Handball national side

Bahrain

National team · Bahrain

«Bahrain national handball team»

64 Matches

36 wins

2 draws

26 losses

1923–1714 Goals

+209 Difference

30.0 Scored per game

Form W W W W W W

Manama is the capital of Bahrain, and in its district of Umm Al Hassam the national handball team keeps a ground of its own: the Bahrain Handball Association Arena, seating just 1,100, home to a federation founded in December 1974 that spent decades building toward something bigger than the region.

That arrived at the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021, when Bahrain qualified for the first time in its history and reached the quarter-finals before finishing eighth — a first for any Bahraini team sport at an Olympics. Two years later came a best-ever 16th place at the World Championship.

Within Asia, the story ran differently for a long time. Bahrain reached five Asian Championship finals — 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022 — and lost every one, most often to Qatar, the team that has shadowed Bahrain through nearly every major tournament since. A bronze followed in 2024. Then, in January 2026, in Kuwait, Bahrain finally beat Qatar in an Asian final, 29–26 after extra time, for the title that had eluded them across five previous finals.

Much of that decade ran through Icelandic coaching, with Aron Kristjánsson holding the post across two spells between 2018 and 2025 while compatriot Halldór Jóhann Sigfússon steered the team through Olympic qualification in between. The Swede Robert Hedin took over in 2025 and delivered both the 2026 Asian crown and gold at that year's Islamic Solidarity Games.

Mohamed Habib, the right back who has carried the attack for years, remains the team's all-time leading scorer, a record built over more than 200 caps.

Latest results

Fixtures and results

29 Sep	Asian Games	Qatar H	33:32	W
28 Sep	Asian Games	Japan A	35:31	W
26 Sep	Asian Games	Hong Kong H	37:16	W
25 Sep	Asian Games	Kuwait H	28:25	W
23 Sep	Asian Games	South Korea A	30:21	W
21 Sep	Asian Games	Iran A	34:20	W