2024–25 Lebanese Premier League
| Season | 2024–25 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 20 September 2024 – 17 July 2025 |
| Champions | Ansar (15th title) |
| Relegated | Shabab Baalbek Chabab Ghazieh |
| 2025–26 AFC Challenge League | Ansar Safa |
| Matches played | 153 |
| Goals scored | 418 (2.73 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Islam Batran (10 goals) |
| Biggest win | Shabab Sahel 1–8 Ahed (30 March 2025) |
| Highest scoring | Shabab Sahel 1–8 Ahed (30 March 2025) |
← 2023–24 2025–26 →
All statistics correct as of 25 April 2025. | |
The 2024–25 Lebanese Premier League is the 63rd season of the Lebanese Premier League, the top Lebanese league for football clubs since its establishment in 1934.
It will be the fifth season to feature a "split" format, following its introduction in the 2020–21 season, in which the season will be divided into two phases.
On 26 September 2024, the Lebanese Football Association suspended the season due to the escalation of the conflict in the south with Israel.[1] Following the ceasefire agreement with Israel on 27 November 2024, the Lebanese Football Association announced that the season would resume on 25 January 2025.[2]
Summary
Regulations
Each club has to involve one player under the age of 21 for at least 750 minutes, and two players for 1,200 combined minutes.[3] In case a club is not able to meet the required number of minutes at the end of the season, they would have three points deducted from their total in the league.[3]
Since the 2023–24 season, each club is able to have four foreign players under contract, an increase from the previous limit of three.[4] Furthermore, 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.[5]
Format
Following its introduction in the 2020–21 season, the 2024–25 season consists of two phases: in the first phase, each team plays against one another once.[6] In the second phase, the 12 teams are divided into two groups based on their position in the first phase. As introduced in the 2022–23 season, teams only carry over half of their point tally from the first phase.[7] After the first phase is completed, clubs can not move out of their own half in the league, even if they achieved more or fewer points than a higher or lower ranked team, respectively.[8]
The top six teams play against each other twice,[6] with the champion automatically qualifying to the AFC Challenge League.[9] The bottom six teams also play against each other twice, with the bottom two teams being relegated to the Lebanese Second Division.[6]
Teams
Twelve teams compete in the league – the top ten teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the Lebanese Second Division. The promoted teams are Riyadi Abbasiyah, who are playing their first season in the Lebanese Premier League, and Shabab Baalbeck, who returned to the top flight after an absence of five years. They replaced Tripoli and Ahly Nabatieh, who were relegated to the Lebanese Second Division after respective spells of 12 and one years in the top flight.
Stadiums and locations
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahed | Beirut (Ouzai) | Al Ahed Stadium[note 1] | 2,000 |
| Ansar | Beirut (Tariq El Jdideh) | Ansar Stadium[note 1] | — |
| Bourj | Beirut (Bourj el-Barajneh) | Bourj el-Barajneh Stadium[note 1] | 1,500 |
| Chabab Ghazieh | Ghazieh | Kfarjoz Municipal Stadium | 2,000 |
| Nejmeh | Beirut (Ras Beirut) | Rafic Hariri Stadium[note 1] | 5,000 |
| Racing Beirut | Beirut (Achrafieh) | Fouad Chehab Stadium | 5,000 |
| Riyadi Abbasiyah | Aabbassiyeh | Abbass Kazem Nasser Stadium | — |
| Safa | Beirut (Wata El Msaytbeh) | Safa Stadium | 4,000 |
| Sagesse | Beirut (Achrafieh) | Sin El Fil Stadium[note 1] | — |
| Shabab Baalbeck | Baalbek | Baalbek Municipal Stadium | 8,500 |
| Shabab Sahel | Beirut (Haret Hreik) | Shabab Al Sahel Stadium[note 1] | — |
| Tadamon Sour | Tyre | Sour Municipal Stadium | 6,500 |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahed | Jamal Al Haj | Hussein Dakik | Kelme | |
| Ansar | Youssef Al Jawhari | Nassar Nassar | Kelme | Green Glory |
| Bourj | Fouad Hijazi | Youssef Anbar | Kelme | Royal |
| Chabab Ghazieh | Rami Fakih | Imad Ghaddar | Nike | Energizer |
| Nejmeh | Mahmoud Fathalla | Kassem El Zein | Kelme | BetArabia |
| Racing Beirut | Osama Sakr | Ali Ayoub | Joma | Libano-Suisse Insurance |
| Riyadi Abbasiyah | Mohamad Zheir | Fadel Ajami | Kelme | La Fabrica |
| Safa | Bassem Marmar | Khalil Khamis | Kelme | Tawfeer |
| Shabab Sahel | Fadi El Kakhi | Haytham Faour | Jako | Xglobal Group |
| Sagesse | Paul Rustom | Hatem Eid | Capelli Sport | OMT Pay |
| Shabab Baalbek | Hussein Mashour | Hussein Outa | Jako | La Vie |
| Tadamon Sour | Hussein Hassoun | Hussein Mhaydle | Jako | GCB Exchange |
Foreign players
Lebanese clubs are allowed to have four foreign players at their disposal at any time,[4] as well as unlimited Palestinian players born in Lebanon in a given match sheet (of which only one allowed among the eleven players on the field).[3] Moreover, each club competing in an AFC competition is allowed to field two extra foreign players, to be only played in continental matches, as the AFC allows six foreign players to play in the starting eleven (one of whom from an AFC country).[10]
- Players in bold were registered during the mid-season transfer window.
- Players in italics left the club during the mid-season transfer window.
| Team | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Palestinian player(s) | AFC player(s) | Former players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahed | Ito | Ibrahim Eid | Philemon Seyi | Yann Hermes Makombo | — | Andrew Ikefe Mamadou Niass Samer Zubaida | |
| Ansar | Hichem Houssam Eddine | Rafik Mednini | Hamza Hussein | Mohamad Hebous | — | Elhadji Malick Tall | |
| Bourj | Ibrahim Abdulai | Chris Calvin Nawatta | Abdoulaye Fall | Abbas Shahine | — | ||
| Chabab Ghazieh | Ayman Abou Sahyoun | — | |||||
| Nejmeh | Baba Abdulai Musah | Gozie Ugwu | Ciel Ikoko Ebengo | Franklin Talla | Mounas Abo Amsha | Collins Opare Nyanteh Kwabena Darko | |
| Racing Beirut | Jehad Abou El Aynein | — | Carter Ahiro David Molinga Julfin Ondongo | ||||
| Riyadi Abbasiyah | Ezra Amelinsa | Masoabi Synous Nkoto | Issa Ali | Francis Amos Anointed | Zaher Samahi | — | |
| Safa | Benson Omala | Houssem Louati | Jerome Etame | Islam Batran | — | Guy Claude Eke | |
| Sagesse | Papa Sidibe | Hamza Zaak | Papa Laye Dieng | Alioune Faye | — | ||
| Shabab Baalbeck | Ibrahima Sauma | Ibrahim Camara | Suleiman Abdullah Keita | Collins Anigbo | — | ||
| Shabab Sahel | Samad Kadiri | Reuben Gabriel | Abbey Agbodzie | Hadi Dakwar | — | ||
| Tadamon Sour | Guilherme Farias Dos Santos | Baye Daour Badji | Amissah Anfoh Assan | Godfred Yeboah | Mohammad Ismail | — |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ansar (C, Q) | 25 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 57 | 13 | +44 | 48 | Qualification for the AFC Challenge League group stage |
| 2 | Safa (Q) | 25 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 57 | 18 | +39 | 43 | |
| 3 | Ahed | 25 | 14 | 5 | 6 | 54 | 31 | +23 | 33 | |
| 4 | Nejmeh | 25 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 37 | 29 | +8 | 29 | |
| 5 | Sagesse | 25 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 25 | 36 | −11 | 19 | |
| 6 | Tadamon Sour | 25 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 22 | 48 | −26 | 13 | |
| 7 | Bourj | 26 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 30 | 32 | −2 | 39 | |
| 8 | Shabab Sahel | 26 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 44 | 41 | +3 | 33 | |
| 9 | Riyadi Abbasiyah | 26 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 32 | 27 | +5 | 27 | |
| 10 | Racing Beirut | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 24 | 39 | −15 | 27 | |
| 11 | Shabab Baalbek (R) | 26 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 17 | 55 | −38 | 16 | Relegation to Lebanese Second Division |
| 12 | Chabab Ghazieh (R) | 26 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 19 | 49 | −30 | 10 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Disciplinary points.
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Teams played each other once (11 matches), before the league was split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) where each team played the other teams in their group three times (15 matches). Teams carried over half their point tally from the first phase into the second phase.
Season statistics
- As of 25 April 2025[11]
Goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Islam Batran | Safa | 10 |
| 2 | Mohammad Nasser | Ahed | 9 |
| Hassan Maatouk | Ansar | ||
| 4 | Zein Farran | Ahed | 8 |
| Hassan Bazzi | Tadamon Sour | ||
| 6 | Papa Laye Dieng | Sagesse | 7 |
| Samod Kadiri | Shabab Sahel | ||
| Mahmoud Zbib | Ahed | ||
| 9 | Ali Kassas | Safa | 6 |
| Hichem Houssam Eddine | Ansar |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papa Laye Dieng | Sagesse | Bourj | 3–1[12] | 25 January 2025 |
| Hichem Houssam Eddine | Ansar | Riyadi Abbasiyah | 5–0[13] | 1 February 2025 |
| Islam Batran | Safa | Bourj | 4–0[14] | 6 February 2025 |
| Hassan Salami | Shabab Sahel | Shabab Baalbek | 5–0[15] | 12 February 2025 |
| Mohammad Nasser | Ahed | Tadamon Sour | 4–0[16] | 13 February 2025 |
| Hassan Maatouk | Ansar | Ahed | 4–2[17] | 25 February 2025 |
| Mohammad Nasser4 | Ahed | Shabab Sahel | 8–1[18] | 30 March 2025 |
- Notes
4 Player scored 4 goals
See also
- 2024–25 Lebanese FA Cup
- 2024 Lebanese Federation Cup
- 2024 Lebanese Super Cup
Notes
References
- ^ "Lebanon indefinitely postpones all football matches amid Israel's attacks". Aljazeera. 26 September 2024.
- ^ "Lebanon FA to resume football tournaments after ceasefire". Reuters. 29 November 2024.
- ^ a b c الاتحاد اللبناني يقر النظام الفني لبطولة الدوري: 4 أجانب و4 مراحل وحسم نصف النقاط [The Lebanese Federation approves the technical system for the league championship: 4 foreigners, 4 stages, and a half-point decision]. Lebanon Football Guide (in Arabic). 29 May 2023. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ a b 84 ألف دولار دخل جديد للاتحاد اللبناني لكرة القدم [USD84,000: new income for the Lebanese Football Association]. Lebanon Football Guide (in Arabic). 19 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- ^ Khaled, Nasser (26 July 2023). تقنية الفيديو حاضرة في لقاء العهد والراسينغ [Video technology will be present in the match between Ahed and Racing]. Kooora (in Arabic). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ a b c Abou Diab, Rami (25 June 2020). "The new regulations for the Lebanese Premier League". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ "بالصور: الاتحاد اللبناني يعلن تعديلات بالجملة". كووورة. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ "هل يُمكن أن يُحسم اللقب قبل الدورة السداسية؟". lebanonfg.com. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ "AFC Club Competitions 2024/25 Slot Allocation" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "AFC Competitions Committee recommends strategic reforms to elevate Asian club football". the-AFC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Lebanese First Division 2024/2025". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ "Bourj SC 1:3 SC Sagesse". Global Sports Archive. 25 January 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ "Al Ansar SC 5:0 Al Riyadi Al Abbasiyah Club". Global Sports Archive. 1 February 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ "Bourj SC 0:4 Safa SC". Global Sports Archive. 6 February 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ "Shabab Al Sahel SC 0:4 Tajamo' Shabab Baalbek SC". Global Sports Archive. 12 February 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ "Al Ahed SC 4:0 Tadamon SC Sour". Global Sports Archive. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ "Al Ahed SC 2:4 Al Ansar SC". Global Sports Archive. 25 February 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ "Shabab Al Sahel SC 1:8 Al Ahed SC". Global Sports Archive. 30 March 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.