The Oman national football team was officially founded in 1978, but had played for many years previously. The team joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1979 and affiliated to FIFA one year later. Despite being a young team, results have improved hugely in recent years. In 2007 Ali Al-Habsi became the first Oman player to play in the English Premier League when he joined Bolton from Lyn Oslo.
Oman’s first recorded international pre-dates their official recognition. In 1965 the team played Sudan in Cairo, Egypt. The game was a true reality check for the new side as they lost 15-0. One year later, the team suffered a record defeat; 21-0 to Libya.
It wasn’t until the new millennium that Oman began to make an impact on international football. The team qualified for the 2004 and 2007 editions of the Asian Cup and won the 2009 Gulf Cup.