Lebanon national football team
The Lebanon national football team, controlled by the Lebanese Football Association, have represented Lebanon in association football since their inception in 1933. The squad is governed by the Asian Football Confederation continentally, and FIFA worldwide. While Lebanon have yet to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, they have qualified three times to the AFC Asian Cup: they first participated in 2000, when they hosted the event. Lebanon's main venue is the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut; however, they also play in other locations such as the Saida Municipal Stadium in Sidon.
Having joined FIFA in 1936, 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 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 Arab Games. As hosts, they have finished third—once at the Arab Cup and twice at the Arab Games.
Inspired by their national symbol, the Lebanese team is known as "the Cedars" by fans and media. Their home kit is primarily red and their away kit white, a reference to their national flag. After a steady decline in their FIFA ranking from 1998 to 2016, Lebanon jumped 66 places and reached their highest rank to date—77th—in September 2018. This came after a 16-game unbeaten streak, from 29 March 2016 to 9 September 2018, during which Lebanon won eight games and drew eight.
History
1933–1947: Formation and early matches
Lebanon was one of the first nations in the Middle East to establish a formal administrative body for association football. On 22 March 1933, representatives from 13 football clubs gathered in the Minet El Hosn district of Beirut to form the Lebanese Football Association. The LFA was initially led by Hussein Sejaan, and became a member of FIFA in 1936.On 3 February 1934, the LFA organized a training camp for 22 players from Beirut in preparation for a friendly match against the Romanian club CA Timișoara. The players were divided into two teams and competed against each other at the American University of Beirut field. However, the scheduled match against TAC on 18 February was canceled due to financial disputes between the LFA and AUB, which had organized the event. The Beirut XI team eventually faced TAC on 21 November 1935 at the AUB field, losing 3–0.
On 29 October 1939, the Beirut XI played their first match against Syria's Damascus XI in Beirut, resulting in a 5–4 defeat. They played a return game in Damascus on 14 November, which resulted in a 6–1 win for Beirut XI. Over the following years, the two teams competed in 16 unofficial matches until 1963, with the Beirut XI securing seven victories, two draws, and seven losses.
File:Camille Cordahi v Mandatory Palestine, 1940.jpg|thumb|alt=Lebanese forward Camille Cordahi running downfield toward the camera|Lebanese forward Camille Cordahi during the 1940 match against Mandatory Palestine
The Lebanese national team's first official FIFA-recognized match was played on 27 April 1940, facing Mandatory Palestine at the Maccabiah Stadium in Palestine. The game ended in a 5–1 defeat for Lebanon, with an estimated attendance of 6,000 to 10,000 spectators. Mandatory Palestine dominated the first half, scoring four goals. In the second half, Lebanese forward Camille Cordahi, assisted by Muhieddine Jaroudi, scored Lebanon's first official international goal. Mandatory Palestine added a fifth goal, concluding the match with a 5–1 victory.
Lebanon played their first official match against Syria on 26 April 1942, losing 2–1 in Beirut as part of the Coupe Hauteclocque. The trophy, donated by French diplomat in 1939, was intended to be a regular fixture between Lebanon and Syria. The match, held at the AUB field in front of 3,000 spectators, saw Lebanon coached by Abed Traboulsi and captained by Labib Majdalani. Although two matches were initially planned, only the Beirut fixture took place. The Coupe Hauteclocque remained a point of contention, as the Syrian Football Association had retained possession of the cup since 1939. Lebanon played two additional friendlies against Syria in 1947, losing 4–1 in Beirut on 4 May, and 1–0 in Aleppo on 18 May.
1953–1963: Entry into regional competitions
Coached by Vinzenz Dittrich, Lebanon participated in their first international tournament at the inaugural edition of the football tournament at the Arab Games, held in Egypt in 1953. The team finished at the bottom of its group after a 4–1 loss to Jordan, and a 0–0 draw with Syria. In the fifth-place match, Lebanon secured a 9–1 victory over Palestine.On 29 February 1956, Lebanon played Hungary in a notable 4–1 home defeat, during which Hungarian star Ferenc Puskás scored two goals. Lebanon also participated in unofficial matches against prominent European clubs such as Dynamo Moscow, Leipzig, and Spartak Trnava in 1957. That same year, Lebanon faced Romanian club Energia Flacăra Ploiești in the opening game of the Sports City Stadium in Beirut, securing a 1–0 victory with a goal by Joseph Abou Mrad.
From 19 to 27 October 1957, Lebanon hosted the second edition of the 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 thanks to two braces by Joseph Abou Mrad and Mardik Tchaparian, and one goal each by Robert Chehade and Levon Altounian; this placed them first in their group. In the semifinals, Lebanon lost 4–2 to Tunisia. They finished in third place after Morocco withdrew from the third-place match.
Lebanon hosted the third edition of the Mediterranean Games in 1959, held in Beirut in October, and were grouped with Italy B and Turkey B. They finished last in the group, after four losses to the two European teams.
Lebanon played their first Olympic Games qualifiers in 1959 between November and December. Coached by English coach Harry Wright, Lebanon were grouped with Iraq and Turkey. They played two games against Iraq, losing 3–0 at home and 8–0 away, before withdrawing from the qualifiers prior to their two matches against Turkey.
The 1961 Arab Games, marking the third edition of the competition, were held in Morocco. The tournament featured six teams competing in a single round-robin format. Lebanon's national team participated in the event, under head coach Joseph Nalbandian, recording a mixed set of results. Lebanon won matches against Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and suffered defeats against Morocco, the United Arab Republic, and Libya. Lebanon finished in fourth place out of the six participating teams.
Lebanon hosted the inaugural Arab Cup in 1963 between March and April, marking the first edition of the tournament. The concept of an Arab Cup was initially proposed in 1957 by Lebanese journalist Nassif Majdalani and Izzat Al Turk, the Secretary General of the LFA. In 1962, the LFA, under the leadership of its president Georges Dabbas, formally advocated for the establishment of the tournament. The inaugural competition took place in Beirut between April and May 1963, featuring five participating teams. Lebanon was placed in a group with Tunisia, Syria, Kuwait, and Jordan. The Lebanese team began the tournament with a 6–0 victory over Kuwait, highlighted by a hat-trick from Mardik Tchaparian. Following another win against Jordan and losses to Syria and Tunisia, Lebanon secured a third-place finish in the tournament.
The 1963 Mediterranean Games, the fourth edition of the event, was held in Italy in September. Lebanon was placed in Group B alongside Turkey, Spain, Malta, and the UAR. Notably, European teams in the tournament fielded amateur players. Lebanon's campaign began with a 1–0 loss to Spain, followed by a 4–0 loss to Turkey, and a 2–0 victory over Malta. In their final group match against the UAR on 25 September, the game was abandoned in the 27th minute due to a waterlogged pitch, with the score tied at 0–0. Rescheduled for the next day, a dispute over the venue arose: the UAR insisted on relocating, while Lebanon refused, citing tournament regulations. The technical committee sided with the UAR, leading Lebanon to withdraw. Consequently, the UAR was awarded a 2–0 walkover victory.
1964–1971: AFC membership and continued regional participation
Lebanon played at the 1964 Tripoli Fair Tournament, held in Tripoli, Libya in March; in a group with Sudan B, Morocco B, Malta B, and hosts Libya, they finished in first place with seven points.File:Joseph Abou Mrad vs Iraq, 1964 Arab Cup.png|thumb|Lebanon's captain, Joseph Abou Mrad, shaking hands with Iraq's captain before their match at the 1964 Arab Cup|alt=Two football players shaking hands, with two match officials in the background.
The 1964 Arab Cup, the second edition of the tournament, was held in Kuwait in November. The competition featured five teams—Iraq, Libya, Kuwait, Jordan, and Lebanon—competing in a single-round robin format. Lebanon finished in fourth place, recording one win, one draw, and two defeats during the tournament.
The 1965 Arab Games, the fourth edition of the event, took place in Cairo, UAR. Lebanon was placed in Group A alongside the UAR, Palestine, Iraq, and Aden. The team finished fourth in the group.
In the 1966 Arab Cup, the third edition held in Iraq, 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 participated in the 1968 Olympic Games qualifiers, held in Tokyo, Japan, from September to October 1967. Lebanon faced challenges early on, as the team's Hungarian coach, József Albert, was unable to obtain a visa for Japan and was replaced by Joseph Nalbandian. Lebanon began with a 1–1 draw against South Vietnam, followed by a 2–0 loss to South Korea, and a 3–1 defeat to Japan. However, the team secured two notable victories: an 11–1 win over the Philippines on 6 October, which remains Lebanon's largest margin of victory to date, and a 5–2 win against Taiwan. The match against the Philippines featured four goals by Joseph Abou Mrad and three by Samir Nassar. Despite these wins, Lebanon finished third out of six teams and did not qualify for the Olympics.
Four years later, Lebanon took part in the 1972 Olympic Games qualifiers under coach Joseph Abou Mrad. It was initially planned for a group stage in Tehran, featuring North Korea, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. However, due to visa issues with Iranian authorities, FIFA restructured the group into knockout ties. Ultimately, Lebanon faced Iraq in a home-and-away series. Lebanon won the first match 1–0 in Beirut, but lost the second 1–0 in Baghdad. A decisive third match was held in Istanbul, Turkey, where Iraq secured a 2–1 victory, advancing to the second round of qualifiers; Lebanon was eliminated from the competition.
After joining the Asian Football Confederation in 1969, Lebanon's first Asian Cup qualifying campaign was for the 1972 tournament under coach Abou Mrad. The Western Zone qualifiers, held in Kuwait in December 1971, began with an allocation match to determine Lebanon's group placement. Lebanon lost 3–0 to Bahrain, and was placed in Group B alongside Kuwait and Syria. In the group stage, Lebanon suffered a 1–0 defeat to Kuwait, but secured a 3–2 victory over Syria, advancing to the semi-finals. However, in the decisive semi-final match, where a win would have guaranteed qualification, Lebanon lost 4–1 to Iraq. The team concluded their campaign with a 2–0 consolation victory over Jordan in the third-place match.