Qualification history
Although Bahrain first participated in the FIFA World Cup™ qualifiers back in 1978, it was decades later before they became genuinely competitive at this level. The side’s gradual improvement culminated in successive play-off berths for the finals: the first against Trinidad and Tobago during the 2006 qualifiers and the second against New Zealand four years later, though on both occasions they failed to overcome the final hurdle.
Under Peter Taylor the Bahrainis began their bid for Brazil 2014 aiming to make a breakthrough. However, a series of disappointing results saw them suffer an early exit after finishing behind Iran and Qatar in the third round.
Best performance in a FIFA competition: FIFA U-17 World Cup Scotland 1989 (Fourth place)
Former stars: Ahmad Salmeen, Hamoud Sultan, Fouad Boushaqar
