Lebanon

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 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'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 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 on 19 April 1942; coached by Abed Traboulsi, 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 on 18 May.

During the early-1950s, Lebanon were coached by Vinzenz Dittrich and Ljubiša Broćić. The side played five official games between 1953 and 1956, most notably hosting Hungary in 1956. Lebanon lost the match 4–1, with Hungary's Ferenc Puskás scoring two goals. The team also played unofficial games against top-level European clubs such as Dynamo Moscow, 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 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, however, since Morocco withdrew from the third-place match.

Joseph Nalbandian 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 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. 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, 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 qualifying campaign was in 1971, coached by Joseph Abou Mrad. In the first round they lost to hosts Kuwait 1–0, but defeated neighbours Syria 3–2 to qualify for the next round. In a decisive semi-final match against Iraq, Lebanon lost 4–1 and were eliminated.

Despite the country's civil war, Lebanon appeared in the 1980 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers held in Abu Dhabi; with one win, one draw, and one defeat, the team 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, 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 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. 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, 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 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, Lebanon drew with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand in the first round 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, 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, 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 for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign with Australia, Bahrain, and Kuwait, played in 2006. The scheduled meeting between Australia and Lebanon made Buddy Farah, 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, 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, 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 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 with China, Syria, and Vietnam, finishing last. Emile Rustom, re-appointed as head coach in November 2008, led Lebanon into the second round 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; 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. 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. 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 qualifications. 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 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, and Laos, 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, he helped Lebanon reach their first-ever AFC Asian Cup through qualification in 2019; he was the first Montenegrin manager to help a team qualify for a major tournament. Radulović managed a 16-game unbeaten streak (from 29 March 2016 to 9 September 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 abroad for the 2019 Asian Cup, with nine of their 23 called-up players being born outside 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 and the 2023 Asian Cup. His first games took place at the 2019 WAFF Championship, where Lebanon were drawn with hosts Iraq, Syria, Palestine, 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; they were drawn with Iran, South Korea, the UAE, Iraq and Syria. Having earned five points in the first four games (all away from home), 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. In the remaining six games (including five at home), Lebanon earned only one point 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.

Between June and September 2023, Lebanon took part in various friendly tournaments in preparation ahead of the upcoming 2023 Asian Cup. The team finished runners-up in the 2023 Intercontinental Cup – losing 2–0 to hosts India in the final, reached the semi-finals of the 2023 SAFF Championship – also losing to hosts India on penalties, and finished in third place in the 2023 King's Cup – defeating India 1–0.

In January 2024, Lebanon took part in the 2023 Asian Cup: they were drawn with hosts Qatar, China and Tajikistan in Group A. Lebanon played the opening game of the Asian Cup on 12 January in front of 82,490 spectators at the Lusail Stadium, which had hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup final 13 months prior. Qatar comfortably won the encounter 3–0. Lebanon faced China five days later in a goalless draw. On 22 January, Lebanon headed into the final game against Tajikistan needing a win to progress. Lebanon's Bassel Jradi gave them the lead early in the second half; however, Kassem El Zein's red card reduced them to 10 men in the 52nd minute. Tajikistan scored twice late in the game and knocked Lebanon out of the competition, who finished last in their group with only one point.