The "Cedars" national team concluded their journey in the joint Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as the 2027 Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia, with a 4 - 0 victory over Bangladesh at Khalifa International Stadium in the Qatari capital, Doha (first half 2 - 0). This marked Lebanon's first win in their final match of Group 9, following two losses to Australia and three draws, two of which were against Palestine (0 - 0) and Bangladesh (1 - 1).
Captain Hassan Maatouk, who played his final match with the national team (number 123), opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the fifth minute after a foul against Qassem Al-Zein. Maatouk scored his 24th goal, placing the ball in the right corner while the Bangladeshi goalkeeper dove to the left. Nader Matar added the second goal in the 45 + 2 minute with a shot from inside the box that went into the roof of the net.
Maatouk scored his second and 25th international goal in the 47th minute of the second half with a ground shot from the edge of the box into the Bangladeshi net. He completed a hat-trick in the 60th minute, marking his third and fourth goals for Lebanon and his 26th with the national team, with a shot that hit the roof of the Bangladeshi goal before exiting the field and passing the captain's armband to Mohammed Haider.
Although the team failed to reach the crucial fourth round of the qualifiers for the World Cup, they will continue with the playoff qualifiers for the Asia Cup.
