Lebanese Premier League

match between Nejmeh and Ansar during the 2019–20 season. On 22 March 1933, representatives of 13 football clubs gathered in the Minet El Hosn district in Beirut to form the Lebanese Football Association (LFA). The Lebanese Premier League began in May 1934 as the Edmond Rubeiz Cup, in honour of Nahda player Edmond Rubeiz who had died of typhoid the previous year. The competition was held in a knockout format, with Nahda beating DPHB 7–1 in the final to win the inaugural competition. Nahda, AUB, and DPHB shared the titles during the first decade of the league. The two clubs shared 11 titles in 16 seasons between 1943 and 1969. Nejmeh broke Ansar's streak, winning four out of five league titles between 2000 and 2005. Due to financial and political issues in the country, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, the LFA decided to cancel the ongoing 2019–20 season. ==Competition format==

There are 12 clubs in the Lebanese Premier League. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then head-to-head points, and then head-to-head goal difference. If still equal, the overall goal difference and then the overall goals scored are taken into consideration. If teams are still tied, disciplinary points are considered. Split Prior to the 2020–21 season, each club played the others twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents', for 22 games. Starting from the 2020–21 season, the league adopted a "split" system where each season is divided into two phases. Points from the first phase carry over to the second, but from the 2022–23 season onward, the carried-over points are halved. The system has been viewed positively by various members of Lebanese football. Promotion and relegation A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Lebanese Premier League and the Lebanese Second Division since 1935. In April 1935, Second Division clubs requested a promotion system to be implemented. It was proposed that, at the end of the season, every Second Division team that wanted to be promoted to the First Division had to play against three teams from the First Division, winning all three. The teams from the First Division had to have at least 7 players from their squad in the previous season. The two lowest placed teams in the Lebanese Premier League are relegated to the Second Division, and the top two teams from the Second Division promoted to the Lebanese Premier League. Video assistant referee Video assistant referee (VAR), was introduced to the Lebanese Premier League in the second half of the 2023–24 season. It uses technology and officials to assist the referee in making decisions on the pitch. The match between Ahed and Racing Beirut in the first matchday, on 6 August 2023, was the first to test the use of VAR. ==Clubs==

Champions 2025–26 season The following 12 clubs will compete in the Lebanese Premier League during the 2025–26 season. ==Media coverage==

Broadcasting rights for the Lebanese Premier League were distributed to MTV Lebanon starting from the 2016–17 season, on a five-year contract worth $600,000 per season; the contract was renewed in 2022 for a further four seasons. Live coverage of three games is broadcast each week, and weekly highlights of each match are produced once a week. The LFA broadcast the other weekly games on its YouTube channel between 2020 and 2022. In October 2022, the LFA and FIFA signed an agreement to show all matches in the Lebanese Second Division, Lebanese Super Cup and Lebanese Women's Football League through the FIFA+ platform; FIFA+ also replaced the LFA YouTube channel in transmitting the remaining Lebanese Premier League games not covered by MTV. ==Stadiums==

in 2018 At the start of the 2005–06 season, the Lebanese government imposed a ban on spectators due to fears of political and sectarian-inspired violence in the stadiums. After six years, in 2011, the ban was lifted and fans were allowed to regularly attend matches. Other teams quickly followed, such as Ansar, Ahed and Bourj. ==Players==

Foreign players and transfer regulations Prior to the 2023–24 season, Lebanese clubs were permitted three foreign players on the field simultaneously. Additionally, up to two extra Palestinian players born in Lebanon could be listed on a match sheet, but only one Palestinian player was allowed among the eleven players on the field. Starting from 2023–24, the foreign player limit increased to four, and Palestinian players on a team sheet became unlimited, with the field restriction remaining. Since the 1998–99 season, the Lebanese Football Association (LFA) has prevented the acquisition of foreign goalkeepers. Due to the economic situation in Lebanon, clubs were barred from fielding foreign players in the league in 2020–21 and the first half of 2021–22. Homegrown players Starting from the 2019–20 season, all teams in the Lebanese Premier League and Lebanese Second Division must involve a certain number of under-21 players in both the league and the Lebanese FA Cup. In case a club were to not meet the required number of minutes at the end of the season, they would have three points deducted from their total in the league. Each club had to involve one player for at least 600 minutes, two players for at least 800 combined minutes, and three players for at least 1,200 combined minutes. Bold indicates a player still active in the Lebanese Premier League. Italics indicates a player still active outside the Lebanese Premier League. Vardan Ghazaryan and Hassan Maatouk hold the record for most Lebanese Premier League goals, with 129. Fadi Alloush holds the record for most goals in a season (32) while playing for Ansar. ==Official match ball==

On 30 July 2019, the LFA announced a three-year deal with German sportswear company Jako for €120,000, with the Jako Match 2.0 becoming the league's official match ball starting from the 2019–20 season. In August 2023, the LFA announced that Spanish sportswear company Kelme will be sponsoring the league. • 2019–2020: Jako Match 2.0 • 2020–2023: Jako Galaxy Match 2.0 • 2023–present: Kelme Professional Pelota de Futbol ==See also==

Notes References Bibliography • ==External links==