Libya national football team

Libya's national team was first initiated in 1918, but did not play an official international until 3 August 1953, when they defeated Palestine 5–2 in the first Pan Arab Games in 1953. The team's first manager was Masoud Zantouny, and the first foreign manager was Englishman James Bingham, who took charge of the Libyan national team for the 1961 Pan Arab Games. The first player ever to score for the Libyan national team in an official international was Mukhtar Ghonaay.

The first penalty ever scored by a member of the national team was in the 1953 Pan Arab Games group stage; in the match against Egypt, Ali Zantouny scored in the 3–2 defeat. The national team's first participation in the Arab Cup was in 1964, the second edition of the competition, held in Kuwait.

The first ever player to score for the Libyan national team in a non-official international was Mustapha Makki in a warm-up friendly played prior to the 1953 Pan Arab Games tournament, played against Palestine in Alexandria in 1952. The national team's first attempt to qualify for an Olympic football tournament was in 1967, where they played their first qualification match against Niger in an attempt to qualify for the 1968 Olympic football tournament in Mexico City.

Libya first entered the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 1970. Their early attempts failed, but during the 1980s the national side strengthened. The country's geopolitical position, however, affected the football team, who had to withdraw from qualifying for the 1982 and 1990 World Cups.

Libya came closest to qualifying for the World Cup in 1986. They came to within a game of reaching the finals in Mexico. After winning their match against Sudan in their first game, the Libyans beat Ghana in the next round before taking on Morocco for a place at the finals. Morocco won the first game 3–0 and went through, even though Libya won the return leg 1–0.

After not entering the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup competition, Libya came back in the qualifying competition for Korea/Japan. The Libyans advanced to the second round at the expense of Mali, who were beaten 4–3 on aggregate. In the group stage, Libya managed only two draws in eight games.

In the qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a 9–0 two-legged victory against São Tome and Principe put the Libyans through to the group stage. Libyan player Al-Saadi Gaddafi was banned from the team after failing drug test.

A difficult group followed containing Egypt, Cameroon and Ivory Coast, the eventual group winners and qualifiers for the World Cup. However, The Knights were able to secure good results against these sides, as they beat Egypt 2–1 in Tripoli, and held Cameroon and Ivory Coast to 0–0 draws, helping them to a 4th-place finish and a place at the 2006 African Cup of Nations finals in Egypt.

During the qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Libya defeated each side in the second round during home matches (they also defeated Lesotho away). However they were defeated by Gabon in an away match, and failed to qualify to the next round on goal difference.

In the qualifying campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Libya reached the final match in the group stage without a defeat. They were defeated 1–0 by Cameroon and failed to advance to the final round.

In the qualifying campaign for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Libya defeated Rwanda 4–1 on aggregate in the second round but were eliminated after losing the first three matches in the group stages.

The biggest football tournament to be held in Libya was the 1982 African Cup of Nations. Libya qualified automatically as hosts and were put in a group alongside Ghana, Cameroon and Tunisia. The opening match of the tournament saw the hosts take on Ghana in Tripoli in a 2–2 draw. A 2–0 win over Tunisia and a goalless draw against Cameroon saw Libya topping the group.

In the semi-finals, Libya came from behind to beat Zambia 2–1 and set up another match with Ghana, this time in the final on 19 March. Ghana scored first in the 35th minute, but Libya equalised in the 70th. This was followed by a tense period of extra time in which no goals were scored. In a long penalty shootout, Ghana came out triumphant 7–6.[2]

Libya's second African Cup of Nations saw a return to the higher levels of the international footballing scene at the 2006 African Cup of Nations finals in Egypt. They qualified for the competition after a goalless draw with Sudan in their ninth qualifying match.

Libya were drawn in Group A with Egypt (the hosts and eventual winners), 2006 World Cup-qualifiers Ivory Coast and Morocco. Libya lost 3–0 to Egypt in Cairo, then lost 2–1 to Ivory Coast. A goalless draw against Morocco saw Libya finish bottom of the group.

Libya played its first match after the Battle of Tripoli (and thus the end of the Gaddafi era in Libya) on 3 September 2011, with a new uniform sporting the National Transitional Council flag of Libya.

The match, part of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, resulted in a 1–0 victory over Mozambique. The historic goal was scored by Rabee'a al Laafi. Like Libya's previous home match, a 3–0 defeat of Comoros in qualifying, played in Stade 26 mars in Bamako, Mali, a relocation was necessary due to the ongoing Libyan Civil War, and so the Petro Sport Stadium in Cairo, Egypt became the venue. The match was played behind closed doors for security reasons.[3]

Prior to the team's final game in the qualification campaign, against Zambia, coach Marcos Paquetá claimed that the team was now "not only playing for football success but for a new government and a new country".[4] The match was played on 8 October 2011, and resulted in a 0–0 draw which was good enough for both teams to qualify. Paquetá and his team danced and celebrated afterwards.[5]

In November 2011 the team travelled to the United Arab Emirates to play a friendly match against Belarus organized by FIFA and broadcast Dubai Sports. The team members, along with the Libyan national chess team, also attended an event at the Libyan Consulate in Dubai organized to honour their contribution to their country in the field of sports.[6]

On 7 June 2013, Libya met DR Congo in its first match on home ground in two years.

Having qualified, Libya were drawn into Group A with co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, qualification rivals Zambia and pre-tournament favourites Senegal.

The Mediterranean Knights' first game, the tournament's opening match, saw them lose to an 87th-minute winner from ex-Real Madrid winger Javier Ángel Balboa. Libya went on to secure a 2–2 draw with Zambia in terrible conditions at the Estadio de Bata, before two goals from Ihaab al Bousseffi guided them to a 2–1 victory over Senegal, their first Nations Cup win in 30 years and a first on foreign soil. After four points from three games Libya was eliminated at the group stage.

Libya played Ghana in the 2014 CHAN final. Extra time was given (two 15 minutes), however both teams failed to score. It was taken to penalty shootouts, where the Libyan team scored the first three penalties, missed two others and scored the final sixth and their Ghanaian opponents missed the first two, scored the next three then missed the final sixth penalty (resulting in 3 penalties scored). The match finished (0–0) and was won by the Mediterranean Knights by penalties (4–3).

After Javier Clemente's dismissal in 2016, Jalal Damja took over the national team. He left in 2017 after his contract expired. Omar Almaryami was later appointed as coach and led Libya to the semi-finals of the 2018 African Nations Championship. After Libya's elimination by Morocco, Adel Amrouche was appointed in May 2018. His goal was to help Libya qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He led Libya to a 0–0 draw against South Africa away from home. However, days before Libya's match against Nigeria, Amrouche suddenly left the team's camp and later resigned. During an interview with Reuters, Amrouche said that the reason for his resignation was that the Libyan Football Federation was repeatedly interfering with his work as a coach. He also cited unpaid wages as a reason for his resignation.

Omar Almaryami was again appointed as a caretaker coach of Libya. The team lost twice to Nigeria (4–0 away, 3–2 home) and Almaryami was replaced by former striker Fawzi Al-Issawi, who led Libya to an 8–1 away win over Seychelles. However, Libya later lost to South Africa 2–1, and Libya failed to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. It was noted during the match that al-Issawi's assistant, Abu Bakr Bani was the one who made substitutions and instructed players, leaving many to wonder who was the actual coach.

After the match against South Africa, Jalal Damja was reappointed as the head coach for temporary matches in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification before Faouzi Benzarti was named as new coach of Libya. Under Benzarti, Libya opened their campaign with a disastrous 1–4 loss to Tunisia, the home of Benzarti, before managed to salvage an important 2–1 win over Tanzania to gain hope for qualifying to an AFCON tournament since 2012. Yet, managerial crisis once again erupted when Benzarti left the team and Libya had to appoint a local coach, Ali El Margini, in charge against Equatorial Guinea, a team that had not won a single game in the qualification. Internal instability proved to be a rupture, as Libya lost two consecutive games against the Central African opponent and fell out of top two position.

The following players were selected for the 2020 African Nations Championship taking place in January and February 2021.[8]

Caps and goals as of 25 January 2021, after the match against Congo.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Fathi Al-Tahli	(1988-12-20) 20 December 1988	2	0	Al-Nasr
12	1GK	Abdulhakim El-Treki	(1990-09-25) 25 September 1990	0	0	Al-Madina
22	1GK	Ahmed Azzaqa	(1988-08-09) 9 August 1988	14	0	Al-Madina
26	1GK	Muad Allafi	(2000-05-15) 15 May 2000	0	0	Al-Ittihad
2	2DF	Rabea Al Laafi (captain)	(1991-07-24) 24 July 1991	23	0	Al-Nasr
3	2DF	Hamed El-Thalba	(1995-01-16) 16 January 1995	2	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
4	2DF	Alaa Elqjdar	(1999-11-02) 2 November 1999	1	0	Abu Salem
5	2DF	Salah Fakroun	(1999-02-08) 8 February 1999	5	0	Al-Nasr
15	2DF	Abdelaziz Benali	(1997-02-04) 4 February 1997	0	0	not known
16	2DF	Mansour Makkari	(1992-10-19) 19 October 1992	3	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
19	2DF	Ahmed Huwaydi	(1994-02-26) 26 February 1994	6	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
25	2DF	Taher Ben Aamer	(2000-04-16) 16 April 2000	0	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
29	2DF	Abdalla Sherif	(1996-07-18) 18 July 1996	2	0	Al-Nasr
30	2DF	Mohamed Joudur	(1997-08-08) 8 August 1997	1	0	Al-Ahli Tripoli
6	3MF	Mohammed Al-Tohami	(1992-05-31) 31 May 1992	2	0	Al-Madina
13	3MF	Mahmoud Okashah	(1992-03-06) 6 March 1992	4	0	Al-Ahli Tripoli
14	3MF	Shamikh Al-Obaidi	(1994-06-27) 27 June 1994	5	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
18	3MF	Ali Mohammed	(2000-11-23) 23 November 2000	1	0	Al-Ittihad
20	3MF	Muad Al-Amami	(1998-07-07) 7 July 1998	1	0	Al-Hilal
21	3MF	Rabia Al-Shadi	(1994-03-06) 6 March 1994	12	1	Al-Ittihad
28	3MF	El-Mehdi Al-Masry	(1992-06-19) 19 June 1992	18	0	Al-Ittihad
31	3MF	Abdullah Belaem	(1997-01-22) 22 January 1997	5	0	Al-Ahli Tripoli
7	4FW	Moataz Al-Mehdi (vice-captain)	(1990-08-09) 9 August 1990	15	1	Al-Ahli Tripoli
10	4FW	Zakaria Alharaish	(1998-10-23) 23 October 1998	10	2	Al-Ahli Tripoli
11	4FW	Muad Eisa	(1999-05-08) 8 May 1999	1	0	Al-Ittihad
17	4FW	Ibrahim Bodbous	(1996-08-03) 3 August 1996	5	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
24	4FW	Mohamed Makari	(1996-04-09) 9 April 1996	4	0	Al-Ahli Tripoli
27	4FW	Anis Al-Musrati	(1994-10-19) 19 October 1994	2	0	Al-Hilal

The following players have been called up to the Libya squad in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
DF	Ahmed El Trbi	(1992-06-06) 6 June 1992	52	0	Al-Salt	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
DF	Motasem Sabbou	(1993-08-20) 20 August 1993	49	2	Monastir	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
DF	Sanad Al Warfali	(1992-05-17) 17 May 1992	28	5	Raja Casablanca	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
DF	Mohamed Al-Tarhuni	(1991-07-10) 10 July 1991	23	1	Smouha	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
DF	Ali Maatouk	(1988-01-04) 4 January 1988	16	0	Al-Ahli Tripoli	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
DF	Mohamed El Monir	(1992-04-08) 8 April 1992	21	3	Los Angeles	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 11 November 2020 PRE
DF	Ahmed Al-Maghasi	(1993-02-10) 10 February 1993	22	1	Stade Tunisien	v.  Comoros, 11 October 2020
DF	Maaz Abboud	(1986-09-04) 4 September 1986	5	0	Al-Ahly Tripoli	v.  Comoros, 11 October 2020
DF	Abdulrahim El-Treki	(1990-09-17) 17 September 1990	2	0	Asswehly	v.  Comoros, 11 October 2020
MF	Ali Elmusrati	(1996-04-06) 6 April 1996	37	2	Braga	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
MF	Hamdou Elhouni	(1994-02-12) 12 February 1994	28	4	Espérance	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
MF	Muaid Ellafi	(1996-03-07) 7 March 1996	26	5	Wydad Casablanca	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
MF	Muftah Taktak	(1996-05-05) 5 May 1996	18	0	Al-Masry	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
MF	Mohammed Soulah	(1993-06-29) 29 June 1993	15	0	Sfax	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
MF	Asnosi Ammar	(1994-02-26) 26 February 1994	4	0	Al-Arabi	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
MF	Abdallah Dagou	(2000-09-21) 21 September 2000	3	0	Étoile du Sahel	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
MF	Bader Hassan	(1987-10-01) 1 October 1987	18	0	Al-Bukayriyah	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 11 November 2020 PRE
MF	Ahmad Benali	(1992-02-07) 7 February 1992	11	3	Crotone	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 11 November 2020 PRE
MF	Muhanad Madyen	(1994-03-25) 25 March 1994	13	0	Al-Khaleej	v.  Comoros, 11 October 2020
MF	Muhannad Buagelh	(1993-09-09) 9 September 1993	1	0	Al-Nasr	v.  Comoros, 11 October 2020
MF	Yousef Mina	(1995-01-12) 12 January 1995	0	0	Al-Hilal	v.  Comoros, 11 October 2020
MF	Abouqassim Rajab	(1999-09-03) 3 September 1999	0	0	Al-Ahly Tripoli	v.  Comoros, 11 October 2020
FW	Khaled Magdi	(1996-01-05) 5 January 1996	9	1	Al-Nasr	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
FW	Mohamed Bettamer	(1993-04-01) 1 April 1993	2	1	Aldershot Town	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 15 November 2020
FW	Ismael Tajouri-Shradi	(1994-03-28) 28 March 1994	4	0	New York City	v.  Equatorial Guinea, 11 November 2020 PRE
FW	Mohamed Anis Saltou	(1992-04-01) 1 April 1992	22	5	FUS	v.  Comoros, 11 October 2020
FW	Omran Salem	(1997-02-15) 15 February 1997	3	0	Al-Ittihad	v.  Comoros, 11 October 2020
FW	Mohammed Al-Tawerghi	(1997-04-19) 19 April 1997	2	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi	v.  Comoros, 11 October 2020
FW	Ahmed Al-Qadiri	(1996-03-26) 26 March 1996	1	0	Alittihad Misurata	v.  Comoros, 11 October 2020
FW	Mohammed Al-Ghunaimi	(1998-01-13) 13 January 1998	0	0	Al-Wahda	v.  Comoros, 11 October 2020