Handball - Team Bahrain

General
Bahrain recorded their best result at the Asian Games in 2018 in Indonesia, in what was their sixth appearance at the Games dating back to 1982. A 31-20 win over Japan in the semifinals meant they progressed to the gold medal match, but they had to settle for silver following a 32-27 defeat to Qatar after extra time. The Bahrain team had won their first Asian Games medal in 2014 in Incheon, where they defeated the Islamic Republic of Iran in the third place play-off.

Bahrain made their Olympic debut at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. They progressed to the quarterfinals, despite winning only one of their five group matches, where they were beaten 42-28 by eventual gold medallists France.

The team have competed at the world championship five times. After placing 23rd out of 24 teams in both 2011 and 2017, they were ranked 20th and 21st in 2019 and 2021, respectively. At the 2023 World Championship in Poland and Sweden, they finished with their highest ranking yet after progressing to the main round for the second consecutive tournament. Wins over the United States of America and Belgium were not enough to see them advance further, and they placed 16th in the final standings.

Bahrain have developed a rivalry with Qatar at the Asian championship, losing to their Gulf neighbours in four of the five finals between 2014 and 2022. They were also beaten by the Qatari team in the semifinals of the 2020 Asian Championship.