Bahrain national football team

Bahrain
Shirt badge/Association crest
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)
AssociationBahrain Football Association
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF (West Asia)
Head coachDragan Talajić
CaptainSayed Dhiya Saeed
Most capsSayed Mohammed Jaffer (162)[1]
Top scorerIsmail Abdullatif (48)[1]
Home stadiumBahrain National Stadium
FIFA codeBHR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 81 Decrease 1 (20 June 2024)[2]
Highest44 (September 2004)
Lowest139 (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)
Asian Cup
Appearances8 (first in 1988)
Best resultFourth place (2004)
Arab Cup
Appearances6 (first in 1966)
Best resultRunners-up (1985, 2002)
WAFF Championship
Appearances4 (first in 2010)
Best resultChampions (2019)
Arabian Gulf Cup
Appearances24 (first in 1970)
Best resultChampions (2019)

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 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so. Bahrain won the FIFA's most improved team award in 2004, and finished fourth in the 2004 Asian Cup, beating Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals but losing to Japan in the semi-finals 4–3. Bahrain then lost to Iran in the third-place match, thus finishing in fourth place overall. Bahrain had a golden year in 2019, winning both the WAFF Championship and the Arabian Gulf Cup for the first time, under the stewardship of Hélio Sousa.

  1. ^ a b Mamrud, Roberto; Stokkermans, Karel. "Players with 100+ Caps and 30+ International Goals". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  2. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  3. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.