Lebanon women's national basketball team

For the men's team, see Lebanon national basketball team.

Lebanon
FIBA ranking41 Increase 13 (8 August 2025)[1]
Joined FIBA1947
FIBA zoneFIBA Asia
National federationFLB
CoachPaul Coughter
Nickname(s)The Cedars
Asia Cup
Appearances7
Medal record
Arab Women's Basketball Championship
Gold medal – first place 2003 Jordan
Silver medal – second place 2000 Algeria
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Lebanon
Bronze medal – third place 1983 Jordan
Pan Arab Games
Gold medal – first place 2011 Qatar
Gold medal – first place 2004 Algeria

The Lebanon women's national basketball team represents Lebanon in international women's basketball tournaments and is governed by the Lebanese Basketball Federation.[2]

History

Early achievements (1980s-2000s)

The Lebanon women's national basketball team emerged on the regional scene in the late 20th century. They secured two third-place finishes at the Arab Women's Basketball Championship in 1983 and 1997.[3] The team's success continued with a silver medal at the 2000 Arab Women's Basketball Championship.[3] Building on this momentum, they achieved the championship title at the 2003 Arab Women's Basketball Championship.[3] The following year, they claimed the gold medal at the 2004 Pan Arab Games.[4] Further solidifying their regional presence, the team secured another gold medal at the 2011 Pan-Arab Games.[5][6]

2009–2014: Promotion to division A of FIBA Asia and the FIBA ban

On the global stage, their achievements included a promotion to Division A of the FIBA Women's Asia Cup after finishing as runners-up in Division B at the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship for Women.[7] In the Division A of the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship for Women, they displayed strong performance, finishing in 5th place.[8] However, internal disputes within the national federation led to a four-year FIBA suspension in 2013.[9] This suspension prevented their participation in the Division A of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship for Women, resulting in their return to Division B after the ban was lifted in 2014.[10]

2020–present: Promotion back to division A of FIBA Asia

After a prolonged period, the team regained their place in Division A by winning the 2021 FIBA Women's Asia Cup Division B.[11][12] Carrying the momentum forward, they secured their Division A status in the 2023 FIBA Women's Asia Cup by defeating Chinese Taipei with a final score of 75–73, ensuring their participation in the top tier for the upcoming 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup.[13] Their 7th place finish in the 2023 FIBA Women's Asia Cup secured Lebanon's participation in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournament.[14] Lebanon did not advance in the Pre-Qualification after losing all three of their group phase games.[15]

The team's final opportunity for qualification came at the 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup, which served as the primary qualifier for the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, awarding a direct berth to its champion and spots in the World Cup Qualifying Tournaments to the teams finishing in second to sixth place.[16] However, while Lebanon's 7th-place finish ended their campaign for the 2026 World Cup, it ensured they would remain in Division A for the 2027 FIBA Women's Asia Cup.[17]

Tournament records

FIBA World Cup

FIBA Women's World Cup Qualification
Year Position Pld W L Squad Pld W L
1953 to 1998 did not enter did not enter
China 2002 did not qualify FIBA Women's Asia Cup
served as qualifiers
Brazil 2006 did not enter did not enter
Czech Republic 2010 did not qualify FIBA Women's Asia Cup
served as qualifiers
Turkey 2014 suspended suspended
Spain 2018 did not qualify FIBA Women's Asia Cup
served as qualifiers
Australia 2022 did not qualify did not qualify
Germany 2026 did not qualify 3 0 3
Total 0/20 0 0 0 3 0 3

Asia Championship

FIBA Women's Asia Cup Records
Year Division A Division B Squad
Pos Pld W L Pos Pld W L
Thailand 2001 13th level II 8th 4 1 3
Japan 2004 did not participate did not participate
China 2005
South Korea 2007
India 2009 8th level II 2nd 6 5 1
Japan 2011 5th 6 2 4 Division A Squad
Thailand 2013 suspended suspended
China 2015 did not participate did not participate
India 2017 11th level II 3rd 6 4 2 Squad
India 2019 did not participate did not participate
Jordan 2021 9th level II 1st 4 4 0 Squad
Australia 2023 7th 4 1 3 Division A Squad
China 2025 7th 4 1 3 Squad
Philippines 2027 Qualified Squad
Total 14 4 10 20 14 6

Squad

Current roster

Roster for the 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup.[18]

2025 Lebanon women's national basketball team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
C 0 Melody Saneh 23 – (2001-10-11)11 October 2001 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Azour Club Lebanon
C 1 Zena Elias 25 – (2000-02-05)5 February 2000 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Beirut Club Lebanon
G 3 Maygen Naassan 19 – (2006-06-24)24 June 2006 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Al Riyadi Lebanon
PF 5 Maria Ghaleb 24 – (2001-04-18)18 April 2001 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Azour Club Lebanon
PF 8 Daniella Fayad 28 – (1997-04-09)9 April 1997 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Homenetmen Lebanon
PG 9 Nour Labban 19 – (2005-10-04)4 October 2005 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) Al Riyadi Lebanon
G 10 Tina Rita Raffoul 26 – (1998-09-10)10 September 1998 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Azour Club Lebanon
PG 11 Rebecca Akl (C) 32 – (1992-10-18)18 October 1992 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) Al Riyadi Lebanon
C 14 Jillian Archer 24 – (2000-08-16)16 August 2000 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Homenetmen Lebanon
G 19 Perla Bou Nasr 26 – (1999-06-10)10 June 1999 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) Homenetmen Lebanon
G 23 Mariam Jomaa 21 – (2003-12-13)13 December 2003 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) Beirut Club Lebanon
G 24 Amar Mansour 20 – (2004-11-07)7 November 2004 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Azour Club Lebanon
Head coach
  • United States Paul Coughter
Assistant coach(es)
  • Lebanon Kaissar Lahoud
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the tournament
  • Age – describes age
    on 13 July 2025

See also

References

  1. ^ "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 8 August 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Lebanon FIBA Profile Page". FIBA. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Record of the Arab championships for women's teams". www.arab.basketball. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  4. ^ "Jeux Panarabes Le Liban récolte sa première médaille d'or". L'Orient-Le Jour. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  5. ^ Basketball results at the Pan-Arab 2011 games official website Archived 2012-05-03 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "L'équipe féminine libanaise de basket-ball couronnée à Doha". L'Orient-Le Jour. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  7. ^ "2009 FIBA Women's Asia Cup Standing". Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  8. ^ "2011 FIBA Women's Asia Cup". Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  9. ^ "FIBA suspends Lebanon 4 years for political bickering". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  10. ^ "FIBA reinstates Lebanon membership". www.espn.com. 8 May 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  11. ^ "Top 10 moments from 2021 in Asia from wonder women to return of frantic fans". FIBA. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  12. ^ "Lebanon celebrate promotion to Division A after spoiling the home party in Amman". FIBA. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  13. ^ "Semi-Finals set and Olympic Qualifying Tournaments teams confirmed; Chinese Taipei drop to Division B". FIBA. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  14. ^ "Hosts announced for inaugural FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournaments". FIBA. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Lebanon Stats, Games, Results, Rosters, Photos, Videos - FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournament". FIBA. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Everything you need to know about the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2025". FIBA. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Lebanon retain Division A status, relegate Indonesia". FIBA. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Team Roster: Lebanon". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
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