The Lebanon national football team (), controlled by the Lebanese Football Association (LFA), represents Lebanon in men's international association football. Founded in 1933, the LFA was one of the first football governing bodies established in the Middle East and joined FIFA in 1936. Lebanon competes as a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which it joined in 1964.
Lebanon played their first FIFA-recognised international match against Mandatory Palestine in 1940. They regularly participated in regional competitions such as the Arab Games and Arab Cup during the 1950s and 1960s, achieving third-place finishes at the 1957 and 1997 Arab Games and the 1963 Arab Cup. The Lebanese Civil War disrupted the national team's activities between 1975 and 1990, causing several withdrawals from international competitions before a gradual return to regular international football in the 1990s.
Although Lebanon have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, they reached the final round of AFC qualification twice, for the 2014 and 2022 tournaments. The team has qualified for the AFC Asian Cup three times, first appearing as hosts in 2000 and later qualifying for the 2019 and 2023 editions. At the 2019 tournament, Lebanon recorded their first Asian Cup victory and narrowly missed progression to the knockout stage on the fair play rule. They have also competed in regional tournaments such as the Arab Cup, WAFF Championship, and Arab Games.
Known as "the Cedars" (), after Lebanon's national symbol, the team traditionally wears red home kits and white away kits inspired by the colours of the Lebanese flag. Lebanon reached their highest FIFA World Ranking of 77th in September 2018, during a 16-match unbeaten run. The team's primary home venue is the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut, although it also plays matches at other stadiums across the country.
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 (LFA). 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 (TAC). The players were divided into two teams and competed against each other at the American University of Beirut (AUB) 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.L'Orient (in French). 31 October 1939. They played a return game in Damascus on 14 November, which resulted in a 6–1 win for Beirut XI.Le Jour (in French). January–February 1947. 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.
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.Le Jour (in French). 19 March 1942. 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: Early international football and regional tournaments 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.
In February 1956, Lebanon played Hungary in a notable 4–1 home defeat, during which Hungarian star Ferenc Puskás scored two goals.Al-Hayat (in Arabic). 1 March 1956. 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.
In 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.Al-Hayat (in Arabic). 27 October 1957. 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.Al-Hayat (in Arabic). 15 October 1959. 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.Al-Hayat (in Arabic). 17 November 1959.Al-Hayat (in Arabic). 26 November 1959.
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.Le Jour (in French). 17 August 1961. Lebanon won matches against Saudi Arabia (7–1) and Kuwait (4–0), and suffered defeats against Morocco (1–0), the United Arab Republic (UAR; 4–0), and Libya (3–2). Lebanon finished in fourth place out of the six participating teams.The Egyptian Gazette. 7 September 1961.L'Orient (in French). 9 September 1961.
Lebanon hosted the inaugural Arab Cup in 1963, 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 (5–0) and losses to Syria (3–2) and Tunisia (1–0), 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,L'Orient (in French). 21 September 1963. followed by a 4–0 loss to Turkey,L'Orient (in French). 22 September 1963. and a 2–0 victory over Malta.L'Orient (in French). 24 September 1963. 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 at 0–0; after a dispute over the venue for the rescheduled match, Lebanon withdrew from the competition and the UAR was awarded a 2–0 walkover victory.La Stampa (in Italian). 26 September 1963.
1964–1971: AFC affiliation 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. 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.L'Orient (in French). 17 November 1964.L'Orient (in French). 20 November 1964.L'Orient (in French). 22 November 1964. In August 1964, Lebanon joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
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.L'Orient (in French). 4 September 1965.L'Orient (in French). 5 September 1965.L'Orient (in French). 7 September 1965.L'Orient (in French). 8 September 1965. In the 1966 Arab Cup, the third edition held in Iraq, Lebanon were drawn with Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain in Group A.L'Orient (in French). 31 March 1966. After three wins and a draw,Le Jour (in French). 3 April 1966.Baghdad News. 5 April 1966.Le Jour (in French). 6 April 1966.Le Jour (in French). 8 April 1966. they qualified to the semi-finals against Syria, where they lost 1–0.L'Orient (in French). 10 April 1966. In the third-place match, Lebanon lost 6–1 to Libya, finishing the competition in fourth place.Le Jour (in French). 13 April 1966. In November 1965, the LFA informed the AFC that Lebanon would not participate in the qualifiers for the 1968 Asian Cup.Le Jour (in French). 7 November 1965.
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.L'Orient (in French). 20 September 1967. Lebanon began with a 1–1 draw against South Vietnam,L'Orient (in French). 29 September 1967. followed by a 2–0 loss to South Korea,Le Jour (in French). 2 October 1967. and a 3–1 defeat to Japan.L'Orient (in French). 4 October 1967.Le Jour (in French). 4 October 1967. However, the team secured two notable victories: an 11–1 win over the Philippines on 6 October,Le Jour (in French). 7 October 1967. which remains Lebanon's largest margin of victory to date, and a 5–2 win against Taiwan.L'Orient (in French). 10 October 1967.Le Jour (in French). 10 October 1967. 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.