The Lebanese football national team has departed for Sydney to continue their journey in the double Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup, where they will face Australia in two matches, the first scheduled for the 21st of this month and the second on the 26th. The Lebanese team has played two matches in Group 9, where they currently hold second place with two points from draws against Palestine (0-0) and Bangladesh (1-1). They will be facing the group leaders, who have a perfect record, as the Australians opened their qualifying campaign with a resounding 7-0 victory over Bangladesh, followed by a 1-0 win against Palestine last November.
These matches come as a significant challenge for our team amidst absences due to various reasons, with a lack of several experienced players on the international stage. The lineup will miss the Al-Ahed duo of Hussein Zain and Felix Melki, as well as Alex, the defender from Ansar, in addition to Indonesian PSIS player Jihad Ayoub, Hassan "Sonny" Saad, and Qassem Al-Zein, who is suspended following his red card in Lebanon's last match in the Asian Cup against Tajikistan.
**New Players Shahin and Khoury in the Squad**
In light of these developments, Montenegrin head coach Miodrag Radulovic has attempted to select a balanced squad of 25 players, featuring some notable calls, including the return of right-back Abdullah Maghri, and the inclusion of Al-Safaa defender Hussein Sharafeddine, along with young attacking duo Leonardo Shahin (20 years old) from Sweden and Jackson Khoury (21 years old) from the United States. Additionally, Al-Ansar midfielder Nader Matar and Al-Ahed striker Karim Darwish have returned to the squad after their absence from the continental tournament finals.
Shahin and Khoury had participated in the national team's internal camp held in Tripoli ahead of the Asian Cup, and their call-up follows their acquisition of Lebanese passports. This is part of a gradual renewal plan expected for our team before reaching the decisive rounds of the qualifiers in June, as efforts are underway to issue identification papers for players of Lebanese descent to include them in the national team after they agree to represent their motherland upon direct communication with the coach. They are expected to play a vital role in various positions.
**Absences Do Impact Radulovic's Plans**
In this context, Radulovic commented: "Unfortunately, we will not be able to rely on important players for the two matches against Australia, and we had hoped our squad would be complete, especially since the missing players had integrated well into the playing system established by the coaching staff since their arrival." He added: "These absences are detrimental and affect the chemistry the team has achieved during the work we have done between the end of last year and the beginning of this year. However, we must think positively in some way, starting from integrating some names with those who are already present, as we will need all available resources in the upcoming period amid the challenges ahead."
He continued: "I have chosen the best available players, especially those who have performed positively under our observation during league matches, and we have added some young faces that appear promising for the future. Our primary goal is to reach the best composition before June, where the pivotal phase of our efforts will take place to secure our qualification once again to the Asian Cup and continue our journey in the World Cup qualifiers."
**Here is Lebanon's Squad:**
- Goalkeepers: Mustafa Matar (Al-Ahed), Mahdi Khalil (Al-Safaa), Ali Al-Sabaa (Al-Najma)
- Defenders: Nassar Nassar and Mohamed Ali Dahini (Al-Ansar), Abdullah Maghri and Maher Sabra (Al-Najma), Khalil Khamis and Noor Mansour (Al-Ahed), Hassan Chaaito and Hussein Sharafeddine (Al-Safaa)
- Midfielders: Hassan Maatouk, Nader Matar, and Ali Tanis (Al-Ansar), Mohammad Haidar, Hassan Sarour, Walid Shour, and Ali Haj (Al-Ahed), Basel Jaradi (Bangkok United, Thailand), Daniel Lahoud (Atlante, Mexico), Gabriel Bytar (Vancouver FC, Canada)
- Forwards: Karim Darwish (Al-Ahed), Omar Shaaban (AFC Wimbledon, England), Leonardo Shahin (Falconburgs, Sweden), Jackson Khoury (Tormenta FC, America).
