Palestine national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Palestine

Nickname(s)	أُسُودُ كَنعَان (Lions of Canaan) الْفَدَائِي (The Fedayeen) الْفُرْسَان (The Knights)
Association	Palestinian Football Association (PFA)
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	WAFF (West Asia)
Head coach	Ihab Abu Jazar
Captain	Musab Al-Battat
Most caps	Abdelatif Bahdari (82)
Top scorer	Oday Dabbagh (17)
Home stadium	Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium
FIFA code	PLE
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	100 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest	73 (February – March 2018)
Lowest	191 (April – August 1999)
Elo ranking
Current	(None)
Highest	90 (September 2019)
Lowest	169 (September 2010)
First international
Egypt 5–0 Mandatory Palestine  (Cairo, Egypt; 4 April 1930)
Biggest win
[[Palestinian National Authority {{{altlink}}}|Palestinian National Authority]] 11–0 Guam  (Dhaka, Bangladesh; 1 April 2006)
Biggest defeat
Lebanon 9–1 [[Palestinian National Authority {{{altlink}}}|Palestinian National Authority]]  (Alexandria, Egypt; 8 August 1953)
Asian Cup
Appearances	4 (first in 2015)
Best result	Round of 16 (2023)
AFC Challenge Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 2006)
Best result	Champions (2014)
WAFF Championship
Appearances	10 (first in 2000)
Best result	Group stage (2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2019)
Medal record Men's football AFC Challenge Cup Gold 2014 Maldives Team Arab Games Bronze 1999 Amman Team

The Palestine national football team represents Palestine in international men's football games. The team is managed by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA). It is part of FIFA globally and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in Asia.

A football group in Mandatory Palestine started in 1928. FIFA officially recognized the national team in 1998. This happened after the Palestinian National Authority was created. In 1998, Palestine played its first FIFA-recognized match. They lost 3–1 to Lebanon in a friendly game.

The team won the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup. They beat the Philippines 1–0 in the final. This win helped them qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. It was their first time playing in this big competition. Palestine also qualified for the next Asian Cup in 2019. They qualified this time through regular matches. The team has not yet qualified for the World Cup.

The Palestinian team has several cool nicknames. These include "Lions of Canaan" and "the Knights." Their main colors are red and white. In February 2018, the team reached its highest ever FIFA ranking at 73rd place. This was after they went 12 games without losing. Palestine's main home stadium is Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in Al-Ram. However, they often play their home games in other countries.

Team History

Early Years: 1928–1940

Football has been played in Palestine for a long time. The game first came to the area during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Palestinian Football Association started in August 1928. It joined FIFA in June 1929. Back then, the association included Arab clubs, Jewish clubs, and clubs for British police and soldiers. These groups were in the region during the British Mandate, from World War I until 1948.

The Mandatory Palestine national team played its first game against Egypt in 1934. They lost 0–5 in Cairo. This team played five international matches. One was a friendly game against Lebanon, which Palestine won 5–1. This team stopped playing when the British Mandate ended. Only Jewish players were on the national team during these five games.

Arab Representation and First Tournaments: 1931–1998

In April 1931, the Arab Palestinian Sports Federation (APSF) was formed. This happened because many felt the PFA did not represent Arab interests. A Palestinian national team played its first match against a team from the American University of Beirut that same year. The 1936 revolt made it hard for the APSF to operate. The federation eventually disappeared by the late 1930s.

Palestine played its first international match in 1953. They lost 8–1 to Egypt. At the 1965 Arab Games, Palestine reached the semi-finals for the first time. They finished second in their group. They lost to Sudan in the semi-finals. Then, they lost to Libya in the third-place game.

Palestine also played in the 1966 Arab Cup in Iraq. They won one game, drew one, and lost one. This meant they did not move past the group stage. The team also played in the 1976 Arab Games and the 1992 Arab Cup. They were eliminated in the group stage in both tournaments.

International Recognition and Success: 1998–2014

In May 1995, the PFA became a temporary member of FIFA. Palestine finally became a full FIFA member on June 8, 1998. This happened after many tries since 1946. Under coach Ricardo Carugati, Palestine played its first official matches in July 1998. These were against Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.

The next year, Palestine played in the 1999 Arab Games in Jordan. They won against Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. They drew with Libya and Syria. They only lost to the host team, Jordan. Palestine finished in third place, which is their best result in this tournament so far.

In their first Asian Cup qualification, Palestine won one game against Pakistan. But they lost to Qatar, Jordan, and Kazakhstan. This was not enough to qualify.

Palestine played in the 2002 World Cup qualification. They finished second in their group. In the 2002 Arab Cup, Palestine was eliminated in the group stage. They finished last with two points.

For the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification, Palestine won both games against Chinese Taipei. They also drew 2–2 with Iraq. However, they lost to Uzbekistan twice and to Iraq once. This meant they did not move past the second round.

Palestine played in the first 2006 AFC Challenge Cup in Bangladesh. They had their biggest win ever, beating Guam 11–0. Palestine reached the quarter-finals but lost to Kyrgyzstan. In summer 2006, Palestine reached its highest FIFA ranking at 115th.

In 2008, with help from FIFA, the PFA built the Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium. On October 26, 2008, Palestine played its first home match there. They drew 1–1 with Jordan in front of over 7,000 fans.

Palestine entered the first round of 2010 World Cup qualification. They lost 4–0 to Singapore in the first game. The second game was not played because the Palestinian team could not travel. FIFA did not reschedule, so Palestine lost the game 3–0.

In the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualification, Palestine drew with Nepal and Kyrgyzstan. They missed qualifying for the main tournament by goal difference.

At the 2011 Arab Games, Palestine lost to Jordan. They drew with Libya and beat Sudan. They reached the semi-finals but lost to Bahrain. They then lost to Kuwait in the third-place game.

For the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Palestine beat Afghanistan 2–0 in the first game and drew 1–1 in the second. This was the first World Cup qualifying match played at home. Palestine moved to the second round but lost to Thailand.

Jamal Mahmoud became the national team manager in November 2011. He led the team in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup. Palestine did not let in any goals in the group stage. They won 2–0 against Nepal and Maldives. They drew 0–0 with Turkmenistan. They reached the semi-finals but lost to North Korea. They lost the third-place game 4–3 to the Philippines.

In the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification, Palestine beat Bangladesh 1–0. They then won 9–0 against the Northern Mariana Islands. They drew 0–0 with Nepal. This earned them a spot in the AFC Challenge Cup again.

Recent Success: 2014–2019

The team won the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup. They drew only one of five matches and did not let in any goals. Palestine won their opening match against Kyrgyzstan. They then beat Myanmar 2–0. They finished the first round with a 0–0 draw against hosts Maldives. Palestine won their group and moved to the semi-finals. They beat Afghanistan 2–0. In the final, Palestine won 1–0 against the Philippines. Ashraf Nu'man scored the only goal from a free-kick. This victory was Palestine's first major trophy. It also meant they would play in the next AFC Asian Cup.

Palestine was in Group D for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. They were with Japan, Jordan, and Iraq. They lost all three group matches. They lost 0–4 to Japan. In the second game, Palestine lost 1–5. Jaka Ihbeisheh scored Palestine's first ever Asian Cup goal. But they were already out of the tournament. They lost their last game 0–2 to Iraq.

Palestine had two big wins, 6–0, against Malaysia in the 2018 World Cup qualifying. They also drew 0–0 at home against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These results put Palestine close to qualifying for the next round. But they were eliminated after losing 0–2 to the UAE. They won their final World Cup qualification match 7–0 against Timor-Leste.

Even though they were out of the World Cup, Palestine moved to the third round of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification. They finished second in their group with five wins and one loss. This meant they qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup for the first time through regular qualification. Between February and March 2018, Palestine reached their best FIFA ranking ever, 73rd. This was thanks to a 12-game unbeaten streak.

In 2018, Noureddine Ould Ali became the head coach. Palestine won the 2018 Bangabandhu Cup. They beat Tajikistan 2–0 and Nepal 1–0. In the semi-final, Palestine beat Bangladesh 2–0. In the final, they played Tajikistan again. The game was 0–0, and Palestine won 4–3 in a penalty shootout.

Palestinian defender Abdullah Jaber (right) against Syria at the 2019 Asian Cup

Palestine started their 2019 AFC Asian Cup campaign with a 0–0 draw against Syria. They then lost 0–3 to Australia. In their last group game, Palestine needed to win against Jordan. The match ended in a 0–0 draw, and Palestine was eliminated.

Recent Years: 2019–Present

Between July and August 2019, Palestine played in the 2019 WAFF Championship. They finished second in their group with two wins, one draw, and one loss. This was not enough to reach the final.

Palestine started their 2022 World Cup qualification with a 2–0 win over Uzbekistan. Five days later, they lost 2–1 to Singapore. On October 15, 2019, Palestine drew 0–0 with Saudi Arabia. This was a big moment as Saudi Arabia ended its boycott of playing in the West Bank. After that, the team lost to Yemen and Uzbekistan. This made it hard for Palestine to reach the final round.

Coach Noureddine Ould Ali left his job after a 5–0 loss to Saudi Arabia in 2021. Tunisian coach Makram Daboub took over temporarily. Daboub led Palestine to wins over Singapore and Yemen. In June 2022, Palestine qualified for their third straight AFC Asian Cup finals. They won all three games against Mongolia, Yemen, and the Philippines.

On January 23, 2024, Palestine made history. They won their first ever AFC Asian Cup game, beating Hong Kong 3–0. This also meant they qualified for the Asian Cup knockout stage for the first time. They lost 1–2 to hosts Qatar in the Round of 16.

On June 7, 2024, Palestine qualified for the Third Round of FIFA World Cup qualification for the first time. They drew 0–0 against Lebanon. This secured them second place in their group behind Australia. This result also meant they qualified for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. This is their fourth time in a row qualifying for the tournament.

Challenges for the Team

The Palestinian Football Association faces challenges in training and playing games. These challenges are due to the conflict in the region.

Because of travel restrictions, many players on the team come from outside Palestine. They come from places like Chile and the United States. Sometimes, players or even the whole team cannot travel for games. This happens when they cannot get permission to leave. For example, in November 2006, players from the West Bank and Gaza Strip could not get permission to leave. The AFC had to cancel a match.

In October 2007, a World Cup qualifier between Palestine and Singapore was not played. This was because Palestine could not get travel permits. FIFA did not reschedule the match. Singapore was given a 3–0 win. In May 2008, the team was not allowed to travel for the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup. After a 2011 World Cup qualifier, two players could not return to the West Bank.

Palestinian football facilities have also been damaged. For example, the Palestine Stadium has been affected by military conflicts.

In 2023, the team had to withdraw from the Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia. This was due to the conflict. Later that year, all 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification home matches had to be played in other countries. This was for safety reasons.

Team Staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Ehab Abu Jazar
Assistant coach	Fahed Attal
Team manager	Jaber Al-Fathy
Goalkeeping coach	Ala'a Omar-Ud-Din
Physiotherapists	Ahmed Al-Mutauween Ayub Salih
Team doctors	Bilal Hussein Abdallah Al-Nader
Masseur	Saeed Jaber
Team manager	Hamdallah Al-Mansour
Technical director	Abdalaziz Fathy
Head of delegation	Abdalhamid Al-Ghannoush

Player Records

Players in bold are still playing for Palestine.

Most Games Played

Top Goal Scorers

Team Achievements

AFC Asian Cup History

AFC Asian Cup history
Year	Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Stadium
2015	Group stage	12 January	Japan	L 0–4	Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle
		16 January	Jordan	L 1–5	Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne
		20 January	Iraq	L 0–2	Canberra Stadium, Canberra
2019	Group stage	6 January	Syria	D 0–0	Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah
		11 January	Australia	L 0–3	Rashid Stadium, Dubai
		15 January	Jordan	D 0–0	Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
2023	Group stage	6 January	Iran	L 1–4	Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
		11 January	United Arab Emirates	D 1–1	Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
		15 January	Hong Kong	W 3–0	Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Al Rayyan
	Round of 16	29 January	Qatar	L 1–2	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor

AFC Challenge Cup

AFC Challenge Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Outcome	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2006	Quarter-finals	5th of 16	4	2	1	1	16	2	Squad		Qualified as invitees
2008	Withdrew										Withdrew
2010	Did not qualify										3rd of 3	2	0	2	0	1	1
2012	Fourth place	4th of 8	5	2	1	2	7	6	Squad		1st of 4	3	2	1	0	5	1
2014	Champions	1st of 8	5	4	1	0	6	0	Squad		1st of 4	3	2	1	0	10	0
Total	Best: champions	3/5	14	8	3	3	29	8	—		Total	8	4	4	0	16	2
Champions       Runners-up       Third place       Fourth place Home venue

WAFF Championship

Palestine's WAFF Championship record
Host nation(s) and year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2000	Group stage	7th of 8	3	0	1	2	3	5	Squad
2002	Group stage	5th of 6	2	0	0	2	1	4	Squad
2004	Group stage	5th of 6	2	0	1	1	2	3	Squad
2007	Group stage	5th of 6	2	0	0	2	0	3	Squad
2008	Group stage	6th of 6	2	0	0	2	0	4	Squad
2010	Group stage	9th of 9	2	0	0	2	1	6	Squad
2012	Group stage	8th of 12	3	1	0	2	3	4	Squad
2014	Group stage	7th of 9	2	0	1	1	0	1	Squad
2019	Group stage	3rd of 9	4	2	1	1	6	5	Squad
2023	Qualified as invitees
Total	Best: group stage	10/10	22	3	4	15	16	35	—
Champions       Runners-up       Third place/semi-finalists   Home venue

FIFA Arab Cup

FIFA Arab Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Outcome	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1963 and 1964	Did not participate									Did not participate
1966	Group stage	5th of 9	3	1	1	1	8	3		No qualification
1985 and 1988	Did not participate									Did not participate
1992	Group stage	5th of 6	2	0	1	1	1	2		No qualification
1998	Did not qualify									4th of 4	3	0	1	2	3	6
2002	Group stage	9th of 10	4	0	3	1	7	9		No qualification
2012	Group stage	9th of 10	2	0	1	1	2	4		No qualification
2021	Group stage	15th of 16	3	0	1	2	2	10		1st of 2	1	1	0	0	5	1
2025	To be determined									To be determined
Total	Best: Group stage	5/10	14	1	7	6	20	28		Total	4	1	1	2	8	7
Champions       Runners-up       Third place       Fourth place Home venue

Arab Games

Palestine's Arab Games record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
Alexandria 1953	Group stage	6th of 6	2	0	0	2	3	13	Squad
Beirut 1957	Did not participate
Casablanca 1961
Cairo 1965	Fourth place	4th of 10	6	2	1	3	7	9	Squad
Damascus 1976	Final group	6th of 7	6	2	1	3	4	9	Squad
Rabat 1985	Did not participate
Aleppo 1992	Group stage	5th of 6	2	0	1	1	1	2	Squad
Beirut 1997	Did not participate
Amman 1999	Third place	3rd of 11	6	2	2	2	6	9	Squad
Cairo 2007	Did not participate
Doha 2011	Fourth place	4th of 12	5	1	1	3	5	11	Squad
Total	Best: third place	6/11	27	7	6	14	26	55	—
Champions       Runners-up       Third place       Fourth place Home venue

Other Tournaments

Tournament	Round	Ref
2018 Bangabandhu Cup	Winners
2020 Bangabandhu Cup	Winners

Honours

Continental

• AFC Challenge Cup
  • Champions (1): 2014

Regional

• Arab Games
  • Bronze medal (1): 1999

Friendly

• Bangabandhu Cup (2): 2018, 2020

Awards

• AFC National Team of the Year (1): 2014

Summary

These are the official awards the team has won.

Senior Competition				Total
AFC Challenge Cup	1	0	0	1
Total	1	0	0	1

Images for kids

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  Palestinian defender Abdullah Jaber (right) against Syria at the 2019 Asian Cup

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Palestina para niños