Bahrain national football team

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Bahrain

Nickname

The Red

Association

Bahrain Football Association

Confederation

AFC (Asia)

Head coach

Senad Kreso

Most caps

Abdulrazzaq Mohamed (102)

Top scorer

A'ala Hubail (30)

Home stadium

Bahrain National Stadium

FIFA code

BHR

FIFA ranking

Highest FIFA ranking

44 (September 2004)

Lowest FIFA ranking

139 (March 2000)

Elo ranking





First kit





Second kit

First international

Bahrain 4 - 4 Kuwait

(Baghdad, Iraq; April 2, 1966)

Biggest win

Bahrain 5 - 0 Kyrgyzstan

(Bahrain; June 9, 2004)

Biggest defeat

Iraq 10 - 1 Bahrain

(Baghdad, Iraq; April 6, 1966)

AFC Asian Cup

Appearances

2 (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. They have never made the World Cup. Bahrain won FIFA's most improved team award in 2004, and finished fourth in the 2004 Asian Cup. The international team was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966.

On October 12, 2005, Bahrain drew with Uzbekistan at home 0-0, giving them an aggregate score of 1-1. This win, on away goals, allowed Bahrain to enter a 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.

Bahrain is currently third in group D in the Asian Cup 2007 (qualification) group games. On October 11 2006 against Australia in Sydney, Bahrain fielded a side which was essentially the Olympic (under 23) team. Although they lost 2-0, the team put in a strong performance, frustating their experienced opponenents and exposing some weaknesses in the Australian defensive pattern [1]. Bahrain won their last match against Kuwait to qualify for the Asian Cup 2007, much to the despair of Kuwaiti superstar Nasser Al Asalli who was one of the traveling supporters.

On January 6, 2007 Bahrain faced Inter Milan in a friendly match which lost 6-1. Despite the result, the event was greeted with enthusiasm by the whole country.