3	2	3	6
2002	Fourth place	5	1	2	2	4	6
2003	Runners-up	6	4	1	1	13	3
2004	Third place	5	2	2	1	10	6
2007	Semi-finals	4	1	1	2	4	5
2009	Group stage	3	1	0	2	3	4
2010	Group stage	3	0	1	2	4	7
2013	Fourth place	5	1	1	3	4	9
2014	Group stage	3	0	2	1	0	3
2017	Semi-finals	4	1	2	1	3	3
2019	Champions	5	2	2	1	7	6
2023	Semi-finals	4	2	1	1	5	4
2024–25	Champions	5	4	0	1	9	5
2026	qualified as Champion holders
Total	26/26	116	38	35	43	118	139

Arab Cup

FIFA Arab Cup record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1963	Did not enter
1964
1966	Group stage	4	0	1	3	7	22
1985	Runners-up	4	1	2	1	4	3
1988	Group stage	4	0	3	1	2	3
1992	Did not enter
1998	Withdrew
2002	Runners-up	6	3	1	2	8	5
2012	Group stage	3	0	0	3	1	8
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
1974	15th place	3	0	0	3	1	15
1978	14th place	3	0	0	3	1	12
1982	Did not enter
1986	12th place	3	1	1	1	4	5
1990	Did not enter
1994	10th place	4	1	2	1	6	5
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
1953	Did not enter
1957
1961
1965
1976
1985
1997
1999	First round	2	0	0	2	0	6
2007	Did not enter
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
2000	Did not participate
2002
2004
2007
2008
2010	Group stage	2	1	0	1	2	3	–1
2012	Fourth place	5	2	2	1	3	2	+1
2014	Third place	4	0	3	1	0	1	–1
2019	Champions	4	3	1	0	3	0	+3
2026	Qualified
Total	4/9	15	6	6	3	8	6	+2

Head-to-head record

As of 10 June 2025 after match against CHN.

  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	8	1	1	6	4	13	12.5%
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	10	0	5	5	9	17	0%
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	9	3	3	3	21	10	33.33%
Iran	19	5	4	9	13	32	36.84%
Iraq	31	5	13	13	26	50	38.33%
Japan	15	2	1	12	11	33	13.33%
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	39	7	12	20	26	57	17.95%
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	11	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	11	2	5	4	8	15	45.45%
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

• 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

Notes