Lebanon national football team

Lebanon was one of the first nations in the Middle East to establish an administrative body for association football.[lower-alpha 3][3] 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).[4][5] Hussein Sejaan was the LFA's first president.[6] The LFA joined FIFA in 1935 and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1964.[5][7]

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 (T.A.C.); the players were divided into two teams, and played against each other at the American University of Beirut's (AUB) field.[8] The match against T.A.C., scheduled to be played on 18 February, was cancelled due to financial disagreements between the LFA and the AUB, who organized the encounter.[9] The Beirut national team eventually played against T.A.C. on 21 November 1935 at AUB's field,[10] losing 3–0.[11] Beirut XI, representing Lebanon, played their first game against Syria (Damascus XI) in 1939 at the Habib Abou Chahla Stadium; the match ended in a 4–5 loss.[12] The team played 17 unofficial games against Damascus XI until 1963, winning nine, drawing two, and losing six.[12]

Lebanese forward Camille Cordahi during the 1940 match against Mandatory Palestine

The national team's first official FIFA game was a 5–1 loss to Mandatory Palestine on 27 April 1940.[13] Camille Cordahi, assisted by Muhieddine Jaroudi, scored for Lebanon in the second half, becoming his team's first official international scorer.[14] Lebanon played their first official game against Syria on 19 April 1942; coached by Abed Traboulsi, Lebanon lost 2–1 in Beirut.[15] Lebanon played two games against an unofficial Iraqi national team representing Iraq's Ministry of Education, which was coached by George Raynor: they won 4–1 in Beirut in 1944, and lost by the same score in Baghdad in 1945.[12] In 1947 Lebanon played two friendlies against Syria: a 4–1 defeat in Beirut on 4 May,[16] and a 1–0 defeat in Aleppo, Syria, on 18 May.[17]

During the early-1950s, Lebanon were coached by Vinzenz Dittrich and Ljubiša Broćić.[18][19] The side played four official games between 1953 and 1956, most notably hosting Hungary in 1956.[13] Lebanon lost the match 4–1, with Hungary's Ferenc Puskás scoring two goals.[12] The team also played unofficial games against top-level European clubs such as Dynamo Moscow, Leipzig, and Spartak Trnava in 1957.[12] Lebanon played Energia Flacăra Ploiești the same year in the opening game of the Sports City Stadium.[20] The match ended in 1–0 win for Lebanon thanks to a Joseph Abou Murad goal.[20]

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.[21] 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 Murad and Mardek Chabarian, and one goal each by Robert Shehada and Levon Altonian; this placed them first in their group.[21] In the semifinals, Lebanon lost 4–2 to Tunisia.[21] They finished in third place, however, since Morocco withdrew from the third-place match.[21]

Joseph Nalbandian was appointed coach of the national team in 1958.[22] He was one of Lebanon's most successful coaches, winning nine of 26 official matches during his 11-year tenure.[13] Under Nalbadian, Lebanon hosted the 1959 Mediterranean Games and were grouped with Italy B and Turkey B.[lower-alpha 4][23] They finished last in the group, after four losses to the two European teams.[23]

Lebanon at the 1966 Arab Nations Cup

Lebanon hosted the inaugural edition of the Arab Cup in 1963, and were grouped with Tunisia, Syria, Kuwait, and Jordan.[24] They won their first match against Kuwait 6–0, thanks to a hat-trick by team captain Altonian.[24] This six-goal win tied Lebanon's biggest win to date, a 7–1 victory against Saudi Arabia in 1961.[2] After another win (against Jordan) and two losses (to Syria and Tunisia), Lebanon finished third in the tournament.[24] In the following edition, in 1966, Lebanon were drawn with Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain in Group A.[25] After three wins and a draw, they qualified to the semi-finals against Syria, where they lost 1–0.[25] In the third-place match, Lebanon lost 6–1 to Libya, finishing the competition in fourth place.[25] Lebanon had also played at the 1964 Tripoli Fair Tournament; in a group with Libya, Sudan, Morocco, and Malta, they finished in first place with seven points.[26]

Their first Asian Cup qualifying campaign was in 1971, coached by Joseph Abou Murad.[22] In the first round they lost to hosts Kuwait 0–1, but defeated neighbours Syria 3–2 to qualify for the next round.[27] In a decisive semi-final match against Iraq, Lebanon lost 1–4 and were eliminated.[27] Due to the country's civil war, Lebanon only played nine games between 1975 and 1990.[2] They appeared in the 1980 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers held in Abu Dhabi; with one win, one draw, and one defeat, Lebanon came third in their group and were eliminated.[28] Lebanon also initially took part in the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers; however, after playing four matches, Lebanon withdrew and their results were annulled.[29] In the 1988 Arab Nations Cup, Lebanon were drawn with Egypt, Iraq, Tunisia, and the Saudi Arabia Olympic team.[30] They finished third in their group, with one win, two draws, and one defeat.[30]

Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in 1982; it was destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War.

Lebanon's first World Cup qualification campaign after the civil war was in 1993, with Adnan Al Sharqi as their coach.[31] Their gap of 58 years between the date of FIFA affiliation (1935) and their first World Cup qualifying match (1993) was the highest to date; it was surpassed by the Philippines three years later with a gap of 68 years.[32] After two wins, two losses, and four draws, Lebanon finished third in their group and were eliminated.[33] 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.[34] 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).[34]

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 January 1997.[35] Thanks to their performances, Lebanon were awarded the Asian Team of the Month award in February.[35] Lebanon were drawn in a group which included Kuwait and Singapore in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, played between April and June 1997.[36] Led by Yorath, the Cedars were eliminated with only four points.[36] 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.[2]

Lebanon hosted the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, despite FIFA's concerns about stadium conditions.[37] Under Croatian coach Josip Skoblar,[38] Lebanon, captained by Jamal Taha,[39] drew into Group A with Iran, Iraq, and Thailand.[40] Lebanon played their first Asian Cup game against Iran on 12 October 2000 at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium with 52,418 spectators.[40] 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 0–4 defeat.[40] In the second match, against Iraq, two goals in the first 22 minutes gave the opposing team a comfortable lead.[40] However, an Abbas Chahrour long-distance volley in the 28th minute,[41] Lebanon's first goal in the competition,[42] and a goal by Moussa Hojeij in the 76th minute gave Lebanon their first point of the competition.[40] Lebanon played Thailand in the final group stage match.[40] With the opposing team gaining the lead in the 58th minute, Luís Fernandes equalised for Lebanon to end the match 1–1.[40] The draw was not enough as they finished last in the group, with only two points.[40]

Managed by Theo Bücker, Lebanon drew with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand in the first round of the 2002 World Cup qualifications.[43] 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).[43]

Under Richard Tardy,[44] Lebanon drew into Group D of the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.[45] Before the match against North Korea, the Lebanese team were reportedly ill-treated; hotel conditions were poor, and their training field contained goats and sheep.[46] Lebanon finished third in their group, with four points.[45] For the second round of the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup, Lebanon were grouped with South Korea, Vietnam, and the Maldives.[47] Under Mahmoud Hamoud, they finished second in their group and were eliminated.[47]

Lebanon drew into Group D for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign with Australia, Bahrain, and Kuwait, played in 2006.[48] The scheduled meeting between Australia and Lebanon made Buddy Farah, an Australian player of Lebanese descent, declare his return to the Lebanese national side.[49] 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, which forced several players to leave their homes to avoid the war.[50] In 2007 Lebanon was seeded in the first round of the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup, where they faced India to qualify directly for the third round of the qualifiers.[51] Lebanon won 6–3 on aggregate and advanced to the third round, with two goals by Mohammed Ghaddar in the second match.[51] Lebanon, grouped with Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Uzbekistan, finished last with no points.[52]

In April 2008, Lebanon and the Maldives (the two lowest-ranked teams in Asia)[lower-alpha 5][53] played home-and-away matches in the preliminary round of the 2011 Asian Cup; the winner would proceed to the next round.[56][57] A 4–0 home win and a 2–1 victory in the away match advanced Lebanon to the qualifying round.[56][57] Between 2009 and 2010, they drew into Group D with China, Syria, and Vietnam, finishing last.[58] Emile Rustom, re-appointed as head coach in November 2008, led Lebanon into the second round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.[59] They faced Bangladesh, winning 4–0 in Beirut on 23 July 2011, and losing 2–0 in Dhaka five days later.[60] Lebanon advanced to the third round, where they were grouped with South Korea, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.[61] Rustom resigned less than a week later, citing internal administrative problems.[62][63]

On 4 August 2011, Theo Bücker was reappointed as Lebanon's head coach.[64] The former national team manager took the reins nine years after leaving that position. On 6 September, Lebanon came back from one goal down to defeat the United Arab Emirates 3–1 in the World Cup qualifications; striker Mahmoud Khamees put the visitors in front after 15 minutes, Lebanon replied with goals from Mohammed Ghaddar, Akram Moghrabi, and Roda Antar; Antar was named man of the match.[65][66]

The team then drew 2–2 to Kuwait in Beirut on 11 October.[67] 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.[68] Bad fan behaviour (mainly fireworks-related) was again a problem against Kuwait, forcing referee Masaaki Toma to stop the game several times.[69] A month later, Lebanon defeated Kuwait 1–0 on a 57th-minute goal by Mahmoud El Ali at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Kuwait City;[70] it was Kuwait's first home loss to Lebanon.[71] On 15 November, Lebanon hosted South Korea at Beirut's Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium before over 40,000 spectators.[72] After four minutes, Lebanon took the lead on a goal by Ali Al Saadi. Eleven minutes later, Korea tied the score with a penalty kick. In the 30th minute, Lebanon received a penalty kick after Mahmoud El Ali was tackled inside the penalty area; Abbas Ali Atwi scored, giving Lebanon 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.[73]

Abbas Ali Atwi (second from right) was Lebanon's captain against Iran at the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

In 2012 Lebanon drew into Group A of the fourth round, with South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Qatar.[74] In Lebanon's fourth game, on 11 September against Iran, a first-half Roda Antar goal gave Lebanon the lead.[75] Antar rose above the Iranian defence to head home a free kick from Mohammad Haidar in the 28th minute.[75] 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.[75] On 26 February 2013, team members Ramez Dayoub 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.[76] The players were fined $15,000 and banned from the Lebanon Football Association for life.[77] 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.[78] The Lebanese team then lost to Uzbekistan 1–0 on the road.[79] 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.[80]

In 2013 the team drew into group B with Iran, Thailand and Kuwait for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifications.[81] After losing 5–0 to Iran, and winning 5–2 against Thailand, Giuseppe Giannini replaced Theo Bücker as head coach.[82] During Giannini's first game, on match day three, Mohammad Ghaddar scored the equaliser against Kuwait in Beirut to earn a point for Lebanon.[83] Lebanon ended the qualifications in third place in their group, with two wins, two draws, and two losses.[81] 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.[81]

After the country's failed attempt to qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup 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).[84] 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.[84] 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.[85][86] The match excited the Lebanese people, despite poor refereeing.[85] After Lebanon's 0–5 loss to Qatar a month later,[87] Giuseppe Giannini was fired.[88]

Radulović coached Lebanon between 2015 and 2019.

Miodrag Radulović was appointed the team's new coach in 2015,[89] and led Lebanon in the 2018 World Cup qualifications, played between June 2015 and March 2016.[90] The team were drawn in a group that included Asia's runners-up South Korea, Kuwait, Myanmar, and Laos,[91] 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 played in the 2019 Asian Cup qualification third round, between March 2017 and March 2018.[92]

The Asian Cup draw put Lebanon in Group B, with North Korea, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.[93] 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).[94] Hassan Maatouk (who succeeded Roda Antar as captain in 2016)[95] was key to Lebanon's success, scoring five goals in six games.[96] Lebanon fielded a number of players of Lebanese origin who were born and raised in other countries during the qualifications, including Hilal El-Helwe, Joan Oumari and Omar Bugiel from Germany; Soony Saad from the United States;[97] Samir Ayass from Bulgaria, and Adnan Haidar from Norway.[98]

Although Radulović failed to qualify the team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, he helped Lebanon qualify for their first-ever AFC Asian Cup in 2019;[92] he was the first Montenegrin manager to help a team qualify for a major tournament. Radulović managed a 15-game unbeaten streak[lower-alpha 2] (from 24 March 2016 to 11 October 2018),[99][100] winning eight and drawing seven.[2] In September 2018, Lebanon achieved their best-ever FIFA ranking (77th).[101]

Lebanon during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup group stage match against Saudi Arabia

On 9 January 2019, Lebanon started their 2019 Asian Cup campaign with a 0–2 loss against Qatar.[102] In the 37th minute, Ali Hamam scored a goal for Lebanon from a corner, only for it to be controversially disallowed for a foul.[103][104] Two goals by Qatar in the second half secured all three points for the opposing team.[105] 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.[106]

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.[107] Lebanon conceded an early free-kick goal, before leveling the score in the first half through a goal by Felix Melki.[107] Lebanon took the lead in the second half after Hilal El-Helwe scored from close range.[107] Fifteen minutes later Maatouk converted a penalty kick,[107] becoming Lebanon's joint top-scorer.[108] Lebanon's fourth goal came in the seventh minute of added time, with El-Helwe scoring his second of the match, ending the encounter 1–4 and giving Lebanon their first ever Asian Cup win.[107] 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.[107]

Liviu Ciobotariu coached Lebanon at the joint qualifications for the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup.[109] His first games took place at the 2019 WAFF Championship, where Lebanon were drawn with hosts Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Yemen.[110] Lebanon finished fourth in their group with four points, after a win, a draw, and two defeats.[110]

For the 2022 World Cup qualification second round, played between 2019 and 2021, Lebanon were drawn with South Korea, for the third time in a row,[61][91] North Korea, who Lebanon had faced in both the qualifications and final stage of the 2019 Asian Cup,[93][107] Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka.[111] Lebanon played five matches (two wins, two draws, and one defeat),[112] before the remaining games were postponed on 9 March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.[113][114]

The following 23 players were called up for the friendly match against Bahrain on 13 November 2020.[136]
Caps, goals, and player numbers are correct as of 12 November 2020 after the match against Bahrain.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ali Sabeh	(1994-06-24) 24 June 1994	1	0	Nejmeh
21	1GK	Mostafa Matar	(1995-09-10) 10 September 1995	2	0	Tripoli
23	1GK	Ali Daher	(1996-11-26) 26 November 1996	2	0	Shabab Sahel
3	2DF	Maher Sabra	(1992-01-14) 14 January 1992	4	0	Nejmeh
4	2DF	Nour Mansour	(1989-10-22) 22 October 1989	53	2	Ahed
5	2DF	Nassar Nassar	(1992-01-01) 1 January 1992	12	0	Ansar
6	2DF	Hussein Zein	(1995-01-27) 27 January 1995	5	0	Ahed
17	2DF	Mohamed Zein Tahan	(1988-04-20) 20 April 1988	35	1	Safa
18	2DF	Abdallah Aich	(1994-10-05) 5 October 1994	1	0	Nejmeh
22	2DF	Robert Alexander Melki	(1992-11-14) 14 November 1992	10	0	Al-Khor
2	3MF	Mouhammed-Ali Dhaini	(1994-03-01) 1 March 1994	1	0	Trelleborg
8	3MF	Hassan "Moni" Chaito	(1989-03-20) 20 March 1989	57	6	Ansar
9	3MF	Bassel Jradi	(1993-07-06) 6 July 1993	8	1	Hajduk Split
10	3MF	Houssein Rizk	(1997-01-01) 1 January 1997	1	0	Shabab Sahel
13	3MF	Abbas Assi	(1995-07-09) 9 July 1995	1	0	Shabab Sahel
14	3MF	Nader Matar	(1992-05-12) 12 May 1992	37	2	Ansar
15	3MF	Hussein Monzer	(1997-03-20) 20 March 1997	8	0	Ahed
16	3MF	Khaled Mohssen	(1998-01-10) 10 January 1998	1	0	1. FC Phönix Lübeck
20	3MF	Ahmad Jalloul	(1992-01-23) 23 January 1992	14	0	Safa
7	4FW	Hassan Maatouk (Captain)	(1987-08-10) 10 August 1987	85	21	Ansar
11	4FW	Mohamad Kdouh	(1997-07-10) 10 July 1997	9	2	Amanat Baghdad
12	4FW	Karim Darwiche	(1998-11-02) 2 November 1998	1	0	Ansar
19	4FW	Soony Saad	(1992-08-17) 17 August 1992	15	3	Ansan Greeners

The following footballers were part of a national selection in the past 12 months, but are not part of the current squad.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Mehdi Khalil INJ	(1991-09-19) 19 September 1991	40	0	Ahed	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019
GK	Ahmad Taktouk	(1984-09-29) 29 September 1984	2	0	Nejmeh	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019
DF	Mootaz Jounaidi	(1986-01-20) 20 January 1986	49	0	Ansar	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019
DF	Joan Oumari OTH	(1988-08-19) 19 August 1988	24	2	FC Tokyo	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019
DF	Kassem El Zein OTH	(1990-12-02) 2 December 1990	18	0	Al-Nasr	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019
DF	Hassan "Shibriko" Chaito INJ	(1991-06-16) 16 June 1991	9	0	Ansar	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019
DF	Hassan Bitar	(1992-05-18) 18 May 1992	0	0	Ansar	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019 PRE
MF	Mohamad Haidar INJ	(1989-11-08) 8 November 1989	65	4	Ahed	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019
MF	Adnan Haidar	(1989-08-03) 3 August 1989	36	1	Unattached	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019
MF	George Felix Melki OTH	(1994-07-23) 23 July 1994	10	1	AIK	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019
MF	Yahya El Hindi	(1998-09-24) 24 September 1998	2	0	Budaiya	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019 PRE
MF	Hassan Kourani	(1995-01-22) 22 January 1995	0	0	Nejmeh	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019 PRE
FW	Rabih Ataya OTH	(1989-07-16) 16 July 1989	36	4	Kedah	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019
FW	Hilal El-Helwe OTH	(1994-11-24) 24 November 1994	26	8	SV Meppen	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019
FW	Ahmad Hijazi	(1994-08-22) 22 August 1994	1	0	Ansar	v.  South Korea, 14 November 2019 PRE
INJ Withdrew due to injury SUS Serving suspension RET Retired from international football OTH Other reason PRE Preliminary squad / standby

Lebanon's match against Iran at the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers

Although the Lebanese Football Association was formed in 1933,[4][5] Lebanon's first qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup took place in the 1986 edition.[29] However, after playing four matches, Lebanon withdrew due to the ongoing civil war, and their results were subsequently annulled.[29] The country's first full qualification campaign came two editions later, in 1994, where they finished third in their group with two wins, four draws, and two losses.[33] Ever since, Lebanon have participated in every iteration of the World Cup qualifiers.

The closest Lebanon got to qualifying to the World Cup was during the 2014 campaign. After beating Bangladesh 4–2 on aggregate in the second round,[60] Lebanon qualified to the third round, where they were drawn with South Korea, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.[61] After beating South Korea in a historical 2–1 win at home, Lebanon qualified to the fourth (and final) round for the first time, coming second in their group.[73] In the final round, Lebanon were grouped with Iran, South Korea, Uzbekistan, and Qatar.[81] With only one win and two draws in eight games, Lebanon finished last in Group A and were eliminated.[80]

Lebanon's FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Host nation(s) and year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Outcome	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Ref
1930	Did not participate										Did not participate							—
1934																		—
1938																		—
1950																		—
1954																		—
1958																		—
1962																		—
1966																		—
1970																		—
1974																		—
1978																		—
1982																		—
1986	Withdrew										Withdrew							[29]
1990	Did not participate										Did not participate							—
1994	Did not qualify										3rd of 5	8	2	4	2	8	9	[33]
1998											2nd of 3	4	1	1	2	4	7	[36]
2002											2nd of 4	6	4	1	1	26	5	[43]
2006											2nd of 4	6	3	2	1	11	5	[47]
2010											First round win, 4th of 4	8	1	1	6	9	17	[137]
2014											Second round win, 2nd of 4, 5th of 5	13	5	2	6	16	22	[138]
2018											2nd of 5	8	3	2	3	12	6	[139]
2022	To be determined										Ongoing
2026	To be determined										To be determined
Total	Best: N/A	0/21	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		Total	53	19	13	21	86	71	—
Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place Home venue

Lebanon's match against Qatar at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup

Lebanon's first qualification campaign for the AFC Asian Cup 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 and advanced to the next stage.[27] In the decisive semi-final match against Iraq, Lebanon lost 4–1 and were knocked-out.[27] Lebanon won a consolatory third-place match against Jordan.[27]

The 2000 edition was Lebanon's first participation in the finals, when the country hosted the event.[37] Following a 4–0 defeat to Iran in the competition's opening match,[40] Lebanon came from behind to draw 2–2 against Iraq;[40] Abbas Chahrour became Lebanon's first goalscorer in the competition.[40] Lebanon drew once again, 1–1 against Thailand, and were eliminated, finishing last in the group.[40]

After finishing the 2019 third round of qualification unbeaten, Lebanon qualified to the Asian Cup for the first time in their history.[94] In the finals, Lebanon lost the first group stage match 2–0 to eventual champions Qatar,[105] before losing once again by the same score to Saudi Arabia.[106] 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.[107] Despite conceding an early free-kick goal, Lebanon went on to win the match 4–1 thanks to a brace by Hilal El-Helwe.[107] 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.[107]

Lebanon's AFC Asian Cup record											Qualification record
Host nation(s) and year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Outcome	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Ref
1956	Did not participate										Did not participate							—
1960																		—
1964																		—
1968																		—
1972	Did not qualify										2nd of 3, semi-final loss	3	1	0	2	4	7	[27]
1976	Withdrew										Withdrew							[140]
1980	Did not qualify										3rd of 4	3	1	1	1	2	1	[28]
1984	Withdrew										Withdrew							[141]
1988	Did not participate										Did not participate							—
1992																		—
1996	Did not qualify										2nd of 3	4	2	1	1	7	6	[34]
2000	Group stage	10th of 12	3	0	2	1	3	7	Squad		Qualified as hosts							[40]
2004	Did not qualify										3rd of 4	6	1	1	4	2	8	[45]
2007	Withdrew										Withdrew							[48]
2011	Did not qualify										Preliminary round win, 4th of 4	8	2	1	5	8	14	[55]
2015											3rd of 4	6	2	2	2	12	14	[142]
2019	Group stage	17th of 24	3	1	0	2	4	5	Squad		2nd of 5, 1st of 4	14	8	3	3	26	10	[143]
2023	To be determined										Ongoing
Total	Best: group stage	2/17	6	1	2	3	7	12	—		Total	43	16	9	18	59	59	—
Champions    Runners-up    Third place/semi-finalists   Home venue

Lebanon's senior team have never qualified to the Summer Olympics final tournament; their first qualification campaign was for Rome 1960.[144] After losing the first two group stage games against Iraq, Lebanon withdrew and the two remaining matches were awarded to their opponent Turkey.[144] Lebanon participated in two more qualifications, in 1968 and 1972, failing to qualify to the final tournament on both occasions.[145][146]

Lebanon's Summer Olympic Games record											Qualification record
Host nation, city and year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Outcome	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Ref
Paris 1900	Did not participate										Did not participate							—
St. Louis 1904																		—
London 1908																		—
Stockholm 1912																		—
Antwerp 1920																		—
Paris 1924																		—
Amsterdam 1928																		—
Berlin 1936																		—
London 1948																		—
Helsinki 1952																		—
Melbourne 1956																		—
Rome 1960	Withdrew										3rd of 3	4	0	0	4	0	15	[144]
Tokyo 1964											Withdrew							[147]
Mexico City 1968	Did not qualify										3rd of 6	5	2	1	2	18	9	[145]
Munich 1972											First round loss	3	1	0	2	2	3	[146]
Montreal 1976	Withdrew										Withdrew							[148]
Moscow 1980	Did not participate										Did not participate							—
Los Angeles 1984	Withdrew										Withdrew							[149]
Seoul 1988	Did not participate										Did not participate							—
1992–present	See Lebanon national under-23 football team										See Lebanon national under-23 football team							[150]
Total	Best: N/A	0/19	–	–	–	–	–	–	—		Total	12	3	1	8	20	27	—
Gold    Silver    Bronze   Home venue

Bar the 2008 and 2010 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, 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.[151]

Lebanon's WAFF Championship record
Host nation(s) and year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Ref
2000	Group stage	5th of 8	3	1	1	1	3	2	Squad	[151]
2002		5th of 6	2	0	0	2	0	3	Squad	[152]
2004		6th of 6	2	0	0	2	1	7	Squad	[153]
2007		6th of 6	2	0	0	2	0	4	Squad	[154]
2008	Did not participate									—
2010										—
2012	Group stage	9th of 12	3	1	0	2	2	3	Squad	[155]
2014		8th of 9	2	0	1	1	0	2	Squad	[156]
2019		7th of 9	4	1	1	2	3	4	Squad	[157]
2021	To be determined								Squad
Total	Best: group stage	8/10	18	3	3	12	9	25	—	—
Champions    Runners-up    Third place/semi-finalists   Home venue

Lebanon at the 1963 Arab Nations Cup

Lebanon have taken part in all iterations of the Arab Nations Cup, except the 1985 and 1992 editions. They hosted the inaugural edition in 1963, finishing third in a group containing Tunisia, Syria, Kuwait, and Jordan.[24] Lebanon finished in fourth place in the subsequent two editions (1964 and 1966); ever since, they have failed to go past the group stage.[158][25]

Lebanon's Arab Nations Cup record
Host nation(s) and year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Ref
1963	Third place	3rd of 5	4	2	0	2	13	4	Squad	[24]
1964	Fourth place	4th of 5	4	1	1	2	4	5	Squad	[158]
1966		4th of 9	6	3	1	2	11	10	Squad	[25]
1985	Did not participate									—
1988	Group stage	6th of 10	4	1	2	1	2	4	Squad	[30]
1992	Did not participate									—
1998	Group stage	9th of 12	2	0	1	1	1	4	Squad	[159]
2002		8th of 10	4	1	1	2	5	7	Squad	[160]
2009	Cancelled									[161]
2012	Group stage	10th of 10	3	0	1	2	1	4	Squad	[162]
Total	Best: third place	7/9	27	8	7	12	37	38	—	—
Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place Home venue

After participating in the inaugural edition of the Pan Arab Games, at Alexandria 1953,[163] Lebanon hosted the 1957 edition.[21] Topping a group containing Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, Lebanon reached the semi-finals where they lost 4–2 to Tunisia.[21] Due to Morocco withdrawing from the third-place match, Lebanon finished the tournament in third place.[21] Lebanon also came third in 1997, once again as hosts.[164] 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.[164] Lebanon finished in third place after beating Kuwait 3–1.[164]

Lebanon's Pan Arab Games record
Host nation, city and year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Ref
Alexandria 1953	Group stage	5th of 6	3	1	1	1	1	4	Squad	[163]
Beirut 1957	Third place	3rd of 8	5	2	2	1	10	6	Squad	[21]
Casablanca 1961	Fourth place	4th of 6	5	2	0	3	13	9	Squad	[165]
Cairo 1965	Group stage	7th of 10	4	1	1	2	4	7	Squad	[166]
Damascus 1976	Did not participate									—
Rabat 1985										—
Aleppo 1992										—
Beirut 1997	Third place	3rd of 8	5	2	2	1	9	7	Squad	[164]
Amman 1999	Second stage	5th of 11	5	2	1	2	6	9	Squad	[167]
Cairo 2007	Did not participate									—
Doha 2011										—
Baghdad 2021	To be determined									—
Beirut 2025										—
Total	Best: third place	6/11	27	10	7	10	43	42	—	—
Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place Home venue

The Lebanon national senior team only participated once at the Asian Games, 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.[168] Following two 1–0 defeats, respectively to Qatar and Thailand, Lebanon won 3–0 against Kazakhstan in their final encounter of the group stage.[168] However, the three points weren't enough to qualify Lebanon to the knockout round.[168]

Lebanon's Asian Games record
Host nation, city and year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Ref
New Delhi 1951	Did not participate									—
Manila 1954										—
Tokyo 1958										—
Jakarta 1962										—
Bangkok 1966										—
Bangkok 1970										—
Tehran 1974										—
Bangkok 1978										—
New Delhi 1982										—
Seoul 1986										—
Beijing 1990										—
Hiroshima 1994										—
Bangkok 1998	Group stage	12th of 23	5	2	0	3	9	7	Squad	[168]
2002–present	See Lebanon national under-23 football team									—
Total	Best: group stage	1/13	5	2	0	3	9	7	—	—
Gold    Silver    Bronze Home venue

Lebanon's first participation at the Mediterranean Games was in 1959, when they hosted the event.[23] They lost both legs against Italy B and Turkey B, finishing last with no points.[23] Lebanon's senior team participated two more times, in 1963 and 1987, failing to qualify past the group stage on both occasions.[169][170]

Lebanon's Mediterranean Games record
Host nation, city and year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Ref
Alexandria 1951	Did not participate									—
Barcelona 1955										—
Beirut 1959	Third place	3rd of 3	4	0	0	4	1	2	Squad	[23]
Naples 1963	Group stage	7th of 9	4	1	0	3	2	7	Squad	[169]
Tunis 1967	Did not participate									—
İzmir 1971										—
Algiers 1975										—
Split 1979										—
Casablanca 1983										—
Latakia 1987	Group stage	6th of 8	3	0	1	2	1	7	Squad	[170]
1991–present	See Lebanon national under-20 football team									—
Total	Best: third place	3/10	11	1	1	9	4	16	—	—
Gold    Silver    Bronze Home venue

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.[26] In 1998 Lebanon participated at the Friendship Tournament in the United Arab Emirates where, with two draws and a defeat, they finished in third place out of four.[171] Lebanon also finished in third place at the 2009 King's Cup in Thailand where, after losing to the hosts in the semi-finals, they won against North Korea in the third-place match.[172]

Tournament	Round	Ref
1964 Tripoli Fair Tournament	Champions	[26]
1974 Kuneitra Cup	Group stage	[173]
1975 President's Cup	Group stage	[174]
1978 President's Cup	Group stage	[175]
1989 Peace and Friendship Cup	Group stage	[176]
1998 Friendship Tournament	Third place	[171]
2009 King's Cup	Third place	[172]
2009 Nehru Cup	Group stage	[177]
2021 FIFA Arab Cup	To be determined
Champions    Runners-up    Third place

As of 12 November 2020.[179] Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

As of 12 November 2020.[179] Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

• Henshaw, Richard (1979). The Encyclopedia of World Soccer. Washington, D.C.: New Republic Books. ISBN 0915220342.
• Sakr, Ali Hamidi (1995). موسوعة كرة القدم اللبنانية 1991–1992 [1991–1992 Lebanese Football Encyclopedia] (PDF) (in Arabic). مؤسسة نوفل للتوزيع‎. ISBN 0000281247.