Bahrain national football team
| Nickname(s) | الأحمر (Al-Ahmar, The Red) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Bahrain Football Association | ||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||
| Sub-confederation | WAFF (West Asia) | ||
| Head coach | Miroslav Soukup | ||
| Captain | Sayed Jaffer | ||
| Most caps | Salman Isa (156)[1] | ||
| Top scorer | Ismail Abdul-Latif (40)[1] | ||
| Home stadium | Bahrain National Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | BHR | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current |
112  | ||
| Highest | 44 (September 2004) | ||
| Lowest | 139 (March 2000) | ||
| Elo ranking | |||
| Current |
105  | ||
| Highest | 49 (September 2000) | ||
| Lowest | 138 (March 1979) | ||
| First international | |||
.svg.png){kind=small}  (Baghdad, Iraq; April 2, 1966) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
  (Riffa, Bahrain; 29 February 2012) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
%3B_Flag_of_Syria_(1963%E2%80%931972).svg.png){kind=small} (Baghdad, Iraq; 5 April 1966) | |||
| Asian Cup | |||
| Appearances | 6 (first in 1988) | ||
| Best result | Fourth place, 2004 | ||
The Bahrain national football team (Arabic: منتخب البحرين لكرة القدم) is the national team of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association, 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.
History
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.
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - AFC Fourth Round play-offs:
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Uzbekistan  |
1–1 (a) | |
1–1 | 0–0 |
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC – CONCACAF play-off) play-offs:
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bahrain |
1–2 |  |
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 win against Korea Republic.
2010 World Cup
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 the 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, 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 |  |
0–0 | 2–2 |
AFC 5th place v OFC winner play-offs:
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bahrain |
0–1 |  |
0–0 | 0–1 |
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. If they had drawn to Iran away from home, they would have advanced. But they failed to do so, and their campaign ended in the third round, their worst result since the 2006 World Cup qualifiers.
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Competition records
World Cup record
| FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||
 |
Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
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Did not qualify | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |||||||||
 |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||||
|
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | ||||||||||
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Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||||||||||
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Did not qualify | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 6 | |||||||||
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4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | ||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small}  |
14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 13 | ||||||||||
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16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 21 | 14 | ||||||||||
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20 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 19 | 17 | ||||||||||
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6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 7 | ||||||||||
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6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 9 | ||||||||||
 |
To be determined | |||||||||||||||
 |
To be determined | |||||||||||||||
| Total | − | 0/21 | − | − | − | − | − | − | 86 | 30 | 25 | 31 | 102 | 93 | ||
Asian Cup record
| Asian Cup record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | ||
.svg.png){kind=small} | Did not enter | ||||||||
 | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} | |||||||||
 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Withdrew | ||||||||
| Withdrew after qualifying | ||||||||
 | Withdrew | ||||||||
| Group stage | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
 | Withdrew | ||||||||
 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
 | Fourth place | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 14 | ||
  | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ||
| Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | ||
 | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| Qualified | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Total | 6/17 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 26 | 34 | ||
Arabian Gulf Cup record
| Arabian Gulf Cup record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | ||
| Runners-up | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
.svg.png){kind=small} | Record Annulled | ||||||||
| Group stage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| Fourth place | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 15 | ||
| Fourth place | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 9 | ||
| Runners-up | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | ||
.svg.png){kind=small} | Fifth place | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
.svg.png){kind=small} | Fifth place | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Fourth place | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Third place | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Runners-up | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| Third place | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||
 | Fifth place | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | ||
| Fifth place | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| Fourth place | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| Runners-up | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 3 | ||
| Third place | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | ||
| Semi-finals | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
 | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | ||
| Fourth place | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | ||
| Group stage | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Semi-finals | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Total | 24/24 | 102 | 30 | 32 | 40 | 106 | 129 | ||
Arab Nations Cup
| Arab Nations Cup record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
| Did not enter | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Group stage | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 22 |
| Runners-up | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
 | Group stage | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 | Did not enter | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Withdrew | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Runners-up | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 5 |
| Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| Total | Best: Runners-up | 21 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 22 | 41 |
Asian Games
- Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.
| Asian Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | |
 | Did Not Enter | |||||||
 | ||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} | ||||||||
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| 15th place | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 15 | |
| 14th place | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | |
| Did Not Enter | |||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} | 12th place | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Did Not Enter | |||||||
| 10th place | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | |
| Did Not Enter | |||||||
| 2002–present | See Bahrain national under-23 football team | |||||||
| Total | 4/13 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 37 | |
Pan Arab Games
| Pan Arab Games record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
.svg.png){kind=small} | Did Not Enter | ||||||
| |||||||
 | |||||||
 | |||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} | |||||||
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| First Round | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
 | No football tournament | ||||||
| Champions | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
Results and Fixtures
Previous matches
Win Draw Loss
.svg.png){kind=small}
Current squad
The following players were called up for the 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup.
Caps and goals updated as of 2 January 2018 after the match against Oman.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Sayed Shubbar Alawi | 11 August 1985 | 8 | 0 | |
| 21 | GK | Ashraf Waheed Al Sebaie | 5 July 1991 | 1 | 0 | |
| 22 | GK | Abdulkarim Fardan | 25 April 1992 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | DF | Sayed Mahdi Baqer | 14 April 1994 | 5 | 0 | |
| 3 | DF | Waleed Al-Hayam | 3 February 1991 | 46 | 0 | |
| 5 | DF | Mohammed Adel Hasan | 20 September 1996 | 3 | 0 | |
| 13 | DF | Abdulla Al-Haza'a | 19 July 1990 | 38 | 0 | |
| 16 | DF | Sayed Reda Issa Hasn | 7 August 1994 | 13 | 0 | |
| 17 | DF | Ahmed Bughammar | 30 December 1997 | 3 | 0 | |
| 18 | DF | Ahmed Abdulla Ali | 29 October 1983 | 17 | 0 | |
| 4 | MF | Sayed Saeed | 17 July 1992 | 66 | 5 | |
| 6 | MF | Abdulla Yaser | 27 March 1988 | 56 | 4 | |
| 7 | MF | Abdulwahab Al-Safi | 4 June 1984 | 82 | 1 | |
| 8 | MF | Ibrahim Ahmed Habib | 5 February 1989 | 1 | 0 | |
| 10 | MF | Ali Habib Haji | 23 March 1992 | 2 | 0 | |
| 11 | MF | Ali Jaafar Mohamed Madan | 30 November 1995 | 17 | 3 | |
| 12 | MF | Mohmmed Sahwan | 24 June 1989 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15 | MF | Ali Haram | 16 July 1988 | 3 | 0 | |
| 19 | MF | Kamil Al Aswad | 8 April 1994 | 26 | 2 | |
| 23 | MF | Jamal Rashid | 7 November 1988 | 30 | 4 | |
| 9 | FW | Mahdi Abduljabbar | 25 June 1991 | 11 | 4 | |
| 14 | FW | Abdulla Yusuf Helal | 12 June 1993 | 37 | 3 | |
| 20 | FW | Sami Al-Husaini | 29 September 1989 | 56 | 7 | |
Recent callups
The following players have been called up for the Bahrain squad within the last twelve months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Note: Caps and goals may be incomplete for certain players, therefore being inaccurate.
Current staff
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  |
| Assistant coach | Adnan Ebrahim Abdulla Showaiter |
| Goalkeeper coach | Andrej Kostolansky |
| Fitness coach | Jiri Ryba |
Coaches
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Honours
Pan Arab Games
- Gold Medalists, 2011
GCC Games Football
- Gold Medalists, 2011
Kit providers
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References
- 1 2 Mamrud, Roberto; Stokkermans, Karel. "Players with 100+ Caps and 30+ International Goals". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ↑ "Khamis Al Rumaithi: No commercial objectives behind Romai's sponsorship of Palestine's national team". UAE Today. Emaratalyoum. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ↑ "The president of the football union hosts a press conference in the presence of several club managers". Akhbar Alkhaleej. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ↑ "MACRON APPROVED AS OFFICIAL KIT SUPPLIER". BFA. Bahrain Football Association. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
External links
- Bahrain Football Association official website
- Bahrain at FIFA.com
Bahrain Squads – AFC Asian Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bahrain AFC Asian Cup finalists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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