Bahrain national football team

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

Bahrain

Nickname	الأحمر (The Red)
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	90 (19 January 2026)
Highest	44 (September 2004)
Lowest	139 (March 2000)
First international
Bahrain 4–4 Kuwait (Baghdad, Iraq; 2 April 1966)
Biggest win
Bahrain 10–0 Indonesia (Riffa, Bahrain; 29 February 2012)
Biggest defeat
Iraq 10–1 Bahrain (Baghdad, Iraq; 5 April 1966)
World Cup
Appearances	2 (first in 2006)
Best result	Play-off round (2006, 2010)
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)

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 is affiliated with FIFA since 1968 and has been a member of the AFC since 1957. They have never reached the FIFA World Cup.

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 4 January 2025, Bahrain won the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup, defeating Oman 2–1.

History

The 1959 national football team

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

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 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

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	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:

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

Kit manufacturer	Period
Umbro	1981
Puma	1982
Grand Sport	1983–1986
Faisok	1986
Grand Sport	1987–1996
Puma	1997
Baraka Sports	1998–1999
Kika	2000–2002
Shoot Sports	2002–2003
Diadora	2003–2005
Puma	2005–2014
Romai	2014–2018
Macron	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

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	Maribor, Slovenia
17:30 UTC+2				Stadium: Ljudski vrt

ND Primorje v Bahrain

22 July Hybrid friendly	ND Primorje	1–2	Bahrain	Maribor, Slovenia
16:20 UTC+2				Stadium: Ljudski vrt

Qatar v Bahrain

3 September Closed friendly	Qatar	2–2	Bahrain	Doha, Qatar
19:15 UTC+3	Muntari 17' Alaaeldin 87'		Al-Aswad 62' (pen.) Al-Khattal 66'	Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium

United Arab Emirates v Bahrain

8 September Friendly	United Arab Emirates	1–0	Bahrain	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
19:30 UTC+3	Luanzinho 24'	Report		Stadium: Zabeel Stadium

Morocco v Bahrain

9 October Friendly	Morocco	1–0	Bahrain	Rabat, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1	El Yamiq 90+4'	Report		Stadium: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium Attendance: Sadok Selmi (Tunisia)

Bahrain v Egypt

13 October Friendly	Bahrain	0–4	Egypt	Mohammedia, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1			El Solia 48' Gaber 50' Sherif 63' Hamdi 90+2'	Stadium: El Bachir Stadium

Bahrain v Somalia

17 November Friendly	Bahrain	1–2	Somalia	Riffa, Bahrain
18:30 UTC+3	Al-Romaihi 35'	Report	Omar 45' Marsis 80'	Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium Referee: Saud Al-Samhan (Kuwait)

Bahrain v Djibouti

26 November 2025 FIFA Arab Cup	Bahrain	1–0	Djibouti	Doha, Qatar
13:00 UTC+3	Al-Romaihi 36'			Stadium: Jassim bin Hamad Stadium

Iraq v Bahrain

3 December 2025 FIFA Arab Cup	Iraq	2–1	Bahrain	Doha, Qatar
17:30 UTC+3	Lutfalla 10' (o.g.) M. Ali 25'	Report	Hashim 79' Al-Khattal  90+3'	Stadium: Stadium 974 Attendance: 9,358 Referee: Pierre Atcho (Gabon)

Bahrain v Algeria

6 December 2025 FIFA Arab Cup	Bahrain	1–5	Algeria	Al Rayyan, Qatar
16:30 UTC+3	Abduljabbar 27'	Report	Berkane 24', 48' Boulbina 30', 80' Benzia 45+7' (pen.)	Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium Attendance: 20,260 Referee: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (New Zealand Football

Bahrain v Sudan

9 December 2025 FIFA Arab Cup	Bahrain	3–1	Sudan	Al Rayyan, Qatar
20:00 UTC+3	Abduljabbar 37' Al-Romaihi 79' (pen.) Al-Humaidan 89'	Report	M. Ahmed  21'  58' Muzamel 72'	Stadium: Education City Stadium Attendance: 21,386 Referee: Juan Gabriel Benítez (Paraguay)

Coaching staff

Current coaching 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

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.

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	1	0	Al-Riffa
21	1GK	Sayed Mohammed Jaffer	(1985-08-25) 25 August 1985	163	0	Al-Muharraq
22	1GK	Ebrahim Lutfalla	(1992-09-24) 24 September 1992	34	0	Al-Muharraq
2	2DF	Amine Benaddi	(1993-05-09) 9 May 1993	37	0	Al-Muharraq
3	2DF	Waleed Al Hayam	(1988-11-04) 4 November 1988	125	0	Al-Muharraq
5	2DF	Hamad Al-Shamsan	(1997-09-29) 29 September 1997	33	0	Al-Riffa
13	2DF	Vincent Emmanuel	(2001-04-29) 29 April 2001	10	0	Sitra
16	2DF	Sayed Baqer	(1994-04-14) 14 April 1994	41	2	Al-Riffa
19	2DF	Hazza Ali	(1995-06-09) 9 June 1995	14	0	Al-Riffa
23	2DF	Abdulla Al-Khulasi	(2003-09-02) 2 September 2003	21	1	Al-Muharraq
	2DF	Ahmed Bughammar	(1997-12-30) 30 December 1997	27	1	Al-Khaldiya
	2DF	Mahmood Al-Moosawi	(2004-03-27) 27 March 2004	0	0	Al-Shabab
4	3MF	Sayed Dhiya Saeed	(1992-07-17) 17 July 1992	128	8	Al-Khaldiya
6	3MF	Hussain Al-Eker	(2001-09-30) 30 September 2001	4	0	Al-Riffa
7	3MF	Ali Madan	(1995-11-30) 30 November 1995	101	15	Ajman
8	3MF	Mohamed Marhoon	(1998-02-12) 12 February 1998	78	19	Kuwait SC
9	3MF	Ebrahim Al-Khattal	(2000-09-19) 19 September 2000	28	4	Manama
10	3MF	Kamil Al-Aswad (captain)	(1994-04-08) 8 April 1994	119	13	Al-Arabi
14	3MF	Ali Haram	(1988-12-11) 11 December 1988	58	5	Al-Riffa
15	3MF	Jasim Al-Shaikh	(1996-02-01) 1 February 1996	67	4	Al-Riffa
18	3MF	Ahmed Al-Sherooqi	(2000-05-22) 22 May 2000	9	0	Al-Muharraq
20	3MF	Mahdi Al-Humaidan	(1993-05-19) 19 May 1993	73	7	Al-Zawraa
	3MF	Sayed Al-Wadaei	(2008-07-08) 8 July 2008	1	0	Villarreal Juvenil
11	4FW	Ismail Abdullatif	(1986-09-11) 11 September 1986	136	48	Al-Khaldiya
12	4FW	Mahdi Abduljabbar	(1991-06-25) 25 June 1991	46	13	Al-Khaldiya
17	4FW	Husain Abdulkarim	(2002-05-14) 14 May 2002	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	3	0	Al-Khaldiya	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF	Mohamed Adel	(1996-09-20) 20 September 1996	38	0	Al-Khaldiya	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF	Ahmed Nabeel	(1995-08-25) 25 August 1995	11	0	Manama	v. Australia, 19 November 2024
DF	Mohamed Al-Banna	(1989-10-17) 17 October 1989	2	0	Al-Muharraq	v. Yemen, 6 June 2024
MF	Hasan Al-Karrani	(1997-11-27) 27 November 1997	2	0	Al-Muharraq	v. Nepal, 26 March 2024
MF	Abdulwahab Al-Malood	(1990-06-07) 7 June 1990	86	5	Al-Muharraq	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Abbas Al-Asfoor	(1999-02-02) 2 February 1999	16	0	Al-Ahli	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Moses Atede	(1997-12-17) 17 December 1997	8	0	Kuching City	v. Australia, 19 November 2024
MF	Sayed Sharaf	(2002-12-23) 23 December 2002	0	0	Al-Ahli	v. Saudi Arabia, 15 October 2024
MF	Mohamed Al-Hardan	(1997-10-06) 6 October 1997	29	2	Al-Muharraq	v. Nepal, 26 March 2024
FW	Mohamed Al-Romaihi	(1990-09-09) 9 September 1990	53	17	Al-Khaldiya	v. Saudi Arabia, 5 June 2025 INJ
FW	Hashim Sayed Isa	(1998-04-03) 3 April 1998	19	6	Al-Riffa	v. Saudi Arabia, 15 October 2024
FW	Abdulla Yusuf Helal	(1993-06-12) 12 June 1993	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.

Individual records

As of 9 October 2025

Players in bold are still active with Bahrain.

Most appearances

Sayed Mohammed Jaffer is Bahrain's most capped player with 163 appearances.

Rank	Name	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Sayed Mohammed Jaffer	163	0	2004–2024
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	133	8	2011–present
7	Waleed Al-Hayam	127	0	2010–present
8	Sayed Mahmood Jalal	125	6	1998–2010
9	Hussain Ali Baba	124	8	2001–2016
10	Kamil Al-Aswad	122	14	2015–present

Top goalscorers

Ismail Abdullatif is Bahrain's top scorer with 48 goals.

Rank	Name	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Ismail Abdullatif	48	138	0.35	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	81	0.23	2018–present
8	Mohamed Al-Romaihi	17	56	0.3	2010–present
9	Ali Madan	15	105	0.14	2016–present
10	Kamil Al-Aswad	14	122	0.11	2015–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Part of United Kingdom										Part of United Kingdom
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958	Not a FIFA member										Not a FIFA member
1962
1966
1970	Did not enter										Did not enter
1974
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										To be determined
2034
2038
Total		0/26	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		112	39	33	40	136	117

AFC Asian Cup

Main article: Bahrain at the AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		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	Squad		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	Squad		6	4	1	1	14	9
2007	Group stage	13th	3	1	0	2	3	7	Squad		4	1	1	2	3	6
2011		10th	3	1	0	2	6	5	Squad		6	4	0	2	12	6
2015		12th	3	1	0	2	3	5	Squad		6	4	2	0	7	1
2019	Round of 16	14th	4	1	1	2	3	4	Squad		14	7	1	6	25	13
2023		15th	4	2	0	2	4	6	Squad		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

Arabian Gulf Cup

Arabian Gulf Cup record
Year	Round	Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
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
2003–04	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
2017–18	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 defending champions
Total	Champions	26/26	116	38	35	43	118	139	—

FIFA Arab Cup

FIFA Arab Cup record
Year	Round	Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
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	Runners-up	6/10	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 9 December 2025 after match against Sudan.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Against	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goal scored	Goal against	% Won
Albania	2	2	0	0	6	0	100%
Algeria	3	0	2	1	1	5	33.33%
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%
Djibouti	1	1	0	0	1	0	100%
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	32	5	13	14	27	52	15.63%
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	3	0	0	3	0	6	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	12%
Somalia	1	0	0	1	1	2	0%
Sri Lanka	1	1	0	0	1	0	100%
Sudan	4	3	0	1	7	4	75%
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%
Total	625	222	164	239	771	797	035.52

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

External links

• Official website of the Bahrain Football Association
• Bahrain – FIFA profile