Lebanese Premier League facts for kids
| Organising body | Lebanese Football Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 1934 |
| Country | Lebanon |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Lebanese Second Division |
| Domestic cup(s) |
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| League cup(s) | Lebanese Federation Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Challenge League |
| Current champions | Ansar (15th title) (2024–25) |
| Most championships | Ansar (15 titles) |
| Top goalscorer | Vardan Ghazaryan (129) |
| TV partners | MTV Lebanon, FIFA+ |
The Lebanese Premier League is the top football league in Lebanon. It is also known as the Lebanese First Division. This league started in 1934 and is run by the Lebanese Football Association (LFA). It is one of the oldest football leagues in the Middle East.
The league began as the Edmond Rubeiz Cup. Over the years, it has faced some breaks due to issues in the country. For the 2024–25 season, 12 clubs competed. The league uses a special "split-season" format.
The team that wins the league gets to play in the AFC Challenge League. The two teams at the bottom of the league move down to the Lebanese Second Division. In 2023, the league started using Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.
Early strong teams included Nahda, Homenetmen, and Homenmen. More recently, clubs like Ahed, Ansar, and Nejmeh have been very successful. Ansar holds the record with 15 league titles. They even won 11 championships in a row from 1988 to 1999!
Contents
History of Lebanese Football
The Lebanese Football Association (LFA) was formed on March 22, 1933. Representatives from 13 football clubs met in Beirut to create it. The Lebanese Premier League started in May 1934. It was named the Edmond Rubeiz Cup. This was to honor Edmond Rubeiz, a player from Nahda who had passed away.
The first competition was a knockout tournament. Nahda won the first title, beating DPHB 7–1 in the final. In the early years, Nahda, AUB, and DPHB were the top teams.
From the 1940s to the 1960s, Armenian clubs became very strong. These included Homenetmen and Homenmen. They won 11 titles together in 16 seasons.
After a 12-year break, Ansar took over the league. They won 11 league titles in a row from 1988 to 1999. This was a world record for consecutive league titles at the time. Later, Skonto from Latvia broke their record in 2002.
Nejmeh ended Ansar's winning streak. They won four out of five league titles between 2000 and 2005. Since the late 2000s, Ahed has become a major force. They won their first league title in 2008. Since then, they have won a total of nine championships.
The 2019–20 season was canceled. This was due to financial and political issues in the country. The COVID-19 pandemic also played a part in this decision.
How the League Works
There are 12 clubs that play in the Lebanese Premier League. Teams get points for their games.
- A win gives a team three points.
- A draw (tie) gives one point.
- A loss gives no points.
Teams are ranked by their total points first. If teams have the same points, other rules are used. These include how they played against each other. They also look at the difference between goals scored and goals allowed.
League Phases: The "Split" System
Before the 2020–21 season, each team played every other team twice. This meant 22 games for each club.
Since the 2020–21 season, the league uses a "split" system. It has two parts.
- First Phase: Each club plays every other team once. This is 11 games.
- Second Phase: After the first phase, the league splits. The top six teams go into a "championship" group. The bottom six teams go into a "relegation" group.
* From the 2023–24 season onwards, teams in each group play each other three more times. This adds 15 more games. * Points from the first phase carry over to the second phase. However, from the 2022–23 season, these points are cut in half.
Moving Up and Down: Promotion and Relegation
Teams can move between the Lebanese Premier League and the Lebanese Second Division. This system has been in place since 1935.
The two teams with the fewest points in the Premier League move down to the Second Division. The top two teams from the Second Division get to move up to the Premier League.
Video Assistant Referee (VAR)
Video assistant referee (VAR) was introduced in the second half of the 2023–24 season. VAR uses technology and extra officials to help the main referee. It helps them make correct decisions during a match. The first match to test VAR was between Ahed and Racing Beirut on August 6, 2023.
Clubs in the League
Past Champions
Here are the clubs that have won the Lebanese Premier League:
| Club | Wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Ansar | 15 | 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2020–21, 2024–25 |
| Ahed | 9 | 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23 |
| Nejmeh | 1972–73, 1974–75, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2013–14, 2023–24 | |
| Homenetmen | 7 | 1943–44, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1962–63, 1968–69 |
| Nahda | 5 | 1933–34, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1946–47, 1948–49 |
| Homenmen | 4 | 1944–45, 1953–54, 1956–57, 1960–61 |
| AUB | 3 | 1934–35, 1936–37, 1937–38 |
| DPHB | 1935–36, 1938–39, 1940–41 | |
| Racing Beirut | 1955–56, 1964–65, 1969–70 | |
| Safa | 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16 | |
| Shabiba Mazraa | 1 | 1966–67 |
| Olympic Beirut | 2002–03 |
Teams for the 2025–26 Season
The following 12 clubs are playing in the Lebanese Premier League for the 2025–26 season.
| Club | Home city | Position in 2024–25 | Top division titles | Most recent top division title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahed | Beirut (Ouzai) | 3rd | 9 | 2022–23 |
| Ansar | Beirut (Tariq el-Jdideh) | 1st | 15 | 2024–25 |
| Bourj | Beirut (Bourj el-Barajneh) | 6th | 0 | N/A |
| Jwaya | Jwaya | 1st in the Second Division | 0 | N/A |
| Mabarra | Beirut (Tariq el-Matar) | 2nd in the Second Division | 0 | N/A |
| Nejmeh | Beirut (Ras Beirut) | 4th | 9 | 2023–24 |
| Racing Beirut | Beirut (Achrafieh) | 10th | 3 | 1969–70 |
| Riyadi Abbasiyah | Al-Aabbassiyah | 9th | 0 | N/A |
| Safa | Beirut (Wata el-Msaytbeh) | 2nd | 3 | 2015–16 |
| Sagesse | Beirut (Achrafieh) | 5th | 0 | N/A |
| Shabab Sahel | Beirut (Haret Hreik) | 7th | 0 | N/A |
| Tadamon Sour | Tyre | 6th | 0 | N/A |
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Watching the Games: Media Coverage
MTV Lebanon has been broadcasting the Lebanese Premier League games since the 2016–17 season. They show three live games each week. They also produce weekly highlight shows for all matches.
From 2020 to 2022, the LFA showed other weekly games on its YouTube channel. In October 2022, the LFA and FIFA made a deal. Now, all matches from the Lebanese Second Division, Lebanese Super Cup, and Lebanese Women's Football League are shown on the FIFA+ platform. FIFA+ also broadcasts the Premier League games not covered by MTV.
Stadiums and Fans
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At the start of the 2005–06 season, the Lebanese government stopped fans from attending games. This was because of worries about violence in the stadiums. After six years, in 2011, the ban was lifted. Fans were allowed to come to matches again.
At first, not many people came to the games. But over time, more and more spectators started to show up. In 2018, fan groups called "ultras" began to form. Nejmeh's "Ultras Supernova" was the first. Other teams like Ansar, Ahed, and Bourj quickly formed their own fan groups.
Players in the League
Foreign Players and Rules
Before the 2023–24 season, teams could have three foreign players playing at the same time. They could also have up to two extra Palestinian players born in Lebanon on their team sheet. However, only one Palestinian player could be on the field at a time.
For teams playing in AFC competitions, they could use one more foreign player just for those games. This was because AFC rules allowed four foreign players in the starting team.
Starting from the 2023–24 season, teams can now have four foreign players on the field. The number of Palestinian players on a team sheet is now unlimited. But the rule of only one Palestinian player on the field still applies.
Due to changes in AFC rules, clubs in AFC competitions can now have two extra foreign players. These players can only be used in continental games.
Since the 1998–99 season, the LFA has not allowed teams to sign foreign goalkeepers. Also, because of the economic situation in Lebanon, clubs were not allowed to use foreign players in the league during the 2020–21 season and the first half of the 2021–22 season.
Players can only move between clubs during specific times called "transfer windows." These windows are set by the Lebanese Football Association. The two main transfer windows are from May 15 to July 25 and from January 1 to January 30.
Young Players: Homegrown Rules
Since the 2019–20 season, teams in both the Lebanese Premier League and the Lebanese Second Division must include a certain number of players under 21 years old. If a club does not meet the required playing time for these young players, they will lose three points from their total in the league.
The rules for young players have changed a few times. For the 2022–23 season, teams had to ensure two under-21 players played a combined total of 2,000 minutes. If they had three under-21 players, they needed a combined total of 3,000 minutes. In the 2023–24 season, the rules changed again. One under-21 player needed to play at least 750 minutes, and two players needed a combined 1,000 minutes.
Also, each club can have a maximum of eight players over the age of 30. Only five of these older players can be on the field during a game.
Top Goal Scorers
Bold means the player is still active in the Lebanese Premier League. Italics means the player is active in football but not in the Lebanese Premier League.
| Rank | Player | Club(s) | Years active | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vardan Ghazaryan |
Homenetmen, Sagesse | 1992–2002, 2003–2004, 2006–2009 | 129 |
| 2 | Fadi Alloush |
Ansar, Akhaa Ahli Aley, Homenmen | 1985–1999 | 124 |
| 3 | Hassan Maatouk |
Ahed, Nejmeh, Ansar | 2004–2011, 2017–present | 123 |
| 4 | Abbas Ahmad Atwi |
Nejmeh, Shabab Arabi, Shabab Sahel, Akhaa Ahli Aley | 1997–2012, 2012–2022 | 114 |
| 5 | Mohammad Kassas |
Shabab Sahel, Sagesse, Olympic Beirut, Nejmeh, Ahed, Safa | 1999–2005, 2006–2008, 2008–2011, 2016–2017 | 107 |
Vardan Ghazaryan has scored the most goals in the Lebanese Premier League, with 129 goals. Seven players have been the top scorer more than once. Fadi Alloush holds the record for most goals in a single season, scoring 32 goals for Ansar.
Official Match Ball
Since the 2019–20 season, the official match ball for the league has been from the German company Jako. The LFA signed a three-year deal with Jako in July 2019.
- 2019–2020: Jako Match 2.0
- 2020–present: Jako Galaxy Match 2.0
See also
In Spanish: Primera División del Líbano para niños
- Football in Lebanon
- Lebanese football league system
- Lebanese Women's Football League
- Lebanon national football team
- Al-Manar Football Festival
- List of top-division football clubs in AFC countries
