Al Ahed FC facts for kids
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| Full name | Al Ahed Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | القلعة الصفراء (The Yellow Castle) | |||
| Short name | Ahed | |||
| Founded |
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| Ground | Al Ahed Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 2,000 | |||
| Chairman | Zein Khaife | |||
| Manager | Jamal Al Haj | |||
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Al Ahed Football Club is a football team from Beirut, Lebanon. They play in the Lebanese Premier League, which is the top football league in Lebanon. The club started in 1964 as Al Ahed Al Jadeed. They began in the Third Division and first reached the Premier League in 1996.
People often call Ahed "the Yellow Castle" because yellow is their main color. They have won many important titles. These include one AFC Cup (a big Asian competition), nine Premier League titles, and six FA Cup titles. They also won the Lebanese Federation Cup twice, the Lebanese Super Cup eight times, and the Lebanese Elite Cup six times.
Ahed won their first league title in 2008. They have had three seasons where they didn't lose a single game (in 2010, 2018, and 2022). In 2011, Ahed made history by winning four major trophies in one season: the league, the FA Cup, the Elite Cup, and the Super Cup. This was a first for any team in Lebanon!
In 2019, Ahed became the first Lebanese team to win the AFC Cup. They beat a team from North Korea called April 25 in the final. They reached the final again in 2024 but lost to an Australian team.
Ahed has strong support from the local community. Their main rivals are other Beirut clubs, Nejmeh and Ansar. Ahed's fan group, started in 2018, is called "Ultras Yellow Inferno." Their home stadium, the Al Ahed Stadium, can hold 2,000 fans.
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History of Al Ahed Football Club
How Ahed Started (1964–1989)
Al Ahed Football Club began in 1964. It was first called Al Ahed Al Jadeed, which means "The New Covenant." The club was founded in a southern area of Beirut called Dahieh. At first, they played in the Lebanese Third Division.
In the 1970s, the club played under a different name, Al Huda Islamic Club. However, the club stopped playing football for a while because of the 1982 war in Lebanon.
In 1985, the Lebanese Football Association allowed the club to start playing again. They were called Nejmet Al Ahed Al Jadeed. In the 1988–89 season, they almost made it to the top league, but a 1-1 draw in a playoff game stopped them.
Joining the Premier League and Winning First Titles (1992–2011)
In 1992, the club's name was changed to just Al Ahed, meaning "The Covenant." The leaders wanted a name with a special meaning from the Quran.
On December 20, 1996, Ahed was promoted to the Lebanese Premier League for the very first time! They won their first game in the Premier League on October 18, 1997, beating Riada Wal Adab 1-0.
After a short time, Ahed went back down to the Second Division, but they quickly earned their way back to the Premier League. From 2004 to 2005, Ahed started winning big. They won two FA Cups, one Federation Cup, and one Super Cup.
In 2005, Ahed played in their first Asian competition, the AFC Cup. They won their first game against an Indian team. They reached the quarter-finals but were then knocked out.
Ahed won their first league title in the 2007–08 season. They had an amazing streak of 44 games without losing in the Premier League from 2008 to 2010. They even won the 2009–10 league season without any defeats!
In the 2010–11 season, Ahed achieved something incredible. They won the league, the FA Cup, the Super Cup, and the Elite Cup all in the same year! This was the first time a Lebanese team had won so many trophies in one season.
Winning Many Titles and the AFC Cup (2014–2024)
In 2014, Tamim Sleiman became the new president of the club. In his first year, Ahed won the Premier League again in 2014–15. This was their fourth league title.
Ahed started a historic winning streak from the 2016–17 season. They won the league three times in a row: in 2017–18 (without losing a game again) and 2018–19. This made them seven-time champions.
In 2019, Ahed reached the final of the AFC Cup, which is a very important club competition in Asia. On November 4, 2019, Ahed won the final by beating a North Korean team 1-0. This made them the first Lebanese team ever to win the AFC Cup! They only let in three goals in 11 matches during the tournament and kept nine "clean sheets" (meaning the other team didn't score).
In the 2021–22 season, Ahed won their eighth league title, again without losing a game. They won their ninth league title in 2022–23. In August 2023, a game between Ahed and Racing Beirut was the first time that VAR (Video Assistant Referee) technology was used in Lebanese football. In May 2024, Ahed reached the AFC Cup final for the second time but finished as runners-up.
Recent Years (2024–Present)
After 10 years with Tamim Sleiman as president, Zein Khalife was chosen as the new president of Ahed on August 5, 2024.
Club Colors and Logo
Ahed's main color is yellow. This is why their nickname is "the Yellow Castle."
On May 20, 2022, Ahed showed off a new, simpler logo. It has a design that shows the three Arabic letters that make up the word "Ahed."
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Logo until 2022
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Logo between 2022 and 2023
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Logo since 2023
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Home Stadium
Ahed owns the Al Ahed Stadium in Beirut. The stadium is close to the Rafic Hariri Airport and can hold 2,000 people.
However, the club mostly uses this stadium for training. For their actual home games in competitions, Ahed often plays in bigger stadiums across Lebanon. These include the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium and the Saida Municipal Stadium.
Supporters
Ahed has a very strong fan base, especially from the local community in Lebanon. Their fans often wear yellow, matching the team's colors. In 2018, Ahed's official fan group, called "Ultras Yellow Inferno," was formed.
Ahed also has a special partnership with an Iranian football club called Sepahan. This partnership started in 2009 and became official in 2021. They work together on things like training and playing friendly matches.
Club Rivalries
Ahed has a big rivalry with Ansar, another football team from Beirut. Ansar is linked to the Hariri family and represents a different part of the community, which makes their games very exciting.
In recent years, Nejmeh, also from Beirut, has become a strong rival for Ahed. Nejmeh is the most popular team in Lebanon. When Ahed and Nejmeh play, the games are so intense that the Lebanese Football Association sometimes has to change where they play to keep things calm.
Players
Current Squad
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Notable Players
Some players from Al Ahed have also played for their national teams in big international competitions. Here are some of them:
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| Competition | Player | National team |
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| 2019 AFC Asian Cup | Rabih Ataya |  Lebanon |
| Samir Ayass | Lebanon |
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| Haytham Faour | Lebanon |
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| Mohamad Haidar | Lebanon |
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| Mehdi Khalil | Lebanon |
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| Nour Mansour | Lebanon |
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| Ahmad Al Saleh |  Syria |
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| 2023 AFC Asian Cup | Mohammad Abu Hasheesh |  Jordan |
| Mohamad Haidar | Lebanon |
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| Ali Al Haj | Lebanon |
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| Mehdi Khalil | Lebanon |
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| Khalil Khamis | Lebanon |
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| Nour Mansour | Lebanon |
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| Mostafa Matar | Lebanon |
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| Walid Shour | Lebanon |
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| Hasan Srour | Lebanon |
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| Hussein Zein | Lebanon |
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| Mohammad Al Marmour | Syria |
Honours
Domestic Titles
- Lebanese Premier League
- Winners (9): 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23
- Lebanese FA Cup
- Winners (6): 2003–04, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2017–18, 2018–19
- Runners-up (5): 2001–02, 2006–07, 2015–16, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Lebanese Federation Cup
- Winners (2; joint record): 2004, 2023
- Lebanese Elite Cup (no longer played)
- Winners (6): 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2022
- Runners-up (7): 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2021
- Lebanese Super Cup
- Winners (8; record): 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019
- Runners-up (2): 2004, 2009, 2023
Continental Titles
- AFC Cup
- Winners (1; Lebanese record): 2019
- Runners-up (1): 2023–24
Ahed's Performance in Asian Competitions
Ahed first played in an Asian competition in the 2005 AFC Cup. They finished second in their group and reached the quarter-finals.
Before winning the AFC Cup, their best performance was in 2016. They reached the semi-finals but were defeated by an Iraqi team. In 2019, Ahed made history by winning the AFC Cup, becoming the first Lebanese team to do so. They reached the AFC Cup final again in 2024 but lost.
- AFC Cup: 12 times in the competition
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- 2005: Quarter-finals
- 2006: Group stage
- 2009: Group stage
- 2010: Group stage
- 2011: Round of 16
- 2012: Group stage
- 2016: Semi-finals
- 2018: Zonal semi-finals
- 2019: Champions
- 2020: Cancelled
- 2021: Zonal semi-finals
- 2023–24: Runners-up
See Also
In Spanish: Al Ahed Sporting Club para niños
- List of football clubs in Lebanon
