Libya national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Libya
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)فُرْسَانُ الْمُتَوَّسِط (Fursan al-Mutawasit) (The Mediterranean Knights)
AssociationLibyan Football Federation
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationUNAF (North Africa)
Head coachMilutin Sredojevic
CaptainMuhammad Nashnoush
Most capsAhmed Saad (74)
Top scorerAli Al-Biski (35)
Home stadiumTripoli Stadium
FIFA codeLBY
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 120 Steady (15 February 2024)[1]
Highest36 (September 2012)
Lowest187 (July 1997)
First international
 Libya 5–2 Palestine 
(Alexandria, Egypt; 3 August 1953)
Biggest win
 Libya 21–0 Muscat and Oman
(Baghdad, Iraq; 6 April 1966)
Biggest defeat
 Egypt 10–2 Libya 
(Alexandria, Egypt; 6 August 1953)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances3 (first in 1982)
Best resultRunner-up (1982)

The Libya national football team (Arabic: منتخب لِيْبيَا لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم) represents Libya in men's international association football and it is controlled by the Libyan Football Federation. The team has never qualified for FIFA World Cup but has qualified for editions of Africa Cup of Nation in 1982, 2006, and 2012. In 1982, the team was both the host and runner-up. In the Arab Cup, Libya finished second in 1964 and 2012, and third in 1966. The team is affiliated with both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Due to political circumstances, Libya has typically been less successful in international competition compared to other North African teams like Algeria, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia. Libya has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup and its participation in AFCON is sporadic, having only qualified for three AFCON editions.

Since the 2010s, Libya's global ranking has improved due to the increasing number of Libyan players playing in foreign leagues. In the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, the team recorded their first-ever win in the tournament outside Libya. Their FIFA world ranking rose to a high of 36 in September 2012; Libya then won a gold medal in the 2014 African Nations Championship. However, the Libyan Civil War caused the stoppage of the Libyan Premier League and severely disrupted domestic affairs. Libya was eliminated in the first round of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification by Rwanda and failed to qualify for the 2016 African Nations Championship as the defending champions.

History[edit]

Early history[edit]

Libya's national team was first initiated in 1918, but did not play an official international until 3 August 1953, when they defeated Palestine 5–2 in the first Arab Games in 1953. The team's first manager was Masoud Zantouny, and the first foreign manager was Englishman James Bingham, who took charge of the Libyan national team for the 1961 Arab Games. The first player ever to score for the Libyan national team in an official international was Mukhtar Ghonaay.

The first penalty ever scored by a member of the national team was in the 1953 Arab Games group stage; in the match against Egypt, Ali Zantouny scored in the 3–2 defeat. The national team's first participation in the Arab Cup was in 1964, the second edition of the competition, held in Kuwait.

The first ever player to score for the Libyan national team in a non-official international was Mustapha Makki in a warm-up friendly played prior to the 1953 Arab Games tournament, played against Palestine in Alexandria in 1952. The national team's first attempt to qualify for an Olympic football tournament was in 1967, where they played their first qualification match against Niger in an attempt to qualify for the 1968 Olympic football tournament in Mexico City.

World Cups[edit]

Libya first entered the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 1970. Their early attempts failed, but during the 1980s the national side strengthened. The country's geopolitical position, however, affected the football team, who had to withdraw from qualifying for the 1982 and 1990 World Cups.

Libya came closest to qualifying for the World Cup in 1986. They came to within a game of reaching the finals in Mexico. After winning their match against Sudan in their first game, the Libyans beat Ghana in the next round before taking on Morocco for a place at the finals. Morocco won the first game 3–0 and went through, even though Libya won the return leg 1–0.

After not entering the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup competition, Libya came back in the qualifying competition for Korea/Japan. The Libyans advanced to the second round at the expense of Mali, who were beaten 4–3 on aggregate. In the group stage, Libya managed only two draws in eight games.

In the qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a 9–0 two-legged victory against São Tome and Principe put the Libyans through to the group stage. Libyan player Al-Saadi Gaddafi was banned from the team after failing drug test.

A difficult group followed containing Egypt, Cameroon and Ivory Coast, the eventual group winners and qualifiers for the World Cup. However, The Knights were able to secure good results against these sides, as they beat Egypt 2–1 in Tripoli, and held Cameroon and Ivory Coast to 0–0 draws, helping them to a 4th-place finish and a place at the 2006 African Cup of Nations finals in Egypt.

During the qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Libya defeated each side in the second round during home matches (they also defeated Lesotho away). However they were defeated by Gabon in an away match, and failed to qualify to the next round on goal difference.

In the qualifying campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Libya reached the final match in the group stage without a defeat. They were defeated 1–0 by Cameroon and failed to advance to the final round.

In the qualifying campaign for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Libya defeated Rwanda 4–1 on aggregate in the second round but were eliminated after losing the first three matches in the group stages.

African Cup Of Nations[edit]

Libya 1982[edit]

The biggest football tournament to be held in Libya was the 1982 African Cup of Nations. Libya qualified automatically as hosts and were put in a group alongside Ghana, Cameroon and Tunisia. The opening match of the tournament saw the hosts take on Ghana in Tripoli in a 2–2 draw. A 2–0 win over Tunisia and a goalless draw against Cameroon saw Libya topping the group.

In the semi-finals, Libya came from behind to beat Zambia 2–1 and set up another match with Ghana, this time in the final on 19 March. Ghana scored first in the 35th minute, but Libya equalised in the 70th. This was followed by a tense period of extra time in which no goals were scored. In a long penalty shootout, Ghana came out triumphant 7–6.[3]

Egypt 2006[edit]

Libya's second African Cup of Nations saw a return to the higher levels of the international footballing scene at the 2006 African Cup of Nations finals in Egypt. They qualified for the competition after a goalless draw with Sudan in their ninth qualifying match.

Libya were drawn in Group A with Egypt (the hosts and eventual winners), 2006 World Cup-qualifiers Ivory Coast and Morocco. Libya lost 3–0 to Egypt in Cairo, then lost 2–1 to Ivory Coast. A goalless draw against Morocco saw Libya finish bottom of the group.

Post-Gaddafi era[edit]

Libya played its first match after the Battle of Tripoli (and thus the end of the Gaddafi era in Libya) on 3 September 2011, with a new uniform sporting the National Transitional Council flag of Libya.

The match, part of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, resulted in a 1–0 victory over Mozambique. The historic goal was scored by Rabee'a al Laafi. Like Libya's previous home match, a 3–0 defeat of Comoros in qualifying, played in Stade 26 mars in Bamako, Mali, a relocation was necessary due to the ongoing Libyan Civil War, and so the Petro Sport Stadium in Cairo, Egypt became the venue. The match was played behind closed doors for security reasons.[4]

Prior to the team's final game in the qualification campaign, against Zambia, coach Marcos Paquetá claimed that the team was now "not only playing for football success but for a new government and a new country".[5] The match was played on 8 October 2011, and resulted in a 0–0 draw which was good enough for both teams to qualify. Paquetá and his team danced and celebrated afterwards.[6]

In November 2011 the team travelled to the United Arab Emirates to play a friendly match against Belarus organized by FIFA and broadcast Dubai Sports. The team members, along with the Libyan national chess team, also attended an event at the Libyan Consulate in Dubai organized to honour their contribution to their country in the field of sports.[7]

On 7 June 2013, Libya met DR Congo in its first match on home ground in two years.

2012 Africa Cup of Nations[edit]

Having qualified, Libya were drawn into Group A with co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, qualification rivals Zambia and pre-tournament favourites Senegal.

The Mediterranean Knights' first game, the tournament's opening match, saw them lose to an 87th-minute winner from ex-Real Madrid winger Javier Ángel Balboa. Libya went on to secure a 2–2 draw with Zambia in terrible conditions at the Estadio de Bata, before two goals from Ihaab al Bousseffi guided them to a 2–1 victory over Senegal, their first Nations Cup win in 30 years and a first on foreign soil. After four points from three games Libya was eliminated at the group stage.

2014 African Nations Championship Final[edit]

Libya played Ghana in the 2014 CHAN final. Extra time was given (two 15 minutes), however both teams failed to score. It was taken to penalty shootouts, where the Libyan team scored the first three penalties, missed two others and scored the final sixth and their Ghanaian opponents missed the first two, scored the next three then missed the final sixth penalty (resulting in 3 penalties scored). The match finished (0–0) and was won by the Mediterranean Knights by penalties (4–3).

Coaching crisis[edit]

After Javier Clemente's dismissal in 2016, Jalal Damja took over the national team. He left in 2017 after his contract expired. Omar Almaryami was later appointed as coach and led Libya to the semi-finals of the 2018 African Nations Championship. After Libya's elimination by Morocco, Adel Amrouche was appointed in May 2018. His goal was to help Libya qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He led Libya to a 0–0 draw against South Africa away from home. However, days before Libya's match against Nigeria, Amrouche suddenly left the team's camp and later resigned. During an interview with Reuters, Amrouche said that the reason for his resignation was that the Libyan Football Federation was repeatedly interfering with his work as a coach. He also cited unpaid wages as a reason for his resignation.

Omar Almaryami was again appointed as a caretaker coach of Libya. The team lost twice to Nigeria (4–0 away, 3–2 home) and Almaryami was replaced by former striker Fawzi Al-Issawi, who led Libya to an 8–1 away win over Seychelles. However, Libya later lost to South Africa 2–1, and Libya failed to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. It was noted during the match that al-Issawi's assistant, Abu Bakr Bani was the one who made substitutions and instructed players, leaving many to wonder who was the actual coach.[citation needed]

After the match against South Africa, Jalal Damja was reappointed as the head coach for temporary matches in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification before Faouzi Benzarti was named as new coach of Libya. Under Benzarti, Libya opened their campaign with a disastrous 1–4 loss to Tunisia, the home of Benzarti, before managed to salvage an important 2–1 win over Tanzania to gain hope for qualifying to an AFCON tournament since 2012. Yet, managerial crisis once again erupted when Benzarti left the team and Libya had to appoint a local coach, Ali El Margini, in charge against Equatorial Guinea, a team that had not won a single game in the qualification. Internal instability proved to be a rupture, as Libya lost two consecutive games against the Central African opponent and fell out of top two position. El Margini left after losing all three of his games in charge. He was replaced by Zoran Filipović, who led a team of domestic players into the 2020 African Nations Championship. Libya were eliminated in the group stage after two draws and a loss in three games. Defeats in their final two AFCON qualifiers saw Filipovic sacked in May 2021.[8] Javier Clemente was reappointed as head coach shortly afterwards.[9][10]

Kits[edit]

In the Gaddafi era the National team used to play its home matches wearing the green coloured kit representing the Flag of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. However, after the Libyan Civil War in 2011, Libya changed its flag to the new one which was used from 1951 to 1969 back when Libya was a Kingdom. This change resulted in changing the national team's kit in order to represent the new flag. The team played its home matches with colours: Red, Black and Green (as in the flag). Red dominates the strip and is the sole jersey colour. The away colours were white in both eras. Since 2011, the LFF emblem and the national team's badge was changed into the current design. The previous badge was two balls in front of green coloured Libya's map which is also in front of a sun.

During late 2011 and early 2012 the Libyan team wore white jerseys temporarily in their qualification games and 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. However, in mid-2012 the team began to use red jerseys. In 2014, Libya replaced the green socks worn by the players with black ones.

Adidas is the supplier of the official team strip.

Home stadium[edit]

Tripoli Stadium

The Tripoli Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tripoli, Libya. It can hold 80,000 spectators.

It was the main venue used by the Libyan national football team in its FIFA World Cup and African Nations Cup qualifying matches as well as friendlies and other international games.

The stadium hosted many games of the 1982 African Cup of Nations held in Libya along with the 28 March Stadium in Benghazi.

The 28 March Stadium in Benghazi was also used by the national team sometimes.

FIFA lifted the ban on Libyan stadiums in 2013, during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification. However, it was re-imposed in 2014 due to increased security concerns. The Libyan national team was forced to host games in neighboring countries such as Algeria, Morocco, Egypt or Tunisia (Tunisia the most popular choice due to its close distance to Libya).

Libya played their first home game since 2013 at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benghazi against Tunisia on 25 March 2021.

Rivalries[edit]

Libya's only real rivalries are with its fellow North African footballing nations, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt and, mainly, Tunisia. Matches between Libya and any one of these opponents are highly charged encounters. Libya defeated Egypt 2–1 in a World Cup qualifier on 8 October 2004, the Pharaohs only managed to beat the Libyans on their own turf twice. The rivalry was rekindled at the 2007 Arab Games, where the teams drew 0–0; Egypt eventually claimed the gold medal on goal difference from the Libyans.

Libya also has a rivalry with Morocco. Libya's last win against Morocco was during the 1986 World Cup qualifiers, which Libya won 1–0. A friendly was played between both countries on the 11th of October 2019 in which they tied. Matches between Libya and Tunisia are also very tense, the last time they played was a 5-2 win from the latter in the African Cup of Nations qualification group stage round.

Results and fixtures[edit]

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023[edit]

24 March 2023 AFCON qualification Tunisia  3–0  Libya Tunis, Tunisia
21:30 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Stade Hammadi Agrebi
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)
6 September 2023 AFCON qualification Libya  1–1  Equatorial Guinea Benina, Libya
21:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Benina Martyrs Stadium
Referee: Alhadi Allaou Mahamat (Chad)
Assistant referees: Issa Yaya (Chad)
Assistant referees: Bogola Issa (Chad)
Fourth official: Alfred Armi Pousri (Chad)
14 October Friendly Liberia  2–3  Libya Khouribga, Morocco
19:30 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Phosphate Stadium
Referee: Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco)
17 October Friendly Libya  1–1  Niger Khouribga, Morocco
16:30 UTC+1 Report
Stadium: Phosphate Stadium
Referee: Mustapha Kechaf (Morocco)
19 October Friendly Somalia  0–0  Libya Khouribga, Morocco
19:00 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Phosphate Stadium
11 November Friendly Libya  2–1  Sudan Benina, Libya
18:00 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Martyrs of February Stadium
Attendance: 0
17 November 2026 World Cup qualification Eswatini  0–1  Libya Mbombela, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Mbombela Stadium
Attendance: 200
Referee: Omar Artan (Somalia)
21 November 2026 World Cup qualification Libya  1–1  Cameroon Benina, Libya
18:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Benina Martyrs Stadium
Attendance: 13,450
Referee: Adissa Abdul Raphiou Ligali (Benin)

2024[edit]

2 January Friendly Indonesia  0–4  Libya Antalya, Turkey
15:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex
Referee: Bahattin Şimşek (Turkey)
5 January Friendly Libya  2–1  Indonesia Antalya, Turkey
15:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex
Referee: Kadir Sağlam (Turkey)
12 January Friendly Libya  3–1  Kuwait Cairo, Egypt
18:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Cairo International Stadium
22 March Friendly Libya  2–1  Burkina Faso Casablanca, Morocco
22:00 UTC+1 Report
Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium
Referee: Karim Sabry (Morocco)
26 March Friendly Togo  1–1  Libya Casablanca, Morocco
22:00 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium

Coaching history[edit]

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

The following 27 players were called up for the friendly games against  Burkina Faso and  Togo in March 2024.[13]

Caps and goals correct as of 5 January 2024, after the match against  Indonesia.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Aseel Al-Maqsabi (2000-08-02) 2 August 2000 (age 23) 0 0 Libya Al Nasr Benghazi
1GK Murad Al-Wuheeshi (1997-02-28) 28 February 1997 (age 27) 9 0 Libya Al-Ahly Benghazi
1GK Miftah Al-Taeb (1996-01-31) 31 January 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Libya Al Akhdar

2DF Salah Fakroun (1999-02-08) 8 February 1999 (age 25) 12 0 Libya Al-Ahly Benghazi
2DF Ali Yousef Al-Musrati (2001-09-07) 7 September 2001 (age 22) 6 0 Libya Al-Ahly Benghazi
2DF Subhi Al-Dhawi (2004-06-08) 8 June 2004 (age 19) 5 0 Libya Al-Ittihad Tripoli
2DF Mehdi Al-Kout (1999-08-29) 29 August 1999 (age 24) 3 0 Libya Al Akhdar
2DF Abdelaziz Ali (1997-02-04) 4 February 1997 (age 27) 2 0 Libya Al-Ahli Tripoli
2DF Sanad Bin Ali (2000-09-19) 19 September 2000 (age 23) 2 0 Libya Al Nasr Benghazi
2DF Majdi Erteiba (1990-11-26) 26 November 1990 (age 33) 0 0 Libya Al Akhdar
2DF Ahmed Saleh (2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Libya Al-Ittihad Tripoli

3MF Faisal Al Badri (1990-06-04) 4 June 1990 (age 33) 61 10 Libya Al-Hilal Benghazi
3MF Omar Al Khouja (2000-03-01) 1 March 2000 (age 24) 18 2 Libya Al-Ittihad Tripoli
3MF Abouqassim Rajab (1999-09-03) 3 September 1999 (age 24) 9 1 Libya Alittihad Misurata
3MF Nouraldin Al-Qulaib (2001-03-22) 22 March 2001 (age 23) 6 0 Libya Asswehly
3MF Daniel Elfadli (1997-04-06) 6 April 1997 (age 26) 3 1 Germany 1. FC Magdeburg
3MF Ziyad Al-Elwani (2000-05-25) 25 May 2000 (age 23) 3 0 Libya Al Nasr Benghazi
3MF Osamah Al-Shuraimi (2001-02-20) 20 February 2001 (age 23) 3 1 Libya Asswehly
3MF Younes Al-Hijazi (2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Libya Al Akhdar

4FW Abdussalam Tubal (1993-06-23) 23 June 1993 (age 30) 28 0 Libya Al Nasr Benghazi
4FW Fadel Ali Salama (2002-02-21) 21 February 2002 (age 22) 9 2 Libya Al-Ahly Benghazi
4FW Ahmed Krawa'a (1989-04-21) 21 April 1989 (age 34) 8 3 Libya Al-Ahli Tripoli
4FW Abdulmuyassir Boushibah (2004-02-02) 2 February 2004 (age 20) 3 0 Libya Al-Ittihad Misurata
4FW Talal Al-Shalawi (1997-02-21) 21 February 1997 (age 27) 2 0 Libya Al-Ahly Benghazi
4FW Ahmed Saad Al-Shelabi (1996-01-01) 1 January 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Libya Al-Hilal Benghazi
4FW Amjad Ben Abdi (1999-03-07) 7 March 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Libya Al Akhdar
4FW Faraj Ghaidan (2001-07-15) 15 July 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Libya Al Ta'awon

Recent call ups[edit]

The following players have been called up to the Libya squad in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Mohamed Darebi (2003-05-05) 5 May 2003 (age 20) 0 0 Libya Abu Salim v.  Cameroon; 21 November 2023
GK Ayman Al-Tihar (2002-04-27) 27 April 2002 (age 21) 1 0 Libya Al-Ahly Tripoli v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
GK Muad Al Mansoori (1993-08-29) 29 August 1993 (age 30) 0 0 Libya Abu Salim v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023

DF Mohamed Al-Takbali (1999-04-12) 12 April 1999 (age 24) 5 0 Bahrain Al-Hidd v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
DF Osama Al-Sareet (2002-01-28) 28 January 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Libya Al-Ahly Benghazi v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
DF Mahmoud Al-Awgaly (1997-01-21) 21 January 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Libya Al Ta'awon v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
DF Jaefar Adrees (1997-02-21) 21 February 1997 (age 27) 2 0 Libya Al-Hilal Benghazi v.  Cameroon; 21 November 2023
DF Tahir Bin Amir (2000-04-16) 16 April 2000 (age 23) 6 0 Libya Al-Ahly Benghazi v.  Eswatini; 17 November 2023
DF Taha Khalil (2001-05-06) 6 May 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Libya Darnes v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
DF Hamza Al-Mugsi (2003-02-27) 27 February 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Libya Olympic Azzaweya v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
DF Abdalla Sherif (1996-07-18) 18 July 1996 (age 27) 11 0 Libya Al-Nasr Benghazi v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023
DF Naji Dura (1988-05-05) 5 May 1988 (age 35) 12 0 Libya Al-Ittihad Tripoli v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023
DF Abubakar Milad (1998-06-01) 1 June 1998 (age 25) 2 0 Libya Al-Ahli Tripoli v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023
DF Mohammed Al-Tarhouni (1991-07-10) 10 July 1991 (age 32) 27 1 Libya Al-Ahli Tripoli v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023

MF Hussein Taktak (2002-04-20) 20 April 2002 (age 21) 3 1 Libya Al-Ahly Benghazi v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
MF Alaa Al Qajdar (1998-02-15) 15 February 1998 (age 26) 1 0 Libya Al-Ittihad Tripoli v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
MF Mohsen Al-Awjali (1997-01-21) 21 January 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Libya Al Ta'awon v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
MF Abdulsalam Dega (2000-09-21) 21 September 2000 (age 23) 5 0 Libya Al-Hilal Benghazi v.  Cameroon; 21 November 2023
MF Abdulmunem Aleiyan (1997-01-11) 11 January 1997 (age 27) 3 1 Libya Abu Salim v.  Cameroon; 21 November 2023
MF Osama Belaid (1998-11-28) 28 November 1998 (age 25) 3 0 Libya Al-Hilal Benghazi v.  Cameroon; 21 November 2023
MF Fahd Al-Mesmary (2004-06-10) 10 June 2004 (age 19) 1 0 Montenegro Sutjeska v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
MF Mahmoud Al-Shalwi (2001-08-08) 8 August 2001 (age 22) 1 0 Libya Darnes v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
MF Faraj Ghaydhan (2001-07-15) 15 July 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Libya Al-Khums v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
MF Malek Al-Andalusi (2003-08-12) 12 August 2003 (age 20) 0 0 Libya Al-Ahli Tripoli v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
MF Muaid Ellafi (1996-03-07) 7 March 1996 (age 28) 38 8 Morocco Wydad Casablanca v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023
MF Rabia Al-Shadi (1994-03-06) 6 March 1994 (age 30) 14 1 Libya Al-Ittihad Tripoli v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023
MF Suhaib Shafshuf (1991-01-19) 19 January 1991 (age 33) 14 0 Libya Al Akhdar v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023
MF Shamikh Faraj Al-Obaidi (1994-06-27) 27 June 1994 (age 29) 13 0 Libya Al Nasr Benghazi v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023
MF Zakaria Alharaish (1998-10-23) 23 October 1998 (age 25) 12 2 Algeria USM Alger v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023
MF Osamah Al-Shareef (1998-11-28) 28 November 1998 (age 25) 1 0 Libya Al-Hilal Benghazi v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023
MF Almuetasim Allafi (1999-10-17) 17 October 1999 (age 24) 1 0 Libya Al-Madina v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023

FW Abdulsamie Diab (2004-03-21) 21 March 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Libya Al-Ahli Tripoli v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
FW Mohamed Adel 0 0 Libya Al Murooj v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
FW Mohamed Elghadi (1999-03-26) 26 March 1999 (age 25) 2 0 Libya Abu Salim v.  Cameroon; 21 November 2023
FW Tarek Bshara (2000-01-22) 22 January 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Libya Olympic Azzaweya v.  Eswatini; 17 November 2023
FW Muayid Jaddour (2001-02-14) 14 February 2001 (age 23) 5 0 Libya Al-Ahli Tripoli v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
FW Osamah Abu Jalidah (2003-05-03) 3 May 2003 (age 20) 0 0 Libya Al-Akhdar v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
FW Mohamed Ayad (2002-01-15) 15 January 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Libya Asaria v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
FW Hamdou Elhouni (1994-02-12) 12 February 1994 (age 30) 43 4 Tunisia ES Tunis v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023
FW Muftah Taktak (1996-05-05) 5 May 1996 (age 27) 20 0 Libya Al Nasr Benghazi v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023
FW El-Mutasem Abushnaf (1991-11-14) 14 November 1991 (age 32) 16 2 Libya Abu Salim v.  Botswana; 17 June 2023

Records[edit]

As of 21 November 2023[14]
Players in bold are still active with Libya.

Most appearances[edit]

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Ahmed Saad Osman 74 20 2001–2013
2 Muhammad Nashnoush 72 0 2011–2021
3 Motasem Sabbou 63 2 2013–present
4 Faisal Al Badri 61 10 2011–present
5 Younes Al Shibani 60 3 2003–2013
6 Ahmed El Trbi 59 0 2013–present
7 Ali Salama 58 2 2010–present
8 Mohamed Al Ghanodi 50 6 2013–2017
9 Muhammad Al Maghrabi 48 3 2006–2013
10 Tarik El Taib 45 11 1998–2011

Top goalscorers[edit]

Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Ali Al-Biski 35 44 0.8 1961–1970
2 Ahmed Saad Osman 20 72 0.28 2001–2013
3 Ahmed Al Masli 17 32 0.53 1998–2008
4 Tarik El Taib 11 45 0.24 1998–2011
5 Faisal Al Badri 10 61 0.16 2011–present
6 Nader Kara 9 32 0.28 2001–2009
7 Muaid Ellafi 8 38 0.21 2014–present
8 Anis Saltou 7 28 0.25 2013–present
9 Jehad Muntasser 6 18 0.33 1999–2007
Mohamed Zubya 6 25 0.24 2008–2021
Mohamed Al Ghanodi 6 50 0.12 2011–2017

Competitive record[edit]

FIFA World Cup[edit]

FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D* L F A Pld W D L F A
1930 to 1938 Part of Italy Part of Italy
1950 to 1962 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
England 1966 Withdrew Withdrew
Mexico 1970 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 3 5
West Germany 1974 Did not enter Declined participation
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 1
Spain 1982 Withdrew 2 1 1 0 2 1
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 6 2 3 1 7 3
Italy 1990 Withdrew Withdrew
United States 1994 Disqualified Disqualified
France 1998 Did not enter Declined participation
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 10 1 2 7 11 22
Germany 2006 12 5 3 4 17 10
South Africa 2010 6 4 0 2 7 4
Brazil 2014 6 2 3 1 5 3
Russia 2018 8 3 1 4 8 11
Qatar 2022 6 2 1 3 4 7
Canada Mexico United States 2026 Qualification in progress 2 1 1 0 2 1
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/15 61 21 16 24 65 70

Africa Cup of Nations[edit]

Africa Cup of Nations record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Sudan 1957 Not affiliated to CAF Not affiliated to CAF
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965
Ethiopia 1968 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 4 5
Sudan 1970 Did not enter Did not enter
Cameroon 1972 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 3
Egypt 1974 Withdrew Withdrew
Ethiopia 1976 Did not enter Did not enter
Ghana 1978
Nigeria 1980
Libya 1982 Runners-up 2nd 5 2 3 0 7 4 Qualified as hosts
Ivory Coast 1984 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 2
Egypt 1986 4 2 0 2 5 4
Morocco 1988 Withdrew Withdrew
Algeria 1990
Senegal 1992 Did not enter Did not enter
Tunisia 1994
South Africa 1996
Burkina Faso 1998
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 6
Mali 2002 8 3 0 5 8 14
Tunisia 2004 6 3 1 2 12 8
Egypt 2006 Group stage 14th 3 0 1 2 1 5 12 5 3 4 17 10
Ghana 2008 Did not enter Did not enter
Angola 2010
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012 Group stage 10th 3 1 1 1 4 4 6 3 3 0 6 1
South Africa 2013 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 3
Equatorial Guinea 2015 2 0 1 1 0 3
Gabon 2017 6 2 1 3 8 6
Egypt 2019 6 2 1 3 16 11
Cameroon 2021 6 1 0 5 7 15
Ivory Coast 2023 6 1 1 4 2 8
Morocco 2025 To be determined To be determined
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027
Total Runners-up 3/36 11 3 5 3 12 13 72 23 12 37 89 99

Olympic Games[edit]

Olympic Games record
Appearances: 0
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
18961948 Did not exist
Finland 1952 Did not enter
Australia 1956
Italy 1960
Japan 1964
Mexico 1968 Did not qualify
West Germany 1972 Did not enter
Canada 1976 Did not qualify
Soviet Union 1980 Withdrew during qualification
United States 1984 Did not qualify
South Korea 1988 Did not enter
Spain 1992
United States 1996
Australia 2000
Greece 2004 Did not qualify
China 2008
United Kingdom 2012
Brazil 2016 Did not enter
Japan 2020 Did not qualify
Total 0/25
  • Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since the 1992 edition.

All-Africa Games[edit]

All-Africa Games record
Appearances: 1
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Republic of the Congo 1965 Did not enter
Nigeria 1973
Algeria 1978 Group stage 1 8th 3 1 0 2 3 4
Kenya 1987 Did not enter
Egypt 1991
Zimbabwe 1995
South Africa 1999
Nigeria 2003 Did not qualify
Algeria 2007
Mozambique 2011 Did not enter
Republic of the Congo 2015
Morocco 2019 To be determined
Ghana 2023
Total Group stage 1/11 3 1 0 2 3 4
  • Prior to the Cairo 1991 campaign, the Football at the All-Africa Games was open to full senior national teams.
  • ^1 Libya was disqualified from the tournament due to violence with the Egyptian team during the match in the group stage.

African Nations Championship[edit]

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 4
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009 Group stage 7th 3 0 2 1 1 3
Sudan 2011 Did not qualify
South Africa 2014 Champions 1st 6 1 5 0 6 4
Rwanda 2016 Did not qualify
Morocco 2018 Fourth place 4th 6 2 2 2 7 6
Cameroon 2020 Group stage 13th 3 0 2 1 1 2
Algeria 2022 9th 3 1 0 2 1 2
Total 1 title 5/7 21 4 11 6 16 17

Mediterranean Games[edit]

Mediterranean Games record
Appearances: 9
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Egypt 1951 Did not enter
Spain 1955
Lebanon 1959
Italy 1963
Tunisia 1967 Group stage 8th 3 0 1 2 1 5
Turkey 1971 Did not enter
Algeria 1975 Group stage 7th 4 1 0 3 4 8
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1979 Did not enter
Morocco 1983 Group stage 9th 2 0 0 2 2 5
Syria 1987 Did not enter
Greece 1991
France 1993
Italy 1997 Group stage 10th 3 0 2 1 3 4
Tunisia 2001 7th 2 0 1 1 1 2
Spain 2005 Bronze medalists 3rd 5 1 2 2 3 10
Italy 2009 4 0 3 1 0 1
Turkey 2013 Fourth place 4th 5 1 1 3 6 12
Spain 2018 Group stage 9th 2 0 0 2 1 8
Algeria 2021 To be determined
Total Bronze medalists 9/18 30 3 10 17 21 55

FIFA Arab Cup[edit]

FIFA Arab Cup record
Appearances: 4
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Lebanon 1963 Did not enter
Kuwait 1964 Runners-up 2nd 4 2 2 0 9 5
Iraq 1966 Third place 3rd 5 2 2 1 20 4
Saudi Arabia 1985 Did not enter
Jordan 1988
Syria 1992
Qatar 1998 Group stage 11th 4 0 0 2 2 4
Kuwait 2002 Withdrew
Saudi Arabia 2012 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 2 0 11 8
Qatar 2021 Did not qualify
Total Runners-up 4/9 18 7 6 3 42 21

Arab Games[edit]

Arab Games record
Appearances: 9
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Egypt 1953 Bronze medalists 3rd 3 2 0 1 10 14
Lebanon 1957 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 5 12
Morocco 1961 Bronze medalists 3rd 5 2 1 2 13 13
United Arab Republic 1965 6 4 0 2 44 18
Syria 1976 Did not enter
Morocco 1985 Group stage 5th 2 1 0 1 2 2
Syria 1992 Did not enter
Lebanon 1997 Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 4 5
Jordan 1999 Bronze medalists 3rd 6 3 2 1 11 6
Algeria 2004 No tournament
Egypt 2007 Silver medalists 2nd 4 3 1 0 7 1
Qatar 2011 Group stage 7th 3 0 2 1 1 2
Total Silver medalists 9/11 35 15 8 12 97 73

Palestine Cup of Nations[edit]

Honours[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  3. ^ Anaman, Fiifi (19 March 2017). "The Last Time: How Ghana managed an unlikely ascension unto the African football throne". Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  4. ^ 4 September 2011, Libyan football enters post-Gaddafi era Archived 2018-10-31 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News Online, Accessed September 5, 2011.
  5. ^ 7 October 2011, Libya eye unlikely qualification Archived 2023-04-05 at the Wayback Machine, BBC Sport, Accessed October 8, 2011.
  6. ^ 8 October 2011, Zambia, Libya make Nations Cup cut Archived 2023-04-05 at the Wayback Machine, BBC Sport, Accessed October 8, 2011.
  7. ^ 29 November 2011, Libyan National Football Team and the Libyan National Chess Team Reception Archived 2012-05-09 at the Wayback Machine, [SmugMug Sohail Nakhooda], Accessed 30 November 2011.
  8. ^ "Libya looking for a new men's football coach". Archived from the original on 2021-05-31. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
  9. ^ "Javier Clemente vuelve: "Necesito entrenar, es como un doping para mi"". Archived from the original on 2021-05-30. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
  10. ^ "Javier Clemente: Libyan National Football Team's New Coach". Archived from the original on 2021-05-23. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
  11. ^ Ca selecţioner al Libiei, Cicerone Manolache avea un salariu de 2.000 $, dar statul român oprea 1.700 $ Archived 2011-09-07 at the Wayback Machine, www.libertatea.ro, 29 mars 2011.
  12. ^ Dakhil, Morad (February 21, 2023). "Libya search for homegrown coach as Corentin Martins departs". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  13. ^ "Squad list". Libya Football Federation.
  14. ^ "Libya". National Football Teams.
  15. ^ "Morocco wins Arab Cup 2012 title". alarabiya.net. Al Arabia News. 7 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.

External links[edit]