The Brunei national football team was founded in 1959 and affiliated to FIFA 1969. They play most of their games in the Malaysian Premier league as a state side.
Brunei is most famous for its head of state, the Sultan of Brunei. Oil has made the country rich and allowed the Sultan an extravagant lifestyle. Locals enjoy free education, healthcare and don’t pay personal income tax.
The country is historically weak in sports, something that has been addressed since the millennium. Brunei started a football league in 2002 called the B-league. The B-league has two tiers, each with ten teams competing.
The team played their first international in 1971, an 8-0 routing by Malaysia. Surprisingly, this defeat was eclipsed in 2001 after a match against United Arab Emirates which ended 12-0.
Brunei entered a world cup for the first time for the 1986 competition, crashing out after the first round of qualifying. They tried again in 2002 but did no better.
In 2008 the Brunei government replaced the football federation, leading to a variety of international suspensions.