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The Oman Football Association

The Oman Football Association (OFA) is a leading sports federation at the regional, continental, and international levels. It consistently strives to develop its internal operations, achieve championships at all levels, maintain strong relationships with brotherly and friendly nations, and further enhance these relationships to reach new horizons and achieve new footballing accomplishments across the board.

The OFA is the largest sports federation in the Sultanate of Oman, encompassing 44 clubs representing various governorates within the country.

Although football has been played in Oman since the early 20th century, when the British introduced the game to the Gulf region through their military protectorates, Omani football’s documented history begins with the establishment of the first sports club in the Sultanate, Oman Club, founded in 1942 and then known as Maqbool Club.

With the emergence of the modern state of Oman and the assumption of power by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said – may God protect and preserve him – on July 23, 1970, most of Oman’s clubs were officially established. The benevolent government organized various official competitions, particularly His Majesty the Sultan’s Cup and regional league championships, under the supervision of the Youth Affairs Department, which was then part of the Ministry of Education and Youth Affairs. This was in addition to the international participations of the national football team, specifically in the Arabian Gulf Cup, starting from the third edition in Kuwait in 1974.

In 1978, the first Oman Football Association was founded, and its first Board of Directors was appointed, headed by the late His Highness Sayyid Faisal bin Ali Al Said, then Minister of National Heritage and Culture. This council continued for over five years before the Oman Football Association was officially re-established on June 26, 1983, in accordance with Ministerial Decision No. 83/41 and based on Royal Decree No. 82/42, which issued the law for private bodies operating in the sports field. His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Sultan of Oman and Chairman of the Council of Ministers, is considered the first Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Oman Football Association after its re-establishment. Since its establishment in 1978, the OFA has been a member of both the Arab and International Football Associations (FIFA) in the same year, joining their membership immediately after its foundation, before joining the Asian Football Confederation in 1980.

Over time, the statutes of the Oman Football Association, its various regulations, the organizational structure of its departments and working committees, and the various local competitions it organizes, as well as the national teams representing the game in the Sultanate of Oman and participating in various regional, continental, and international competitions, have taken shape. There are seven national teams: the first national team, the Olympic team (under 23 years), the youth team (under 19 years), the junior team (under 16 years), the youth team (under 14 years), in addition to the beach soccer team and the futsal team. These teams are supported by the clubs of the Sultanate of Oman, which compete among themselves in general league competitions of various levels and age groups, in addition to the annual His Majesty the Sultan’s Cup competition.

In recent times, Omani football has achieved remarkable development at the regional, continental, and international levels. It has become a point of reference in the Gulf, Arab, Asian, and international arenas, with national teams playing key roles in major football events and championships. Omani football reached its peak global achievement by securing fourth place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Ecuador in 1995, winning the AFC U-16 Championship several times, qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup finals in Egypt and Trinidad and Tobago.

In 2009, our national team won the 19th Gulf Cup hosted by the Sultanate of Oman in January and also won the 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup in Kuwait in January 2018. In 2013, our national teams qualified for the AFC Asian Cup finals, with the junior team qualifying for the finals hosted by Thailand and the youth team qualifying for the finals in Myanmar. The first national team qualified for the AFC Asian Cup finals hosted by Australia in January 2015, and the Olympic national team participated in the Incheon Olympics in Korea. In addition, Omani clubs achieved successes in the Gulf Cooperation Council Club Championships for juniors and seniors, and the national teams – Olympic, youth, and junior – achieved multiple first and second-place finishes in the Gulf Cooperation Council National Teams Championship for age groups.

August 30, 2007, marks a significant date in the history of Omani football, as it was the day the first official elections were held in the Sultanate of Oman to form the first elected Board of Directors for the OFA, headed by Mr. Khalid bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi.

The current Board of Directors succeeded on September 29, 2016, through elections, and Mr. Salim bin Saeed bin Salim Al Wahaibi won the presidency by acclamation. He implemented changes in the administrative and technical work structure, introduced the previous organizational structure of the OFA, developed national cadres in the technical, administrative, and refereeing fields, and enhanced external relations with national associations. He also signed numerous agreements and memoranda of understanding with brotherly and friendly associations and with several institutions and companies inside and outside the Sultanate of Oman to serve and develop Omani football to the desired level. Furthermore, the members of the OFA’s Board of Directors continued their presence in committees at the regional, continental, and international levels, contributing significantly to the development of these committees’ work and affirming the confidence in Omani cadres on the international stage.