Lebanese football team

Lebanon
Nickname	The Cedars
FIFA rankings	81 (December 2018)
Highest ranking	85th (December 1998)
Lowest ranking	178th (Apr-May 2011)
Association	FLFA
National coach	Liviu Ciobotariu
Top scorer	Hassan Maatouk (20)
Matches
First international: Palestine 5–1 Lebanon (Tel Aviv, Palestine; June 27, 1940) Biggest victory: Lebanon 11–0 Philippines (Japan, September 28, 1967) Biggest defeat: Iraq 8–0 Lebanon (Iraq, November 25, 1959) Qatar 8–0 Lebanon (Qatar, March 27, 1985)
Asian championship
Performances	1 ( first time: 2000 )
Best result	First round (2000)
Home from

The Lebanese national football team is a team of football players that represent Lebanon in international competitions and competitions, such as the qualification matches for the football world cup and the Asian championship and is managed by the FLFA.

Lebanon has never qualified for the World Cup or the Asian Championship through the qualifying rounds. In 2000 it participated as a host country in the final round of the Asian Championship.

History

In 1940, Lebanon played its first international match against Palestine, losing 5-1, in which period Lebanon was still a mandate area of France. In 1972 the country registered for the first time for the Asian championship, the country did not qualify for the final tournament. Between 1976 and 1992, with the exception of the Asian Championship for 1980, the country did not play qualifying matches for international tournaments due to the Lebanese civil war. In 1993, the country played for the first time for qualifying for the World Cup, finishing third in its group behind South Korea and Bahrain. In 2000, Lebanon organized the Asian championship, the tournament started with a 0-4 defeat against Iran, then two draws were made against Iraq and Thailand. For the 2007 qualification, the country was assigned to Kuwait, Bahrain and Australia. The first match against Kuwait ended in a draw, but on 1 August 2006, the AFC announced that Lebanon had applied for a withdrawal and had approved it due to the Israel-Lebanon conflict.

For the 2014 World Cup, Lebanon reached the third round of the qualifying tournament. It started the round with a 6-0 defeat against South Korea, but after victories over United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and South Korea, the country qualified for the first time in the final pool. Iran defeated 1-0, but with five defeats in eight games, the country finished in fifth and last place in its group. For qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, the team soon had no chance after home defeats against Kuwait and South Korea. The team finished in second place in its group, but had too few points to continue as one of the best numbers in the Asian zone after the final group. Lebanon did qualify for the Asian championship in 2019. It was the first time in history that the country qualified directly for the final tournament.

Participations in international tournaments

FIFA world ranking

1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
108	129	134	97	90	85	111	110	93	119	115	105	125	126	134	150	148	154	111	127	121	126	139	147	85

Famous players