The Lebanon national under-20 football team (Arabic: منتخب لبنان تحت 20 سنة لكرة القدم) is the national under-20 football team of Lebanon and is controlled by the Lebanese Football Association. The team also serves as the national under-19 and national under-18 football teams of Lebanon.
| Nickname(s) | منتخب الشباب (The Youth Team) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Lebanon Football Association (الاتحاد اللبناني لكرة القدم) | ||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||
| Sub-confederation | WAFF (West Asia) | ||
| Head coach | Bilal Fleifel | ||
| Home stadium | Various | ||
| FIFA code | LBN | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 Lebanon 0–0 India  (Tehran, Iran; 16 April 1973) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Lebanon 6–1 Singapore  (Dushanbe, Tajikistan; 18 September 2022) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Syria 6–0 Lebanon (Fujairah, United Arab Emirates; 2 November 2011) | |||
| AFC U-20 Asian Cup | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 1973) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (1973) | ||
| Arab Cup U-20 | |||
| Appearances | 3 (first in 1985) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (1985, 2021, 2022) | ||
| WAFF U-18 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2021) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up (2021) | ||
While the team has never qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, they have participated twice in the AFC U-20 Asian Cup, in 1973 and in 2008, with their best result being reaching the quarter-finals in the 1973 edition.[1][2] In the 2021 WAFF U-18 Championship, the U18 team made history by becoming the first Lebanon men's national team to reach a final, losing to hosts Iraq on penalty-shootouts.[3] They also participate in the Arab Cup U-20 and Jeux de la Francophonie, failing to go past the group stage in both competitions.
Notable former under-20 players include Nour Mansour, Rabih Ataya, and Mohamad Haidar,[4] who all went on to play for the senior side.[5]
Competitive record edit
FIFA U-20 World Cup edit
| FIFA U-20 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 | |
 1977
|
Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
 1979
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 1981
| |||||||||||||||||
 1983
| |||||||||||||||||
 1985
| |||||||||||||||||
 1987
| |||||||||||||||||
 1989
|
Did not qualify | The 1988 AFC Youth Championship served as the qualifying tournament | |||||||||||||||
 1991
|
The 1990 AFC Youth Championship served as the qualifying tournament | ||||||||||||||||
| 1993
|
The 1992 AFC Youth Championship served as the qualifying tournament | ||||||||||||||||
 1995
|
The 1994 AFC Youth Championship served as the qualifying tournament | ||||||||||||||||
 1997
|
The 1996 AFC Youth Championship served as the qualifying tournament | ||||||||||||||||
 1999
|
The 1998 AFC Youth Championship served as the qualifying tournament | ||||||||||||||||
 2001
|
The 2000 AFC Youth Championship served as the qualifying tournament | ||||||||||||||||
 2003
|
Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||||
 2005
|
Did not qualify | The 2004 AFC Youth Championship served as the qualifying tournament | |||||||||||||||
 2007
|
The 2006 AFC Youth Championship served as the qualifying tournament | ||||||||||||||||
 2009
|
The 2008 AFC U-19 Championship served as the qualifying tournament | ||||||||||||||||
 2011
|
Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||||
 2013
|
Did not qualify | The 2012 AFC U-19 Championship served as the qualifying tournament | |||||||||||||||
 2015
|
The 2014 AFC U-19 Championship served as the qualifying tournament | ||||||||||||||||
 2017
|
The 2016 AFC U-19 Championship served as the qualifying tournament | ||||||||||||||||
 2019
|
The 2018 AFC U-19 Championship served as the qualifying tournament | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023
|
The 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup served as the qualifying tournament | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025
|
To be decided | The 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup will serve as the qualifying tournament | |||||||||||||||
| Total | — | 0/24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Total | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
AFC U-20 Asian Cup edit
| AFC U-20 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 | |
| 1959
|
Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
| 1960
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 1961
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| 1962
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| 1963
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 1964
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| 1965
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 1966
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| 1967
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| 1968
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| 1969
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| 1970
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| 1971
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| 1972
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 1973
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Quarter-finals | 5th of 14 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | Qualified as invitees | |||||||
| 1974
|
Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
 1975
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| 1976
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| 1977
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 1978
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| 1980
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| 1982
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| 1985
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| 1986
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| 1988
|
Did not qualify | 3rd of 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | |||||||||
 1990
|
Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
| 1992
|
Did not qualify | ||||||||||||||||
| 1994
|
|||||||||||||||||
| 1996
|
4th of 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 1998
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|||||||||||||||||
| 2000
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4th of 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 | ||||||||||
| 2002
|
Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||||
| 2004
|
Did not qualify | 3rd of 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| 2006
|
3rd of 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 2008
|
Round 1 | 15th of 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 12 | Squad | 2nd of 6 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | |
 2010
|
Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||||
| 2012
|
Did not qualify | 3rd of 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | |||||||||
 2014
|
3rd of 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||||||||||
 2016
|
3rd of 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 2018
|
3rd of 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||
 2020 |
2nd of 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 2023
|
2nd of 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Total | Best: quarter-finals | 2/41 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 13 | — | Total | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Arab Cup U-20 edit
| Arab Cup U-20 record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation(s) and year |
Round | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad |
 1983
|
Did not participate | ||||||||
 1985
|
Group stage | 9th of 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
 1989
|
Did not participate | ||||||||
| 2011
|
Did not participate | ||||||||
 2012
| |||||||||
| 2014
|
Cancelled | ||||||||
| 2020
|
Did not participate | ||||||||
| 2021
|
Group stage | 15th of 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | — |
| 2022
|
Group stage | 14th of 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | Squad |
| Total | Best: group stage | 1/5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 14 | — |
WAFF U-18 Championship edit
| WAFF U-18 Championship record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation(s) and year |
Round | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad |
 2019
|
Did not participate | ||||||||
 2021
|
Runners-up | 2nd of 9 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — |
| Total | Best: N/A | 1/2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — |
Mediterranean Games edit
| Mediterranean Games record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation, city and year |
Round | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad |
1951–1987
|
See Lebanon national football team | ||||||||
 Athens 1991
|
See Lebanon national under-23 football team | ||||||||
 Languedoc-Roussillon 1993
| |||||||||
 Bari 1997
| |||||||||
| Tunis 2001
|
See Lebanon national under-21 football team | ||||||||
 Almería 2005
|
See Lebanon national under-23 football team | ||||||||
| Pescara 2009
|
Did not participate | ||||||||
| Mersin 2013
| |||||||||
| Tarragona 2018
| |||||||||
| Oran 2022
| |||||||||
| Taranto 2026
|
To be determined | ||||||||
| Total | — | 0/4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Jeux de la Francophonie edit
| Jeux de la Francophonie record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation, city and year |
Round | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad |
| Casablanca 1989
|
Did not participate | ||||||||
| Paris 1994
| |||||||||
 Antananarivo 1997
| |||||||||
| Ottawa 2001
| |||||||||
 Niamey 2005
| |||||||||
| Beirut 2009
|
Group stage | 9th of 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | Squad |
| Nice 2013
|
Group stage | 14 of 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | Squad |
 Abidjan 2017
|
Group stage | 13 of 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | Squad |
 Kinshasa 2023
|
Group stage | 8th of 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | Squad |
| Total | Best: group stage | 4/9 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 26 | — |
Recent results and matches edit
2023 edit
| 29 July 2023 2023 Jeux de la Francophonie GS | Cameroon  | 1–1 | Lebanon | Kinshasa, DR Congo |
| 18:00 UTC+1 |
|
|
Stadium: Stade Tata Raphaël |
| 2 August 2023 2023 Jeux de la Francophonie GS | Lebanon | 0–5 | Niger | Kinshasa, DR Congo |
| 15:00 UTC+1 | Stadium: Stade Tata Raphaël |
2024 edit
Lebanon 2-2 United Arab Emirates
Lebanon 0-1 United Arab Emirates
Players edit
The following players were called up for the 2023 Jeux de la Francophonie.[6]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Joseph Bitar | Salam Zgharta
| |||
| 22 | GK | William Sinan | Ansar
| |||
| 2 | DF | Joe Khawaja | Salam Zgharta
| |||
| 3 | DF | Rawad Al Jaitani | 2 April 2005 | Salam Zgharta
| ||
| 4 | DF | Mahmoud Saif Eddin | Ansar
| |||
| 5 | DF | Ahmed Metayrek | Nejmeh
| |||
| 6 | DF | Kassem Watfa | Tadamon Sour
| |||
| 12 | DF | Ryan El Khoury | Salam Zgharta
| |||
| 14 | DF | Mahdi Asseily | Nejmeh
| |||
| 8 | MF | Hassan Jaafar | Shabab Sahel
| |||
| 11 | MF | Ibrahim Mhanna | Nejmeh
| |||
| 13 | MF | Adam Kobeisy | Ahed
| |||
| 15 | MF | Miguel Karim Karam | Racing Beirut
| |||
| 16 | MF | Hassan Salami | Nejmeh
| |||
| 18 | MF | Hassan Nasser | Ansar
| |||
| 7 | FW | Uday Al Shamuri | Bourj
| |||
| 9 | FW | Muhammad Kassas | Nejmeh
| |||
| 10 | FW | Ali Fakih | Shabab Sahel
| |||
| 19 | FW | Karim Kassem | Tadamon Sour
| |||
| 20 | FW | Ali Melhem | Nejmeh
| |||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Morrison, Neil (18 June 2015). "Asian U-19 Championship 1973". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ Zlotkowski, Andre; Di Maggio, Roberto (15 July 2011). "Asian U-20 Championship 2008". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ Al-Hasani, Maytham (1 December 2021). بالصور.. ركلات الترجيح تحفظ لقب غرب آسيا لشباب العراق [In pictures... Penalty kicks save the West Asian title for Iraq's youth team]. Kooora (in Arabic). Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ "DPR Korea v Lebanon" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 1 November 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ Mamrud, Roberto (2 May 2022). "Lebanon – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ بعثة شباب لبنان تغادر إلى كينشاسا فجر الإثنين [The Lebanon U20 delegation leaves for Kinshasa on Monday morning]. Lebanese Football Association (in Arabic). 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.