The Lebanon national football team,
french: Équipe du Liban de football controlled by the
Lebanese Football Association (LFA), have represented
Lebanon in
association football since their inception in 1933. The squad is governed by the
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) continentally, and
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
worldwide. While Lebanon have yet to qualify for the
FIFA World Cup, they have qualified three times to the
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
: they first participated in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, when they hosted the event. Lebanon's main venue is the
Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium
Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium (CCSC) ( ar, ملعب مدينة كميل شمعون الرياضية; french: Cité sportive Camille-Chamoun) is a multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of 49,500 seats, located in the Bir Hassan area of Beir ...
in
Beirut; however they also play in other locations such as the
Saida Municipal Stadium in
Sidon.
In 1935, Lebanon played their first match against the Romanian side
CA Timișoara (TAC), but it was not ratified by FIFA. Lebanon played their
first FIFA-recognised game in 1940 against
Mandatory Palestine. During their
2014 qualification campaign for the World Cup, Lebanon reached the
final qualifying round for the first time thanks to a 2–1 victory against
South Korea at home in 2011, but failed to qualify for the
2014 World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...
finishing bottom of their group. At the
2019 Asian Cup, Lebanon were close to qualifying to the knock-out stages for the first time. However, they lost a tiebreaker to
Vietnam in the
third-place ranking on the fair play rule and were knocked out of the competition at the group stage. Lebanon also compete in the
Arab Cup, the
WAFF Championship, and the
Pan Arab Games. As hosts, they have finished third—once at the Arab Cup and twice at the Pan Arab Games.
Inspired by their
national symbol, the Lebanese team is known as "the Cedars" ( ar, رجال الأرز) by fans and media. Their home kit is primarily red and their away kit white, a reference to their
national flag
A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...
. After a steady decline in their
FIFA ranking from 1998 to 2016, Lebanon jumped 66 places (from 147th in 2016 to 81st in 2018) and reached their highest rank to date—77th—in September 2018. This came after a 16-game unbeaten streak, from 24 March 2016 to 11 October 2018, during which Lebanon won eight games and drew seven.
History
1933–1957: The beginning
Lebanon was one of the first nations in the
Middle East to establish an administrative body for
association football. On 22 March 1933, representatives of 13 football clubs gathered in the Minet El Hosn district in
Beirut to form the
Lebanese Football Association (LFA).
The LFA was first headed by Hussein Sejaan, and joined
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
in 1936.
On 3 February 1934, 22 players from Beirut were called up to a training camp by the LFA in view of a
friendly game against the Romanian side
CA Timișoara (TAC); the players were divided into two teams, and played against each other at the
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...
's (AUB) field. The match against TAC, scheduled to be played on 18 February, was cancelled due to financial disagreements between the LFA and the AUB, who organised the encounter. The Beirut select team eventually played against TAC on 21 November 1935 at AUB's field, losing 3–0. Beirut XI played their first game against Syria's
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
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, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
XI in 1939 at the Habib Abou Chahla Stadium; the match ended in a 5–4 loss.
The two teams played 16 unofficial games until 1963, winning seven, drawing two, and losing seven.
The national team's
first official FIFA game was a 5–1 loss to
Mandatory Palestine on 27 April 1940.
Camille Cordahi, assisted by
Muhieddine Jaroudi, scored for Lebanon in the second half, becoming his team's first official international scorer. Lebanon played their first official game against
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
on 19 April 1942; coached by
Abed Traboulsi
Abid ( ar, عابد ''‘Ābid''), also ''Abed'', literally meaning ''worshipper'', ''adorer'', ''devout'' may be either a surname or given name.
In the Russian language, "" (''Abid''), or its form "" (''Avid''), is an old and uncommonPetrovsky, ...
, Lebanon lost 2–1 in Beirut. In 1947 Lebanon played two more friendlies against Syria: a 4–1 defeat in Beirut on 4 May, and a 1–0 defeat in
Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
, motto =
, image_map =
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on 18 May.
During the early-1950s, Lebanon were coached by
Vinzenz Dittrich
Vinzenz Dittrich (23 February 1893 – 25 January 1965) was an Austrian professional football player, who played as a defender, and manager. He played for SK Rapid Wien, and coached Hakoah Vienna, Olympique de Marseille, DSV Saaz and FC Nordstern ...
and
Ljubiša Broćić. The side played four official games between 1953 and 1956, most notably hosting
Hungary in 1956.
Lebanon lost the match 4–1, with Hungary's
Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás (, ; born Ferenc Purczeld; 1 April 1927 – 17 November 2006) was a Hungarian football player and manager, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and the sport's first international superstar. A forward, ...
scoring two goals.
The team also played unofficial games against top-level European clubs such as
Dynamo Moscow
MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...
,
Leipzig, and
Spartak Trnava in 1957.
Lebanon played
Energia Flacăra Ploiești the same year in the opening game of the
Sports City Stadium.
The match ended 1–0 for Lebanon thanks to a
Joseph Abou Mrad goal.
1957–1989: Early history and first tournaments
From 19 to 27 October 1957 Lebanon hosted the
second edition of the
Pan Arab Games, and were drawn with
Saudi Arabia, Syria, and
Jordan in the group stages.
After two 1–1 draws against Saudi Arabia and Syria, Lebanon defeated Jordan 6–3 in their first official international win thanks to two braces by Joseph Abou Mrad and
Mardik Tchaparian, and one goal each by
Robert Chehade
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
and
Levon Altounian; this placed them first in their group.
In the semifinals, Lebanon lost 4–2 to
Tunisia.
They finished in third place, however, since
Morocco withdrew from the third-place match.
Joseph Nalbandian
Joseph Nalbandian ( ar, جوزف نلبنديان; 1919 – after 1985) was a Lebanese football player and manager.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Nalbandian played as a goalkeeper for DPHB, Hilmi-Sport, Sagesse, Homenetmen, and Nahda, at club le ...
was appointed coach of the national team in 1958.
He was one of Lebanon's most successful coaches, winning nine of 26 official matches during his 11-year tenure.
Under Nalbadian, Lebanon hosted the
1959 Mediterranean Games
The 1959 Mediterranean Games, officially known as the III Mediterranean Games, and commonly known as Beirut 1959, were the 3rd Mediterranean Games. After visiting Africa and Europe, the Mediterranean Games were for the first time held in Asia in ...
and were grouped with
Italy B and
Turkey B.
They finished last in the group, after four losses to the two European teams.
Lebanon hosted the
inaugural edition of the
Arab Cup in 1963, and were grouped with Tunisia, Syria,
Kuwait, and Jordan.
They won their first match against Kuwait 6–0, thanks to a
hat-trick by Tchaparian.
This six-goal win tied Lebanon's biggest win to date, a 7–1 victory against Saudi Arabia in 1961.
After another win (against Jordan) and two losses (to Syria and
Tunisia), Lebanon finished third in the tournament.
In the
1966 edition, Lebanon were drawn with Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and
Bahrain in Group A.
After three wins and a draw, they qualified to the semi-finals against Syria, where they lost 1–0.
In the third-place match, Lebanon lost 6–1 to
Libya, finishing the competition in fourth place.
Lebanon had also played at the
1964 Tripoli Fair Tournament; in a group with Libya,
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
, Morocco, and
Malta, they finished in first place with seven points.
Having joined the
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1964,
Lebanon's first
Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
qualifying campaign was in
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
, coached by Joseph Abou Mrad.
In the first round they lost to hosts Kuwait 1–0, but defeated neighbours
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
3–2 to qualify for the next round.
In a decisive semi-final match against Iraq, Lebanon lost 4–1 and were eliminated.
Due to the country's
civil war, Lebanon only played nine games between 1975 and 1990.
They appeared in the
1980 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers held in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.
...
; with one win, one draw, and one defeat, Lebanon came third in their group and were eliminated.
Lebanon also initially took part in the
1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers; however, after playing four matches, Lebanon withdrew and their results were annulled.
In the
1988 Arab Cup
The 1988 Arab Cup was the fifth edition of the Arab Cup hosted by Amman, Jordan. The defending champion Iraq won the title for the 4th time.
Qualification
Jordan qualified automatically as hosts and Iraq as holders.
Zone 1 (Gulf Area)
''Bahrain ...
, Lebanon were drawn with
Egypt, Iraq, Tunisia, and
Saudi Arabia.
They finished third in their group, with one win, two draws, and one defeat.
1993–2004: Post-Civil War and Asian Cup hosts
In 1993 Lebanon played their first qualification campaign after the civil war, in the
1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with
Adnan Al Sharqi
Adnan Hussein Mekdache ( ar, عدنان حسين مكداش; 15 November 1941 – 1 June 2021), commonly known as Adnan Al Sharqi ( ar, عدنان الشرقي, lit=Adnan the Oriental, link=no), was a Lebanese Association football, football play ...
as their coach. Their gap of 57 years between the date of FIFA affiliation (1936) and their first full World Cup qualifying campaign (1993) was the highest to date; it was surpassed by the
Philippines three years later with a gap of 68 years. After two wins, two losses, and four draws, Lebanon finished third in their group and were eliminated.
Under
Terry Yorath, the team's first foreign manager since the war, Lebanon began their first post-war campaign to qualify for the
1996 AFC Asian Cup
The 1996 AFC Asian Cup was the 11th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in the United Arab Emirates between 4 and 21 Decembe ...
.
Despite winning twice against
Turkmenistan and losing only once (at home, against
Kuwait), Lebanon were eliminated from the competition with a one-point difference with Kuwait (the group leader).
Yorath helped Lebanon gain 10 places in the
FIFA World Ranking thanks to a 3–3 draw against the
Czech Republic and a 1–0 win against Jordan, both friendlies played in February 1997.
Thanks to their performances, Lebanon were awarded the Asian Team of the Month award in February.
Lebanon were drawn in a group which included Kuwait and
Singapore in the
1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, played between April and June 1997.
Led by Yorath, the Cedars were eliminated with only four points.
Despite the team's elimination, the Welsh manager was one of the team's most successful managers, winning 13 of 31 official matches during his two-year tenure.
Lebanon hosted the
2000 AFC Asian Cup
The 2000 AFC Asian Cup was the 12th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Lebanon between 12 and 29 O ...
, despite FIFA's concerns about stadium conditions.
Under Croatian coach
Josip Skoblar, Lebanon, captained by
Jamal Taha, drew into Group A with
Iran, Iraq, and
Thailand.
Out of the 23 called-up players for the tournament, five were Brazilians with
Lebanese ancestry.
Lebanon played their first Asian Cup game against Iran on 12 October 2000 at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium with 52,418 spectators.
Trailing by one goal at half time, Lebanon conceded three further goals in the second half to end their first group stage match in a 4–0 defeat.
In the second match, against Iraq, two goals in the first 22 minutes gave the opposing team a comfortable lead.
However, an
Abbas Chahrour
Abbas Hassan Chahrour ( ar, عباس شحرور; born 1 January 1972) is a Lebanese former Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender.
He played for Lebanese Premier League side Nejmeh SC, Nejmeh ...
long-distance volley in the 28th minute, Lebanon's first goal in the competition, and a goal by
Moussa Hojeij in the 76th minute gave Lebanon their first point of the competition.
Lebanon played Thailand in the final group stage match.
With the opposing team gaining the lead in the 58th minute,
Luís Fernandes equalised for Lebanon to end the match 1–1.
The draw was not enough as they finished last in the group, with only two points.
Managed by
Theo Bücker
Johannes Theodor "Theo" Bücker (born 10 July 1948) is a German football manager and a former player, who is the current coach of the under-15 team of Lebanese club Athletico SC.
Coaching career
Return to Lebanon
On 8 August 2011, Bücker w ...
, Lebanon drew with
Pakistan,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, and Thailand in the
first round
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
of the
2002 World Cup qualifications.
The team, with good offense from
Roda Antar,
Haitham Zein,
Vartan Ghazarian, and
Gilberto dos Santos, finished second in their group with 26 goals in six games (the most in their group).
Under
Richard Tardy
Richard Francis Emile Tardy (born 29 July 1950) is a French former professional football player and manager. He led several clubs and national teams as a coach.
Career
Tardy has managed in the Superleague Greece with Aris Thessaloniki F.C., and ...
, Lebanon drew into Group D of the
2004 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
Before the match away to
North Korea, the Lebanese team were reportedly ill-treated; hotel conditions were poor, and their training field contained goats and sheep. Lebanon finished third in their group, with four points.
For the
second round of the qualifiers for the
2006 World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...
, Lebanon were grouped with
South Korea,
Vietnam, and the
Maldives.
Under
Mahmoud Hamoud, they finished second in their group and were eliminated.
2006–2014: Final round of World Cup qualification and match fixing
Lebanon drew into
Group D Group D may refer to:
* FIA Group D - International Formula racing cars:
** Formula Two
** Formula Three
** Formula 3000
* One of six or eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup
** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group D
** 2018 FIFA World ...
for the
2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign with
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, Bahrain, and Kuwait, played in 2006.
The scheduled meeting between Australia and Lebanon made
Buddy Farah
Badawi "Buddy" Farah ( ar, بدوي "بدي" فرح; born 18 August 1978) is a football agent and former footballer. Born in Australia, Farah is of Lebanese descent.
After beginning his career with Marconi Stallions in the Australian National ...
, an Australian player of
Lebanese descent, declare his return to the Lebanese national side. Before Lebanon's match with Bahrain on 16 August, it was announced on 1 August that the Asian Football Confederation had accepted a withdrawal request from the Lebanon Football Association due to the
2006 Lebanon War
The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War ( ar, حرب تموز, ''Ḥarb Tammūz'') and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War ( he, מלחמת לבנון השנייה, ''Milhemet Leva ...
, which forced several players to leave their homes to avoid the war. In 2007 Lebanon was seeded in the
first round of the qualifiers for the
2010 World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
, where they faced
India to qualify directly for the
third round of the qualifiers.
Lebanon won 6–3 on aggregate and advanced to the third round, with two goals by
Mohammed Ghaddar in the second match.
Lebanon, grouped with Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and
Uzbekistan, finished last with no points.
In April 2008, Lebanon and the Maldives (the two lowest-ranked teams in Asia)
played home-and-away matches in the
preliminary round of the
2011 Asian Cup
The 2011 AFC Asian Cup was the 15th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Qatar from 7 to 29 January 2011. It was the fifte ...
; the winner would proceed to the next round.
A 4–0 home win and a 2–1 victory in the away match advanced Lebanon to the qualifying round.
Between 2009 and 2010, they drew into
Group D Group D may refer to:
* FIA Group D - International Formula racing cars:
** Formula Two
** Formula Three
** Formula 3000
* One of six or eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup
** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group D
** 2018 FIFA World ...
with
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, Syria, and Vietnam, finishing last.
Emile Rustom, re-appointed as head coach in November 2008, led Lebanon into the
second round
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...
of the
2014 World Cup qualifiers. They faced
Bangladesh, winning 4–0 in Beirut on 23 July 2011, and losing 2–0 in
Dhaka five days later.
Lebanon advanced to the
third round, where they were grouped with South Korea, Kuwait, and the
United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Rustom resigned less than a week later, citing internal administrative problems.
On 4 August 2011, Theo Bücker was reappointed as Lebanon's head coach. The former national team manager took the reins nine years after leaving that position. Lebanon began the third round losing 6–0 away to South Korea. In the second match, they came back from one goal down to defeat the UAE 3–1 at home. The team then drew 2–2 to Kuwait in Beirut on 11 October. For the first time since 2005, when the LFA barred fans from the stadiums due to behavioural issues, spectators (32,000) were allowed at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium. Bad fan behaviour (mainly fireworks-related) was again a problem against Kuwait, forcing referee
Masaaki Toma to stop the game several times. A month later, Lebanon defeated Kuwait 1–0 in
Kuwait City
Kuwait City ( ar, مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economical centre of the emirate, ...
; it was Kuwait's first home loss to Lebanon. On 15 November, Lebanon hosted
South Korea at Beirut's Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium before over 40,000 spectators.
Ali Al Saadi gave Lebanon the lead after four minutes, however South Korea tied the score with a penalty kick. Lebanon regained the lead in the 30th minute through an
Abbas Ali Atwi penalty; the match finished in a 2–1 victory. Lebanon's first-ever win against South Korea qualified them for the
fourth (and final) round of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time.
In 2012 Lebanon drew into Group A of the fourth round, with South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran, and
Qatar. In Lebanon's fourth game, on 11 September against Iran, a first-half Roda Antar goal gave Lebanon the lead through a header.
They held onto the lead and won 1–0; the three points were crucial to stay in contention for a spot at the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
.
On 26 February 2013, team members
Ramez Dayoub
Ramez Jamal Dayoub ( ar, رامز جمال ديوب; born 9 August 1984) is a Lebanese former professional footballer who played as a defender. A former Lebanon national team player, Dayoub played in Lebanon, Myanmar, Bahrain, and Malaysia, be ...
and Mahmoud El Ali were involved in the
2013 Lebanese match-fixing scandal; they were accused of illegal betting on several matches involving Lebanese teams (including the national team), in addition to manipulating results. The players were fined $15,000 and banned from the Lebanon Football Association for life. Lebanon's 1–0 defeat to Qatar was part of the scandal, with defender Dayoub purposely passing the ball to the Qatari striker, who netted the only goal of the game. The Lebanese team then lost to Uzbekistan 1–0 on the road. In the following match they hosted South Korea in Beirut and led 1–0, until South Korea scored the equaliser in the 97th minute, eliminating Lebanon.
In 2013 the team drew into group B with Iran, Thailand and Kuwait for the
2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification was a qualification process organized by the AFC to determine the participating teams for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The 2015 AFC Asian Cup, hosted by Australia, featured 16 teams.
In the initial scheme, ten p ...
s.
After losing 5–0 to Iran, and winning 5–2 against Thailand,
Giuseppe Giannini replaced Theo Bücker as head coach. During Giannini's first game, on match day three, Mohammad Ghaddar scored the equaliser against Kuwait in Beirut to earn a point for Lebanon. Lebanon ended the qualifications in third place in their group, with two wins, two draws, and two losses.
Lebanon and China were tied on points in the ranking of third-places teams; China had a better goal difference, however, and went on to play in the final tournament.
After the country's failed attempt to qualify for the
2015 AFC Asian Cup
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 2015. The tournament was ...
in Australia, the Lebanese Football Association decided to reform the national team in 2014 by modeling it on the
Belgium national team (particularly Belgium's performance in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil).
Inviting new players from nations with a large
Lebanese community (such as the United States, Germany, Denmark, and Norway) would, it was hoped, bring about a rebirth of Lebanese football.
On 8 September 2014, Lebanon played an unofficial FIFA match against the
Brazilian Olympic team in
Doha for the first time; the match ended in a 2–2 draw.
Hassan Maatouk scored a goal which would have given Lebanon a 3–1 lead, but the goal was incorrectly ruled offside; Brazil's equalising goal was erroneously ruled onside.
The match excited the Lebanese people, despite poor refereeing.
After Lebanon's 5–0 away loss to Qatar a month later, Giuseppe Giannini was fired.
2015–2019: First Asian Cup qualification
Miodrag Radulović was appointed the team's new coach in 2015, and led Lebanon in the
2018 World Cup qualifications, played between June 2015 and March 2016. The team were drawn in a group that included Asia's runners-up South Korea, Kuwait,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
, and
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
,
the second time Lebanon faced South Korea and Kuwait in World Cup qualifiers. Lebanon finished second in the group and, although they were eliminated from the World Cup, they qualified to the
2019 Asian Cup qualification third round, played between March 2017 and March 2018.
The Asian Cup draw put Lebanon in Group B, with
North Korea,
Hong Kong, and
Malaysia.
With five wins and a draw, Lebanon topped the group and qualified for the cup for the first time (after qualifying as host in 2000, the country's only previous participation).
Hassan Maatouk (who succeeded Roda Antar as captain in 2016) was key to Lebanon's success, scoring five goals in six games. Although Radulović failed to qualify the team for the
2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
, he helped Lebanon reach their first-ever AFC Asian Cup through qualification in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
;
he was the first Montenegrin manager to help a team qualify for a major tournament. Radulović managed a 16-game unbeaten streak (from 24 March 2016 to 11 October 2018),
winning eight and drawing eight, making Lebanon the second-most unbeaten national team by number of games at that point (16) after
Spain (26). In September 2018, Lebanon achieved their best-ever FIFA ranking (77th).
Lebanon relied on their
diaspora
A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...
abroad for the
2019 Asian Cup, with nine of their 23
called-up players being born outside of Lebanon.
They started the campaign on 9 January 2019, with a 2–0 loss against Qatar. In the 37th minute,
Ali Hamam scored a goal for Lebanon from a
corner, only for it to be controversially disallowed for a
foul. Two goals by Qatar in the second half secured all three points for the opposing team.
Three days later, Lebanon played their second match of the tournament against Saudi Arabia.
Two goals without reply brought Lebanon their second defeat of the tournament.
In the final group stage game against North Korea, played on 17 January, Lebanon needed to win by four goals to pass to the knock-out stages.
The encounter ended in a 4–1 win, thanks to a brace by
Hilal El-Helwe, which gave Lebanon their first ever Asian Cup win.
However, they lost out to Vietnam in the
third-place ranking on the fair play rule.
Because they had received seven
yellow cards against five by Vietnam, they were knocked out of the competition.
Liviu Ciobotariu was appointed for the joint qualifications for the
2022 World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022; it is the first Wo ...
and the
2023 Asian Cup.
His first games took place at the
2019 WAFF Championship
The 2019 West Asian Football Federation Championship, also called Asiacell WAFF Championship Iraq 2019 due to sponsorship by Asiacell, was the 9th edition of the WAFF Championship, an international tournament for member nations of the West Asian ...
, where Lebanon were drawn with hosts Iraq, Syria,
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
, and
Yemen.
Lebanon finished fourth in their group with four points, after a win, a draw, and two defeats.
For the
second round of qualification for the 2022 World Cup, Lebanon were drawn with South Korea, for the third time in a row,
North Korea, who Lebanon had faced in both the qualifications and final stage of the 2019 Asian Cup,
Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka. Lebanon played five matches (two wins, two draws, and one defeat) between September and November 2019, before the remaining games were postponed on 9 March 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.
2020–present: Recent history
Former national team captain Jamal Taha was appointed head coach in summer 2020. North Korea withdrew from the World Cup qualifiers in May 2021, and their previous results were voided; this highly benefited Lebanon, as they had only gained one point in two games against them. Despite only winning only one of their following three games, other results went in Lebanon's favour and they finished among the
best runners-up, qualifying to the 2023 Asian Cup for the third time, and the
final round of 2022 World Cup qualification for the second time.
Between September 2021 and March 2022, Lebanon played in Group A of the final round of qualification under coach
Ivan Hašek
Ivan Hašek (born 6 September 1963) is a Czech professional football coach and former player.
Hašek played as a central midfielder, and spent 11 years of his career with Sparta Prague, appearing in more than 300 official games with the club, ...
; they were drawn with Iran, South Korea, the UAE, Iraq and Syria. Lebanon's performance was inconsistent, gaining five points away from home, but only one at home. Having earned five points from the opening four games, most notably via a 3–2 win against Syria,
the team was noted as an "early surprise", sitting in the play-off qualifying third place as the lowest-ranked team in the round. Lebanon only gained one point from the remaining six games, and finished in last place with six points. The qualification campaign was partially covered by ''Captains'', a docuseries released by FIFA and Netflix following six national teams and their respective captains in their 2022 World Cup qualification runs.
Team image
Nickname
Lebanon is known as "the Cedars" ( ar, رجال الأرز) by fans and the media, since the cedar tree is the country's national symbol.
Kits
The national team traditionally wear red as their primary colour and white as their secondary colour. The choices originate from the
national flag of Lebanon (red, white, and green); green is typically reserved for the goalkeeper. At home, Lebanon usually wear a red shirt, shorts, and socks, with white details;
the away kit is a white outfit with red details.
During their first unofficial match in 1935, Lebanon wore white shirts with the Lebanese cedar and the association's name on the chest, black shorts, and white socks; the goalkeeper wore a black shirt and white trousers. In 1940, on the occasion of their
first FIFA-sanctioned game against
Mandatory Palestine, Lebanon wore a white kit with a black collar, along with black shorts and striped socks. During the 1960s, Lebanon wore a red shirt with a white horizontal band in the center, which included a green
cedar tree
Cedar is part of the English common name of many trees and other plants, particularly those of the genus ''Cedrus''.
Some botanical authorities consider the Old-World ''Cedrus'' the only Cedrus#Nomenclature, "true cedars". Many other species wor ...
in the middle; the shorts were white, and the socks were red-and-white-striped.
In the
2000 AFC Asian Cup
The 2000 AFC Asian Cup was the 12th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Lebanon between 12 and 29 O ...
, Lebanon wore a red
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
shirt with white details on the sides and a white collar, white shorts, and red socks. In the
2019 campaign, Lebanon wore a red kit (manufactured by
Capelli Sport) with white details and a white collar.
The
Lebanese cedar, the country's national symbol, was present under the team logo in a darker shade of red. Since 2015 the team kit has been manufactured by Capelli Sport, a sports brand founded by Lebanese-born entrepreneur George Altirs. Previous manufacturers include
Diadora
Diadora is an Italian sportswear and footwear manufacturing company based in Caerano di San Marco (Veneto), subsidiary of Geox, founded in 1948. Diadora produces football boots and athletic shoes, as well as a range of apparel that includes t- ...
and Adidas.
Home stadium
The Lebanese national team play their home games in various stadiums throughout the country. The team's main venue is the
Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium
Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium (CCSC) ( ar, ملعب مدينة كميل شمعون الرياضية; french: Cité sportive Camille-Chamoun) is a multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of 49,500 seats, located in the Bir Hassan area of Beir ...
. Built in 1957 during the presidency of
Camille Chamoun, it is the country's largest stadium with 49,500 seats. Its inaugural game was in 1957, when the national team played
Energia Flacara Ploiesti and won 1–0 thanks to a
Joseph Abou Mrad goal.
It was the main stadium used to host the
2000 Asian Cup
The 2000 AFC Asian Cup was the 12th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Lebanon between 12 and 29 October 2000. Japan d ...
held in Lebanon; six matches were played in the stadium including the opening match and the
final. In 2011 the stadium hosted the famed 2–1 victory against
South Korea in the
2014 World Cup qualification, sending Lebanon to the
final round of qualification for the first time.
Over 40,000 spectators were present to watch the match.
The national team, however, also play in other stadiums such as the
Saida Municipal Stadium located in
Sidon. Built over the sea, the stadium holds 22,600 people, and was one of the venues to host the
2000 Asian Cup
The 2000 AFC Asian Cup was the 12th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Lebanon between 12 and 29 October 2000. Japan d ...
. Other stadiums in which the national team play include the
Tripoli Municipal Stadium and the
Beirut Municipal Stadium.
Media
Produced by
Fulwell 73
Fulwell 73 is a British television, film and music production company based in London. It was founded in 2005 by brothers Gabe and Ben Turner, Leo Pearlman, and Ben Winston. James Corden became the fifth full time partner in January 2017. Fulwe ...
, FIFA released ''Captains'' in 2022, an eight-part sports
docuseries following six national team captains in their respective 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns.
Hassan Maatouk, representing Lebanon, starred in the first season alongside
Thiago Silva (
Brazil),
Luka Modrić (
Croatia),
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (
Gabon),
Andre Blake (
Jamaica) and
Brian Kaltak (
Vanuatu).
It was released by
Netflix, and also shown on FIFA's own streaming platform,
FIFA+
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was founded ...
.
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
2022
Players
Current squad
The following players were called up for the
friendly match against the
United Arab Emirates on 30 December 2022.
:''Information correct as of 24 December 2022''
Recent call-ups
The following footballers were part of a national selection in the past 12 months, but are not part of the current squad.
Individual records
Most-capped players
. Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.
Top scorers
. Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.
Competitive record
FIFA World Cup
Although the
Lebanese Football Association was formed in 1933,
Lebanon's first qualification campaign for the
FIFA World Cup took place in the
1986 edition.
However, after playing four matches, Lebanon withdrew due to the ongoing
civil war, and their results were subsequently annulled.
The country's first full qualification campaign came two editions later, in
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, where they finished third in their group with two wins, four draws, and two losses.
Ever since, Lebanon have participated in every iteration of the World Cup qualifiers.
Lebanon first reached the final round of World Cup qualification during the
2014 campaign. After beating
Bangladesh 4–2 on aggregate in the
second round
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...
,
Lebanon qualified to the
third round, where they were drawn with
South Korea,
Kuwait, and the
United Arab Emirates.
The team beat South Korea in a historic 2–1 win at home, coming second in their group and qualifying to the
fourth (and final) round for the first time.
Grouped with
Iran, South Korea,
Uzbekistan, and
Qatar,
Lebanon finished last in Group A and were eliminated with only one win and two draws in eight games.
AFC Asian Cup
Lebanon's first qualification campaign for the
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
came at the
1972 edition; drawn in Group B of the Western Zone, Lebanon came second thanks to a 3–2 victory over neighbors
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and advanced to the next stage.
In the decisive semi-final match against
Iraq, Lebanon lost 4–1 and were knocked-out.
Lebanon won a consolatory third-place match against
Jordan.
The
2000 edition was Lebanon's first participation in the finals, when the country hosted the event.
Following a 4–0 defeat to
Iran in the competition's opening match,
Lebanon came from behind to draw 2–2 against Iraq;
Abbas Chahrour
Abbas Hassan Chahrour ( ar, عباس شحرور; born 1 January 1972) is a Lebanese former Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender.
He played for Lebanese Premier League side Nejmeh SC, Nejmeh ...
became Lebanon's first goalscorer in the competition.
Lebanon drew once again, 1–1 against
Thailand, and were eliminated, finishing last in the group.
After finishing the
2019 third round of qualification unbeaten, Lebanon qualified to the Asian Cup for the first time in their history.
In the
finals, Lebanon lost the first group stage match 2–0 to eventual champions
Qatar,
before losing once again by the same score to
Saudi Arabia.
In the final match of the group, Lebanon needed a win by four goals or more against
North Korea to qualify to the knock-out stage.
Despite conceding an early
free-kick goal, Lebanon went on to win the match 4–1 thanks to a
brace by
Hilal El-Helwe.
However, they lost out to
Vietnam in the
third-place ranking due to having received more
yellow cards, and were knocked out of the competition.
Summer Olympic Games
Lebanon's senior team have never qualified to the
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
final tournament; their first qualification campaign was for
Rome 1960 Rome 1960 may refer to:
* The 1960 Summer Olympics, held in Rome, Italy
* The 1960 Summer Paralympics
The 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, retroactively designated as the 1960 Summer Paralympics ( it, Giochi paralimpici estivi del ...
.
After losing the first two group stage games against
Iraq, Lebanon withdrew and the two remaining matches were awarded to their opponent
Turkey.
Lebanon participated in two more qualifications, in
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Januar ...
and
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
, failing to qualify to the final tournament on both occasions.
Starting from the 1992 edition, the Olympic Football Tournament has been reserved for national under-23 teams.
FIFA Arab Cup
Lebanon have taken part in all iterations of the
Arab Cup, except the
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
and
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
editions. They hosted the inaugural edition in
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
, in a group containing
Tunisia,
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
,
Kuwait, and
Jordan.
After beating Kuwait 6–0 through a
hat-trick by
Mardik Tchaparian,
Lebanon lost 3–2 to Syria, before winning 5–0 against Jordan.
In a decisive match against Tunisia,
Muhieddine Itani
Muhieddine Abdul Razzak Itani (; 6 September 1929 – 5 August 2015), also known as Tabello ( ar, طابللو, links=no), was a Lebanese Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), full-back.
In the early ...
scored an
own goal, and Lebanon lost 1–0, finishing third.
Lebanon finished in fourth place in the subsequent two editions (
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
and
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
); ever since, they have failed to pass the group stage.
WAFF Championship
Bar the
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
editions, Lebanon have participated in every
WAFF Championship; however, they have failed to qualify past the group stage on all occasions. Their first participation in the WAFF Championship was in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, at the inaugural edition.
Drawn with
Iraq, hosts
Jordan, and
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon finished third in their group with one win, one draw, and one loss.
Pan Arab Games
After participating in the inaugural edition of the
Pan Arab Games, at
Alexandria 1953,
Lebanon hosted the
1957 edition.
Topping a group containing
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
,
Saudi Arabia, and
Jordan, Lebanon reached the semi-finals where they lost 4–2 to
Tunisia.
Due to
Morocco withdrawing from the third-place match, Lebanon finished the tournament in third place.
Lebanon also came third in
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
, once again as hosts.
With two draws and a win, Lebanon came second in their group and qualified to the semi-finals, which they lost
after extra time to Syria.
Lebanon finished in third place after beating
Kuwait 3–1.
Asian Games
The Lebanon national senior team only participated once at the
Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
, at
Bangkok 1998. Thanks to a 5–1 win against
Cambodia, Lebanon qualified past the preliminary round and were drawn with
Qatar,
Thailand, and
Kazakhstan in the second round.
Following two 1–0 defeats, respectively to Qatar and Thailand, Lebanon won 3–0 against Kazakhstan in their final encounter of the group stage.
However, the three points weren't enough to qualify Lebanon to the knockout round.
Mediterranean Games
Lebanon's first participation at the
Mediterranean Games
The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The fir ...
was in
1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
, when they hosted the event.
They lost both legs against
Italy B and
Turkey B, finishing last with no points.
Lebanon's senior team participated two more times, in
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
and
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
, failing to qualify past the group stage on both occasions.
Other tournaments
Lebanon won their first tournament—albeit unofficial—at the
1964 Tripoli Fair Tournament; with three wins and one draw, Lebanon finished first in a group containing Libya, Morocco, Sudan, and Malta.
In 1998, Lebanon participated at the
Friendship Tournament
The UAE Four Nations Friendship Tournament, or simply Friendship Tournament ( ar, بطولة الصداقة), was an international football tournament held in the United Arab Emirates between four teams from 1986 to 2001. The United Arab Emirates ...
in the United Arab Emirates where, with two draws and a defeat, they finished in third place out of four.
Lebanon also finished in third place at the
2009 King's Cup
The 39th King's Cup finals was held from 21 to 23 January 2009 at the Surakul Stadium in Phuket, Thailand. The King's Cup (คิงส์คัพ) is an annual football tournament; the first tournament was played in 1968.
This edition of the t ...
in Thailand; after losing to the hosts in the semi-finals, they won against North Korea in the third-place match.
See also
*
List of men's national association football teams
*
Lebanese Premier League
*
Lebanese football league system
*
Football in Lebanon
*
Sport in Lebanon
Because of Lebanon's unique geography, both summer and winter sports thrive in the country. In fact, during autumn and spring it is sometimes possible to engage in both activities on the same day; for example, skiing in the morning and swimming ...
Notes and references
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
FIFA team profileAFC team profile
WAFF team profile
ELO team records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebanon national football team
Asian national association football teams
Football teams in Lebanon
National sports teams established in 1933