Lebanon under-20
Nickname(s)صبايا الأرز
(The Lady Cedars)
AssociationLebanon Football Association
(الاتحاد اللبناني لكرة القدم)
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF (West Asia)
Head coachVacant
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeLBN
First colours
Second colours
First international
 Jordan 3–0 Lebanon 
(Amman, Jordan; 5 November 2014)
Biggest win
 Hong Kong 0–6 Lebanon 
(Jounieh, Lebanon; 24 October 2018)
Biggest defeat
 South Korea 9–0 Lebanon 
(Hanoi, Vietnam; 26 April 2019)
WAFF U-18 Girls Championship
Appearances3 (first in 2018)
Best resultChampions (2019, 2022)
Medal record
Women's football
WAFF U-18 Girls Championship
Gold medal – first place2019 Bahrain
Gold medal – first place2022 Lebanon
Silver medal – second place2018 Lebanon

The Lebanon women's national under-20 football team (Arabic: منتخب لبنان لكرة القدم تحت 20 سنة للسيدات), colloquially known as "the Lady Cedars" (Arabic: صبايا الأرز),[1][2] represents Lebanon in international women's youth football. The team is controlled by the Lebanon Football Association (LFA), the governing body for football in Lebanon. The team also serves as the women's national under-19 and women's national under-18 football team of Lebanon.

While the team has never participated in either the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup or the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup, they have won two WAFF U-18 Girls Championship titles, in 2019 and 2022, and were runners-up in 2018.

History

Lineup of eleven players of the Lebanon women's national under-20 football team. The outfield players are wearing red kits, and the goalkeeper is wearing a blue kit.
Lebanon U18 at the 2022 WAFF U-18 Girls Championship

Early history (2014–2019)

The national team played their first competitive matches at the qualifiers for the 2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship in November 2014.[3] Drawn with Jordan, Uzbekistan and India, Lebanon lost all three games,[4][5] finishing last in their qualifying group.[3] Following funding and initiatives by the Lebanese Football Association towards women's football,[6] and more specifically youth women's football, the women's national youth teams started to see success, especially in Western Asia.[7] As of 2020, there were separate club leagues for the U15s, U17s, U19s and seniors.[8]

In 2018 Lebanon hosted the inaugural WAFF U-18 Women's Championship between August and September, in preparation for the 2019 AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualification the following October.[8] After defeating Palestine 3–0 in the opening game, Lebanon lost 2–1 to Jordan in the effective final of the WAFF Championship and finished runners-up.[9] In October 2018, Lebanon hosted their group in the first round of Asian qualifiers, in which they were drawn with Australia, Mongolia and Hong Kong;[8] despite losing 2–0 to Australia, Lebanon won against the other two teams (thanks to four goals by Yara Bou Rada against Hong Kong and three goals by Samira Awad) and qualified to the second round.[10][11] They were the only Arab country to do so.[6]

During this period, most of the U19s players were also called up to the senior team. In January 2019, 17 of the 23 players called up to the 2019 WAFF Women's Championship in Bahrain came from the U19 team, bringing the average age of the squad to 18.9 years. Lebanon eventually finished third.[8] The players returned in April 2019 to compete in the second round of Asian U-19 qualifiers.[8] Needing a second-place finish in their group of four teams to reach the final tournament, Lebanon finished last after losing against South Korea, Vietnam and Iran.[12]

West Asian success (2019–present)

The team's first success came in 2019, in the second edition of the WAFF U-18 Championship in Bahrain. After winning all three games in the group stage, Lebanon advanced the semi-finals, where they defeated Palestine 4–2 to reach the final against hosts Bahrain. Lebanon won 3–0 and were crowned champions for the first time.[13] Three years later, in 2022, Lebanon won their second-consecutive WAFF Championship title on home soil after beating Syria 5–1 in the final.[14]

In March 2023, Lebanon took part in the first round of 2024 Asian Cup qualification,[15] which had been rebranded as an under-20 competition.[16] After defeating Bhutan (6–2) and Mongolia (7–0), Lebanon drew their decisive game against Jordan (0–0) and progressed to the second round for the second consecutive year.[17][18] Less than three months later, in June, Lebanon were drawn with Australia, Vietnam and Iran.[19] Similarly to 2019, Lebanon lost all three matches and finished last in their group.[20]

Recent results and fixtures

2023

11 February 2023 (2023-02-11) Friendly United Arab Emirates  1–1  Lebanon Dubai, United Arab Emirates
19:00 UTC+4 Report
  • Maalouf 44'
 Stadium: Theyab Awana Stadium
13 February 2023 (2023-02-13) Friendly United Arab Emirates  1–1  Lebanon Dubai, United Arab Emirates
--:-- UTC+3 Report
  • Kerjieh 38'
 Stadium: Theyab Awana Stadium
8 March 2023 (2023-03-08) 2024 AFC U-20 qualification R1 Lebanon  6–2  Bhutan Amman, Jordan
15:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Petra Stadium
Attendance: 25
Referee: Abirami Naidu (Singapore)
10 March 2023 (2023-03-10) 2024 AFC U-20 qualification R1 Mongolia  0–7  Lebanon Amman, Jordan
15:00 UTC+3 Report
  • Saade 2', 51'
  • Maalouf 9', 19', 23', 29'
  • Fayad 17'
 Stadium: Petra Stadium
Attendance: 50
Referee: Jhesa Kaatz (Philippines)
12 March 2023 (2023-03-12) 2024 AFC U-20 qualification R1 Lebanon  0–0  Jordan Amman, Jordan
19:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Petra Stadium
Attendance: 800
Referee: Yu Hong (China)
3 June 2023 2024 AFC U-20 qualification R2 Australia  5–0  Lebanon Việt Trì, Vietnam
16:00 UTC+7
  • Johnson 10'
  • Ferris 16'
  • Dos Santos 80'
  • Saveska 90+1'
  • Cicco 90+3'
 Report Stadium: Việt Trì Stadium
Referee: Yu Hong (China)
5 June 2023 2024 AFC U-20 qualification R2 Lebanon  0–3  Vietnam Việt Trì, Vietnam
16:00 UTC+7 Report
  • Ngọc Minh Chuyên 45+4', 80'
  • Lê Thị Bảo Trâm 76'
 Stadium: Việt Trì Stadium
Referee: Ranjita Devi Tekcham (India)
7 June 2023 2024 AFC U-20 qualification R2 Iran  2–1  Lebanon Việt Trì, Vietnam
16:00 UTC+7
  • Foroozandeh 82', 90+4'
 Report
Stadium: Việt Trì Stadium
Referee: Pansa Chaisanit (Thailand)

Players

The following players were called up for the second round of 2024 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup qualification from 3 to 7 June 2023.[21]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Lamitta El Dib Lebanon EFP
21 1GK Clara Khalil Lebanon Helium Sports
23 1GK Selena Malaeb Lebanon Akhaa Ahli Aley
3 2DF Tia Rita Daher Lebanon SAS
5 2DF Waed Raed Lebanon SAS
12 2DF Stephanie El Kazzi Lebanon EFP
13 2DF Lara Bou Hamra Lebanon BFA
2DF Maria Slim Lebanon ÓBerytus
2 3MF Julie Atallah Lebanon EFP
4 3MF Amina Karime Lebanon BFA
6 3MF Sophie Fayad Lebanon EFP
8 3MF Zahwa Arabi Lebanon EFP
15 3MF Karly Harfouche Lebanon SAS
19 3MF Elissa Hariri Australia Manly United
7 4FW Lama Abdine Lebanon BFA
9 4FW Zahraa Assaf Lebanon SAS
10 4FW Christy Maalouf Lebanon EFP
11 4FW Serena Mansour Lebanon EFP
17 4FW Hiba Allouch Lebanon SAS
18 4FW Hoda Hamzi Lebanon SAS
22 4FW Shireen Karnib Australia Football NSW Institute

Competitive record

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup record[22] Qualification record
Host nation(s)
and year		 Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Outcome Pld W D L GF GA
Canada 2002 Did not enter Did not enter
Thailand 2004
Russia 2006
Chile 2008
Germany 2010
Japan 2012
Canada 2014
Papua New Guinea 2016 Did not qualify The 2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship served as the qualifying tournament
France 2018 Did not enter Did not enter
Costa Rica 2022 Did not qualify The 2019 AFC U-19 Women's Championship served as the qualifying tournament
Colombia 2024 The 2024 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup served as the qualifying tournament
Poland 2026 To be determined The 2026 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup will serve as the qualifying tournament
Total–0/12––––––– Total––––––

AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup

AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup record[23] Qualification record
Host nation(s)
and year		 Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Outcome Pld W D L GF GA
India 2002 Did not enter Did not enter
China 2004
Malaysia 2006
China 2007
China 2009
Vietnam 2011
China 2013
China 2015 Did not qualify 4th of 43003113
China 2017 Did not enter Did not enter
Thailand 2019 Did not qualify 2nd of 5, 4th of 462041220
Uzbekistan 2024 1st of 4, 4th of 462131412
Total–0/11–––––––Total1541102745

WAFF U-18 Girls Championship

WAFF U-18 Girls Championship record
Host nation(s)

and year

 Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA
Lebanon 2018[24] Runners-up2nd of 3210142
Bahrain 2019[25] Champions1st of 75500173
Lebanon 2022[14] Champions1st of 74400132
TotalBest: champions3/3111001347

See also

References

  1. ↑ Abou Diab, Rami (17 August 2018). "U18 Women's West Asian Football Championship". FA Lebanon. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. ↑ Saqr, Hassan (24 October 2018). صبايا الأرز تهز شباك هونغ كونغ بسداسية نظيفة [The Lady Cedars score six past the Hong Kong goal]. Football Lebanon (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  3. 1 2 Di Maggio, Roberto (28 August 2018). "Asian Women U-19 Championship 2015". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  4. ↑ Qteishat, Yahya (5 November 2014). منتخب الشابات يفوزعلى نظيره اللبناني بثلاثية ويتصدر [The women's youth national team beat its Lebanese counterpart 3–0]. alghad.com (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  5. ↑ بالصور : منتخب الشابات يفوز على الهند في التصفيات الاسيوية [In pictures: Women's national football team beat India in Asian qualifiers]. almadenahnews.com (in Arabic). 7 November 2014. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 Wehbé, Johana (27 June 2019). "Au Liban aussi les femmes ont leur place sur un terrain de foot" [In Lebanon too, women have their place on a football field]. L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "New horizons for women's football in Lebanon". FIFA. 5 March 2020. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Women's National Team head coach Wael Gharzeddine: the best is yet to come". FA Lebanon. 4 March 2020. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  9. ↑ "Jordan take West Asian crown on road to qualifiers". Asian Football Confederation. 2 September 2018. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  10. ↑ FA Lebanon [@falebanon] (28 October 2018). "HISTORIC WIN!! LEBANON qualify for the round 2 of the AFC U-19 Women's Championship Qualifiers" (Tweet). Retrieved 3 November 2022 – via Twitter.
  11. ↑ "AFC U-19 Women's Championship 2019 | Qualifiers Round 1". Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Iranidoost, Kamal (30 April 2019). "Iran thrashes Lebanon at AFC U19 Women's C'ships". Mehr News Agency. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  13. ↑ "Lebanon Crowned the WAFF U18 Girls Title". West Asian Football Federation. 6 January 2020. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  14. 1 2 المنتخب اللبناني يتوّج بلقب بطولة الشابات الثالثة [The Lebanon national team is crowned with the title of the third Girls Championship]. West Asian Football Federation (in Arabic). 25 October 2022. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  15. ↑ Keuchkerian, Karine (4 November 2022). "Lebanon Is Set To Participate In The AFC Women's Asian Cup For U17 & U20". The961. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  16. ↑ "AFC Women's Football Committee approves AFC Women's Club Championship". AFC. 27 September 2019. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  17. ↑ Asian Football Confederation [@afcasiancup] (12 March 2023). "A goalless draw is enough to send Lebanon through to the #U20WAC Qualifiers Round 2 as Group D leaders!" (Tweet). Retrieved 8 June 2023 – via Twitter.
  18. ↑ "AFC Womens U20 Asian Cup | Qualifiers Round 1". Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  19. ↑ "Iran, Lebanon land in Vietnam for U20 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers". VnExpress International. 1 June 2023. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  20. ↑ "Qualifiers Group A: Australia beat Vietnam to finish top". Asian Football Confederation. 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  21. ↑ Lebanese Football Association [@thelfawomen] (31 May 2023). المدربة جوانا حمزة تستدعي 21 لاعبة للدور الثاني من تصفيات كأس آسيا دون 20 عامًا – اوزبكستان 2024 [Coach Joanna Hamze calls 21 players for the second round of the U-20 Asia Cup qualifiers – Uzbekistan 2024] (in Arabic) – via Instagram.
  22. ↑ Di Maggio, Roberto; Schaal, Markus (1 March 2023). "Women U-19/U-20 World Cup". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023. Source note: To view Lebanon's tournament-specific details in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, click on the specific year under "Palmares", then "Asia" or "AFC" under "Overview qualifying tournaments".
  23. ↑ Di Maggio, Roberto (1 March 2023). "Asian Women U-19/U-20 Championship". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023. Source note: To view Lebanon's tournament-specific details in the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup, click on the specific year under "Palmares".
  24. ↑ "WAFF U-18 Women Championship 2018". Goalzz.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  25. ↑ "WAFF U-18 Women Championship 2020". Goalzz.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
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