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Lebanon women's national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lebanon
Nickname(s)صبايا الأرز
(The Lady Cedars)
AssociationLebanon Football Association
(الاتحاد اللبناني لكرة القدم)
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF (West Asia)
Head coachWael Gharzeddine
CaptainNathalie Matar
Most capsSara Bakri
Taghrid Hamadeh (22)
Top scorerSara Bakri (7)
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeLBN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 140 Increase 5 (10 December 2021)[1]
Highest92 (December 2009)
Lowest148 (September 2018)
First international
 Lebanon 0–12 Algeria 
(Alexandria, Egypt; 19 April 2006)
Biggest win
 Lebanon 12–1 Kuwait 
(Amman, Jordan; 9 June 2013)
Biggest defeat
 Greece 14–0 Lebanon 
(Pegeia, Cyprus; 12 March 2015)
Arab Women's Cup
Appearances2 (first in 2006)
Best resultGroup stage (2006, 2021)
WAFF Women's Championship
Appearances3 (first in 2007)
Best resultThird place (2007, 2019)

The Lebanon women's national football team[a] is the official women's national football team of the country of Lebanon. The team was established in 2005, and is controlled by the Lebanon Football Association (LFA), the governing body for football in Lebanon. Whilst the team has yet to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup, or the AFC Women's Asian Cup, they have finished in third place at the 2007 and 2019 editions of the WAFF Women's Championship.

Lebanon played their first match in 2006 against Algeria in a 12–0 defeat at the Arab Women's Championship. However, their first qualification campaign took place eight years later, on the occasion of the 2014 Women's Asian Cup. While Lebanon ultimately failed to qualify for the final tournament, they won 12–1 against Kuwait on 9 June 2013 in their biggest win to date.

Colloquially called "the Lady Cedars" (Arabic: صبايا الأرز‎), their home kit is predominately red and their away kit white, in reference to their national flag. From 2006 Lebanon's FIFA ranking has been relatively steady, with their best ranking being 92nd in December 2009 and their worst being 148th in September 2018.

History[]

2005–2018: Formation and first tournaments[]

Known as "the Lady Cedars" (Arabic: صبايا الأرز‎),[2][3] the Lebanon women's national team was formed in 2005 as one of the earliest women's national teams in the West Asian Football Federation.[4] Their first match was a 12–0 defeat against Algeria at the 2006 Arab Women's Championship. They finished in last place after three games without having scored a single goal.[5]

Their first WAFF Women's Championship campaign was in 2007; after two 3–0 losses, first against Jordan and then against Iran, Lebanon beat Syria 7–0 thanks to an hat-trick,[6] and finished in third place in the tournament.[7] In their second WAFF Women's Championship in 2011 they were drawn with Iran, Syria and hosts the United Arab Emirates (UAE).[8][9] After losing their first match against Iran 8–1, Lebanon won 1–0 against Syria. In their final match, against the UAE, Lebanon lost 5–0 and were knocked out of the competition.[9]

Managed by , Lebanon took part in the qualification campaign for the 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup. This was their first official qualification tournament, eight years from their inception.[10] They were drawn with Jordan, Uzbekistan and Kuwait in their group.[11] In their first match, they lost 5–0 against Jordan before being defeated by Uzbekistan 4–0. Already eliminated, Lebanon beat Kuwait 12–1 in a consolatory victory,[12] ending their qualifying campaign with three points.[11]

Lebanon were drawn with Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Guam and Palestine in the 2018 Asian Cup qualification, to be played in the West Bank in Palestine.[13] However, Lebanon withdrew as they refused to play on the grounds that "it legitimises Israel’s occupation of the territory".[13]

2019–present: Recent history[]

Lebanon during the 2019 WAFF Women's Championship third-place award ceremony

Coached by Wael Gharzeddine, Lebanon competed in the 2019 WAFF Women's Championship in January. They began their campaign with a slim 3–2 defeat to hosts Bahrain.[14] In their second match, Lebanon's late goals in each half secured a 2–0 win over the UAE.[15] They then suffered a 3–1 defeat to Jordan,[16] before beating Palestine 3–0, finishing in third place.[17]

In the 2021 Arab Women's Cup, played in August, Lebanon were drawn with Egypt, Tunisia and Sudan.[18] Following a 0–0 to Tunisia,[19] Lebanon's first-ever draw,[20] they lost 4–0 to hosts Egypt.[21] In their final group stage game, Lebanon beat Sudan 5–1, and finished third in their group with four points.[22]

The team began the qualifiers for the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup in October 2021, losing 4–0 to Myanmar;[23] a 1–0 win against the UAE,[24] and a 3–0 win against Guam were not enough to qualify them to their first-ever Asian Cup,[25] as Lebanon finished in second place and were eliminated.[25]

Competitive record[]

FIFA Women's World Cup[]

FIFA Women's 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
China 1991 Did not enter Did not enter
Sweden 1995
United States 1999
United States 2003
China 2007
Germany 2011
Canada 2015 Did not qualify The 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup served as the qualifying tournament
France 2019 Withdrew Withdrew
AustraliaNew Zealand 2023 Did not qualify The 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup will serve as the qualifying tournament
Total – 0/8 – – – – – – – Total – – – – – –

Summer Olympics[]

Summer Olympics record Qualification record
Host nation(s)
and year 		Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Outcome Pld W D L GF GA
United States 1996 Did not enter The 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup served as the qualifying tournament
Australia 2000 The 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup served as the qualifying tournament
Greece 2004 Did not enter
China 2008
United Kingdom 2012
Brazil 2016
Japan 2020 Did not qualify 3rd of 3 2 0 0 2 0 12
France 2024 To be decided To be decided
Total – 0/7 – – – – – – – Total 2 0 0 2 0 12

AFC Women's Asian Cup[]

AFC Women's 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
Hong Kong 1975 Did not enter Did not enter
Taiwan 1977
India 1980
Hong Kong 1981
Thailand 1983
Hong Kong 1986
Hong Kong 1989
Japan 1991
Malaysia 1993
Malaysia 1995
China 1997
Philippines 1999
Chinese Taipei 2001
Thailand 2003
Australia 2006
Vietnam 2008
China 2010
Vietnam 2014 Did not qualify 3rd of 4 3 1 0 2 12 10
Jordan 2018 Withdrew Withdrew
India 2022 Did not qualify 2nd of 4 3 2 0 1 4 4
Total – 0/19 – – – – – – – Total 6 3 0 3 16 14

Arab Women's Cup[]

Arab Women's Cup record
Host nation(s)
and year 		Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Egypt 2006 Group stage 7th of 7 2 0 0 2 0 20
Egypt 2021 Group stage 5th of 7 3 1 1 1 5 5 Squad
Total Best: group stage 2/2 5 1 1 3 5 25 –

WAFF Women's Championship[]

WAFF Women's Championship record
Host nation(s)
and year 		Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Jordan 2005 Did not enter
Jordan 2007 Third place 3rd of 4 3 1 0 2 7 6 –
United Arab Emirates 2010 Did not enter
United Arab Emirates 2011 Group stage 5th of 8 3 1 0 2 2 13 –
Jordan 2014 Did not enter
Bahrain 2019 Third place 3rd of 5 4 2 0 2 8 6 Squad
Jordan 2022 To be determined
Total Best: third place 3/6 10 4 0 6 17 25 –

Other tournaments[]

Tournament Result
Egypt 2010 Arabia Women's Cup Group stage
Armenia 2021 Armenia Friendly Tournament Fourth place

Players[]

Main article: List of Lebanon women's international footballers
See also: Category:Lebanon women's international footballers

Current squad[]

The following 23 players were called up for the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification matches against Myanmar, the United Arab Emirates, and Guam, on 18, 21 and 24 October 2021, respectively.[26]

Information correct as of 24 October 2021, after the match against Guam[27]
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Sinal Breiche (2003-03-03) 3 March 2003 (age 18) 3 0 Lebanon Akhaa Ahli Aley
22 1GK Perla Nasr (2001-08-17) 17 August 2001 (age 20) 2 0 Lebanon SAS
23 1GK Racha Yaghi (2002-06-10) 10 June 2002 (age 19) 10 0 Lebanon Safa
2 2DF Aya Jamal-Eddine (1997-10-11) 11 October 1997 (age 24) 14 0 Lebanon Safa
3 2DF Rana Al Mokdad (1998-11-18) 18 November 1998 (age 23) 13 1 Lebanon SAS
4 2DF Jo-Anne Beaumier (1996-04-10) 10 April 1996 (age 25) 7 0 Lebanon BFA
5 2DF Rida Wahab (2004-02-14) 14 February 2004 (age 17) 5 0 Lebanon SAS
12 2DF Stephanie El Kazzi (2004-09-29) 29 September 2004 (age 17) 6 0 Lebanon EFP
14 2DF Nour Noujaim (2004-02-06) 6 February 2004 (age 17) 6 0 Lebanon EFP
15 2DF Waed Raed (2006-11-09) 9 November 2006 (age 15) 2 0 Lebanon SAS
6 3MF Nathalie Matar (Captain) (1995-09-20) 20 September 1995 (age 26) 11+ 0 Lebanon EFP
13 3MF Carla Abdel Khalek (2001-05-14) 14 May 2001 (age 20) 3 0 Lebanon BFA
16 3MF Dima Al Kasti (2001-12-13) 13 December 2001 (age 20) 7 3 Lebanon Safa
18 3MF Evelina El Haddad (2005-04-30) 30 April 2005 (age 16) 5 0 Lebanon EFP
20 3MF Syntia Salha (2003-01-12) 12 January 2003 (age 18) 8 3 Lebanon Safa
21 3MF Zahwa Arabi (2005-11-02) 2 November 2005 (age 16) 3 0 Lebanon
7 4FW Samira Awad (2000-06-30) 30 June 2000 (age 21) 15 2 Lebanon Safa
8 4FW Lili Iskandar (2002-05-16) 16 May 2002 (age 19) 9 1 Denmark HB Køge
9 4FW Pilar Khoury (1994-08-25) 25 August 1994 (age 27) 1 0 France Nantes
10 4FW Yara Bou Rada (2000-08-07) 7 August 2000 (age 21) 14 0 Lebanon Safa
11 4FW Hanin Tamim (2000-04-05) 5 April 2000 (age 21) 14 5 Lebanon SAS
17 4FW (1999-01-12) 12 January 1999 (age 22) 0 0 Lebanon BFA
19 4FW Christy Maalouf (2005-12-20) 20 December 2005 (age 16) 6 1 Lebanon EFP

Recent call-ups[]

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 Lamitta El Dib (2005-09-02) 2 September 2005 (age 16) 2 0 Lebanon EFP 2021 Arab Women's Cup
DF Mira Hoteit (2000-09-20) 20 September 2000 (age 21) 10 0 Lebanon Safa 2021 Arab Women's Cup
DF Lara Bahlawan (1994-09-05) 5 September 1994 (age 27) 17+ 3 Lebanon SAS v.  Jordan, 12 April 2021
DF Celine Al Haddad (2001-03-12) 12 March 2001 (age 20) 6 0 Lebanon SAS v.  Jordan, 12 April 2021
MF Rhea May Taleb (2001-03-20) 20 March 2001 (age 20) 4 0 Lebanon Safa 2021 Arab Women's Cup
MF Nancy Tchaylian (1991-05-28) 28 May 1991 (age 30) 8 0 Lebanon SAS v.  Jordan, 12 April 2021
MF Joya-Maria Azzi (2000-09-23) 23 September 2000 (age 21) 6 0 United States Central Methodist Eagles v.  Jordan, 12 April 2021
MF Melanie Ghanime (2000-05-15) 15 May 2000 (age 21) 2 0 Lebanon EFP v.  Jordan, 12 April 2021
FW Israa Toufaily (2002-05-27) 27 May 2002 (age 19) 1 0 Lebanon 2021 Arab Women's Cup
FW Farah El Tayar (2003-12-10) 10 December 2003 (age 18) 3 1 United States FIU Panthers v.  Jordan, 12 April 2021
FW Ghiya Mtairek (2000-01-09) 9 January 2000 (age 21) 2 0 Lebanon Super Girls v.  Jordan, 12 April 2021

Recent results and fixtures[]

Main article: Lebanon women's national football team results

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2021[]

8 April 2021 2021 Armenia Friendly Tournament Armenia  2–0  Lebanon Yerevan, Armenia
  • Haddad Goal 7' (o.g.)
  • Artin Goal 45'
 Report Stadium: Pyunik Training Centre
10 April 2021 2021 Armenia Friendly Tournament Lithuania  7–1  Lebanon Yerevan, Armenia
 Report
Stadium: Pyunik Training Centre
12 April 2021 2021 Armenia Friendly Tournament Lebanon  0–6  Jordan Charentsavan, Armenia
Report
Stadium: Charentsavan City Stadium
24 August 2021 2021 Arab Cup GS Tunisia  0–0  Lebanon Cairo, Egypt
21:00 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Police Academy Stadium
Referee: Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco)
27 August 2021 2021 Arab Cup GS Lebanon  0–4  Egypt Cairo, Egypt
21:00 UTC+2 Report
  • Goal
  • Goal
  • Goal
  • Goal
 Stadium: Police Academy Stadium
Referee: Lamia Athman (Algeria)
30 August 2021 2021 Arab Cup GS Lebanon  5–1  Sudan Cairo, Egypt
21:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Osman Ahmed Osman Stadium
Referee: Khuloud Al-Zaabi (United Arab Emirates)
18 October 2021 2022 Asian Cup qualification Myanmar  4–0  Lebanon Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
12:00 UTC+6
Report Stadium: Dolen Omurzakov Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Wang Chieh (Chinese Taipei)
21 October 2021 2022 Asian Cup qualification Lebanon  1–0  United Arab Emirates Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
12:00 UTC+6
Report Stadium: Dolen Omurzakov Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Park Se-jin (South Korea)
24 October 2021 2022 Asian Cup qualification Guam  0–3  Lebanon Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
17:00 UTC+6 Report
Stadium: Dolen Omurzakov Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Wang Chieh (Chinese Taipei)

Records[]

As of 21 October 2021, the complete official match record of the Lebanese women's national team comprises 36 matches: 10 wins, 1 draw, and 26 losses.[20] During these matches, the team scored 54 times and conceded 139 goals. Lebanon's highest winning margin is 11 goals, which has been achieved against Kuwait in 2013 (12–1).[12]

FIFA rankings[]

Below is a chart of Lebanon's FIFA ranking from 2006 to the present. Following a drastic increase of 52 positions (from 144th in 2007 to 92nd in 2009, their best ranking to date), the country went through a steady decline (from 92nd in 2009 to 140th in 2021, with their lowest ranking at 148th in September 2018).[28]

Top scorers[]

With five goals, Hanin Tamim is Lebanon's joint-second all-time top goalscorer.
# Player Goals
1 Sara Bakri 7
2 Nadia Assaf 5
Hanin Tamim
4 Lara Bahlawan 3
Hiba El Jaafil
Dima Al Kasti
Syntia Salha
9 2
Samira Awad
Taghrid Hamadeh
Saria Al Sayegh
Nadine Schtakleff

As of 24 October 2021.[29] Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

See also[]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ Arabic: المنتخب اللبناني لكرة القدم النسائي‎
    French: Équipe du Liban féminine de football

References[]

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Perfect Jordan retain West Asian title". www.the-afc.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  3. ^ "صبايا الأرز تهز شباك هونغ كونغ بسداسية نظيفة". football-lebanon.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  4. ^ Wehbé, Johana (27 June 2019). "Au Liban aussi les femmes ont leur place sur un terrain de foot - Johana Wehbé". L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Arab Womens Championship". www.goalzz.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Lebanon vs Syria". FA Lebanon. 7 September 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  7. ^ "West Asia Womens Championship". www.goalzz.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  8. ^ "4th WAFF women championship starts Monday the 3rd of October 2011". the-waff.com. 6 May 2012. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  9. ^ a b "West Asian Championship (Women) 2011 (United Arab Emirates)". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  10. ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup 2015™ - News - Lebanon's women breaking new ground - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Summary - Women's Asian Cup Qualification - Asia - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Lebanon beats Kuwait 12-1 in women's Asia soccer qualifiers". Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). 9 June 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  13. ^ a b Abou Diab, Rami (17 February 2017). "Lebanon withdrew from the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Winning starts for Jordan, Bahrain in WAFF Women's Championship". www.the-afc.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Rampant Bahrain continue winning ways". www.the-afc.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  16. ^ "Jordan stay perfect, Palestine, UAE remain winless". www.the-afc.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  17. ^ "Perfect Jordan retain West Asian title". www.the-afc.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  18. ^ Reda, Hatem; Murad, Omar (24 August 2021). منتخب مصر النسائي يهزم السودان 10 / 0 بافتتاح كأس العرب بالقاهرة [Egypt's women's team defeats Sudan 10/0 in the opening of the Arab Cup in Cairo]. youm7.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  19. ^ كأس العرب للسيدات: تعادل لبنان وتونس سلبا [Arab Women's Cup: goalless draw between Lebanon and Tunisia]. ajwaapress.com (in Arabic). 25 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Lebanon National Team Results – Women Official (Total)". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  21. ^ Mahmoud, Hassan (27 August 2021). كأس العرب للسيدات.. مصر تقسو على لبنان [Arab Women's Cup.. Egypt hardens Lebanon]. darelhilal.com. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  22. ^ منتخب لبنان يفوز على منتخب السودان في كأس العرب للسيدات [Lebanon national football team defeated Sudan in the Arab Women's Cup]. UAFA. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Myanmar defeat Lebanon to take huge step towards India 2022". the-afc.com. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  24. ^ "Lebanon defeat UAE to revive qualification hopes". the-afc.com. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Lebanon finish in style". the-afc.com. 24 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  26. ^ بعثة منتخب لبنان للسيدات تغادر الى بشكيك [The delegation of the Lebanon women's national team leaves for Bishkek] (in Arabic). Lebanese Football Association. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  27. ^ "Lebanon Women's Current Squad". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  28. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Associations - Lebanon - Women's". FIFA.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  29. ^ "Lebanon National Team All-Time Stats Women". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 15 April 2021.

External links[]

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