Libya national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Libya women's national football team.

The Libya national football team (Arabic: منتخب لِيْبيَا لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم) represents Libya in men's international football and is controlled by the Libyan Football Federation. The team has never qualified for FIFA World Cup but has qualified for editions of the Africa Cup of Nations 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).

Libya

Nickname(s)	فُرْسَانُ الْمُتَوَّسِط (Fursan al-Mutawasit) (The Mediterranean Knights)
Association	Libyan Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	UNAF (North Africa)
Head coach	Aliou Cissé
Captain	Faisal Al Badri
Most caps	Ahmed Saad Osman (80)
Top scorer	Ali Al-Biski (35)
Home stadium	Tripoli Stadium
FIFA code	LBY
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	117 (10 July 2025)[1]
Highest	36 (September 2012)
Lowest	187 (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
Appearances	3 (first in 1982)
Best result	Runners-up (1982)
Medal record Men's Football Africa Cup of Nations 1982 Libya African Nations Championship 2014 South Africa Mediterranean Games 2005 Almería 2009 Pescara

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.

In the 2010s, Libya's global ranking improved due to the increasing number of Libyan players playing in foreign leagues. At 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

Early history

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

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

Libya 1982

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.^[2]

Egypt 2006

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

The national football team of Libya versus Algeria in 2013

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.^[3]

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".^[4] 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.^[5]

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.^[6]

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

2012 Africa Cup of Nations

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

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

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]}

Corentin Martins became the manager of the national football team of Libya in 2022

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.^[7] Javier Clemente was reappointed as head coach shortly afterwards.^[8][9]

Kits

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

Main article: Tripoli Stadium

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, where they lost 2–5.

Rivalries

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

Main article: Libya national football team results (2020–present)

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

2024

Indonesia  v  Libya

2 January Friendly	Indonesia	0–4	Libya	Antalya, Turkey
15:00 UTC+3		Report	Krawa'a 25' Al Khouja 58' Al-Qulaib 89' Al-Qajdar 90+2'	Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex Referee: Bahattin Şimşek (Turkey)

Libya  v  Indonesia

5 January Friendly	Libya	2–1	Indonesia	Antalya, Turkey
15:00 UTC+3	Al-Shuraimi 9' Krawa'a 20'	Report	Yakob 6'	Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex Referee: Kadir Sağlam (Turkey)

Libya  v  Kuwait

12 January Friendly	Libya	3–1	Kuwait	Cairo, Egypt
18:00 UTC+2	Al Khouja 30', 20' A. Saleh 90'	Report	Zayid 78'	Stadium: Cairo International Stadium

Libya  v  Burkina Faso

22 March Friendly	Libya	2–1	Burkina Faso	Casablanca, Morocco
22:00 UTC+1	Al Badri 35' Al Khouja 62'	Report	Bouda 37'	Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium Referee: Karim Sabry (Morocco)

Togo  v  Libya

26 March Friendly	Togo	1–1	Libya	Casablanca, Morocco
22:00 UTC+1	Tchakei 39'	Report	Krawa'a 37'	Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium

Libya  v  Mauritius

6 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Libya	2–1	Mauritius	Benghazi, Libya
18:00 UTC+2	Al Badri 20' (pen.) Krawa'a 40'	Report	Bru 34'	Stadium: Martyrs of February Stadium Referee: Brighton Chimene (Zimbabwe)

Cape Verde  v  Libya

11 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Cape Verde	1–0	Libya	Praia, Cape Verde
15:00 UTC−1	Diney 10'	Report		Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde Referee: Ibrahim Kalilou Traore (Ivory Coast)

Libya  v  Botswana

31 August Friendly	Libya	1–0	Botswana	Tripoli, Libya
18:00 UTC+2	Krawa'a 54' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Tripoli Stadium

Libya  v  Rwanda

4 September 2025 AFCON qualification	Libya	1–1	Rwanda	Tripoli, Libya
18:00 UTC+2	Al-Dhawi 16'	Report	Nshuti 47'	Stadium: Tripoli Stadium Referee: Imtehaz Heeralall (Mauritius)

Benin  v  Libya

10 September 2025 AFCON qualification	Benin	2–1	Libya	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
19:00 UTC+0	Mounié 50' Olaitan 62' (pen.)	Report	Al Badri 9' (pen.)	Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Referee: Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania)

Nigeria  v  Libya

11 October 2025 AFCON qualification	Nigeria	1–0	Libya	Uyo, Nigeria
17:00 UTC+1	Dele-Bashiru 86'	Report		Stadium: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (Malawi)

Libya  v  Nigeria

15 October 2025 AFCON qualification	Libya	0–3 Awarded[note 1]	Nigeria	Benghazi, Libya
21:00 UTC+2				Stadium: Martyrs of February Stadium
Note: The Libya v Nigeria match, originally scheduled for 15 October 2024, was cancelled after the Nigerian team was allegedly left stranded at Al Abraq International Airport for more than 12 hours upon arrival, two days before the match.[14] This led the Nigeria Football Federation to refuse to play and send their team back home.[15] CAF later confirmed that the match would not take place and stated that a decision regarding its outcome would be made.[16]

Rwanda  v  Libya

14 November 2025 AFCON qualification	Rwanda	0–1	Libya	Kigali, Rwanda
17:00 UTC+2		Report	Saad Mohamed 84'	Stadium: Amahoro Stadium

Libya  v  Benin

18 November 2025 AFCON qualification	Libya	0–0	Benin	Tripoli, Libya
18:00 UTC+2		Report		Stadium: Tripoli Stadium

2025

Libya  v  Angola

20 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Libya	1–1	Angola	Benghazi, Libya
21:00 UTC+2	Ellafi 74'	Report (FIFA) Report (CAF)	Fredy 90+3'	Stadium: Benina Martyrs Stadium Referee: Lamin Jammeh (Gambia)

Cameroon  v  Libya

25 March 2026 World Cup qualification	Cameroon	3–1	Libya	Yaoundé, Cameroon
20:00 UTC+1		Report (FIFA) Report (CAF)		Stadium: Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium

Angola  v  Libya

September 2026 World Cup qualification

Angola

v

Libya

Libya  v  Eswatini

September 2026 World Cup qualification

Libya

v

Eswatini

Libya  v  Cape Verde

October 2026 World Cup qualification

Libya

v

Cape Verde

Mauritius  v  Libya

October 2026 World Cup qualification

Mauritius

v

Libya

Palestine  v  Libya

November 2025 Arab Cup qualification	Palestine	v	Libya	Doha, Qatar
--:-- UTC+3				Stadium: TBD

Coaching history

• Massoud Zantouny (1953)
• Salim Faraj Balteb (1957–1960)
• James Benjeham (1961)
• Billy Elliott (1961–1963)
• Vojin Božović (1964–1965)
• George Skinner (1965–1966)
• Mokhtar Arribi (1966–1967)
• Keith Spurgeon (1967–1968)
• Ali Zantouny (1968–1969)
• Milan Selbetishi (1969–1970)
• George Ainsley (1970–1971)
• Nicolae Oaidă (1971–1972)
• Hassan Al-Amer (1972)
• Titus Ozon (1972–1974)
• Mohammed El-Khamisi (1974–1975)
• Abed Ali Al-Aqili (1975–1976)
• Mohammed El-Khamisi (1976–1977)
• Ali Al-Zaqori (1977–1978)
• Ron Bradley (1978–1980)
• Mohammed El-Khamisi (1980–1982)
• Béla Gutal (1982)
• Cicerone Manolache (1983–1984)^[17]
• Mohammed El-Khamisi (1984)
• Hashimi El-Bahlul (1984–1986)
• Mohammed El-Khamisi (1988–1989)
• Ahmed Ben Soueid (1989)
• Hashimi El-Bahlul (1991–1997)
• Ion Moldovan (1998)
• Danny McLennan (1998)
• Eugenio Bersellini (1998–1999)
• Carlos Bilardo (1999–2000)
• Miguel Angel Lemme (2000–2001)
• Francesco Scoglio (2002)
• Ilija Lončarević (2003–2004)
• Mohammed El-Khamisi (2004–2005)
• Ilija Lončarević (2005–2006)
• Mohsen Saleh (2006)
• Abou Bakr Bani (2006–2007)
• Faouzi Benzarti (2007–2009)
• Branko Smiljanić (2009–2010)
• Marcos Paquetá (2010–2012)
• Abdul-Hafeedh Arbeesh (2012–2013)
• Javier Clemente (2013–2016)
• Jalal Damja (2016–2017)
• Adel Amrouche (2017–2018)
• Fawzi Al-Issawi (2018–2019)
• Jalal Damja (2019)
• Faouzi Benzarti (2019–2020)
• Ali El Margini (2020)
• Zoran Filipović (2020–2021)
• Javier Clemente (2021–2022)
• Ramon Catala (2022)
• Corentin Martins (2022–2023)^[18]
• Hamdi Bataw (2023)
• Salim Al-Jalali (interim, 2023)
• Milutin Sredojević (2023–2024)
• Nasser Al-Hadrininew (interim, 2024–2025)
• Aliou Cissé (2025–)

Players

Current squad

The following 28 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group D matches against Angola and Cameroon on 20 and 25 March 2025.^[19][20]

Caps and goals correct as of 25 March 2025, after the match against Cameroon.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Murad Al-Wuheeshi	(1997-02-28) 28 February 1997 (age 28)	19	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
	1GK	Mohamed Darebi	(2003-05-05) 5 May 2003 (age 22)	1	0	Abu Salim
	2DF	Motasem Sabbou	(1993-08-20) 20 August 1993 (age 31)	63	2	Olympic Azzaweya
	2DF	Mehdi Al-Kout	(1999-08-29) 29 August 1999 (age 25)	9	0	Asswehly
	2DF	Majdi Erteiba	(1990-11-26) 26 November 1990 (age 34)	9	0	Al Akhdar
	2DF	Subhi Al-Dhawi	(2004-06-08) 8 June 2004 (age 21)	8	1	Al-Ittihad Tripoli
	2DF	Ahmed Saleh	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 24)	8	1	Al Akhdar
	2DF	Sanad Bin Ali	(2000-09-19) 19 September 2000 (age 24)	7	0	Al-Ittihad Tripoli
	2DF	Tahir Bin Amir	(2000-04-16) 16 April 2000 (age 25)	6	0	Al-Ittihad Tripoli
	2DF	Al Bahlul Bousahmin	(1993-12-09) 9 December 1993 (age 31)	4	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
	2DF	Mohammed Al-Shiteewi	(1993-07-29) 29 July 1993 (age 32)	3	0	Al-Hilal Benghazi
	2DF	Al Bahlul Bousahmin	(1993-12-09) 9 December 1993 (age 31)	0	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
	3MF	Faisal Al Badri	(1990-06-04) 4 June 1990 (age 35)	73	14	Al-Hilal Benghazi
	3MF	Omar Al Khouja	(2000-03-01) 1 March 2000 (age 25)	26	3	Asswehly
	3MF	Bader Hassan	(1987-10-01) 1 October 1987 (age 37)	20	0	Al Nasr Benghazi
	3MF	Osamah Al-Shuraimi	(2001-02-20) 20 February 2001 (age 24)	15	1	Asswehly
	3MF	Muhanad Madyen	(1994-03-25) 25 March 1994 (age 31)	15	0	Al-Madina
	3MF	Abdallah Dagou	(2000-09-21) 21 September 2000 (age 24)	6	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
	3MF	Elbahlul Abusahmin	(1993-09-12) 12 September 1993 (age 31)	0	0	Free agent
	4FW	Muaid Ellafi	(1996-03-07) 7 March 1996 (age 29)	38	8	Al-Ahli Tripoli
	4FW	Mohammed Soulah	(1993-07-29) 29 July 1993 (age 32)	30	3	Qadsia
	4FW	Fadel Mansour	(2002-02-21) 21 February 2002 (age 23)	17	2	Al-Ahly Benghazi
	4FW	Ahmed Krawa'a	(1989-04-21) 21 April 1989 (age 36)	13	4	Al-Ahli Tripoli
	4FW	Fahad Al Mesmari	(2004-06-10) 10 June 2004 (age 21)	5	1	Club Africain
	4FW	Ezoo El Mariamy	(1998-08-22) 22 August 1998 (age 26)	5	1	Al-Hilal Benghazi
	4FW	Taha Al-Shalawi	(1997-02-21) 21 February 1997 (age 28)	4	0	Al-Hilal Benghazi

Recent call-ups

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	Abdeljawad Hameida	(1994-01-20) 20 January 1994 (age 31)	1	0	Al Nasr Benghazi	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
GK	Mohamed Ayad	(2002-01-15) 15 January 2002 (age 23)	0	0	Al-Tahaddy	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
GK	Aseel Al-Maqsabi	(2000-08-02) 2 August 2000 (age 25)	0	0	Al Nasr Benghazi	v.  Cape Verde; 11 June 2024
DF	Ali Yousef	(2001-07-09) 9 July 2001 (age 24)	15	0	Club Africain	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
DF	Mohammed Khaleel	(2001-12-13) 13 December 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Al-Ittihad Tripoli	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
DF	Ahmed El Trbi	(1992-06-06) 6 June 1992 (age 33)	59	0	Al-Ahli Tripoli	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
DF	Hamed El Thalba	(1995-01-16) 16 January 1995 (age 30)	6	0	Al-Hilal Benghazi	v.  Benin; 10 September 2024
DF	Hassan Abbas	(1996-08-07) 7 August 1996 (age 29)	0	0	Al Akhdar	v.  Rwanda; 4 September 2024
DF	Nassim Anan	Unknown	0	0	Al-Madina	v.  Rwanda; 4 September 2024
DF	Talal Farhat	(1994-09-08) 8 September 1994 (age 30)	12	0	Al-Ittihad Tripoli	v.  Cape Verde; 11 June 2024
DF	Abdelaziz Ali	(1997-02-04) 4 February 1997 (age 28)	6	0	Al-Ittihad Tripoli	v.  Cape Verde; 11 June 2024
DF	Mohamed Al-Takbali	(1999-04-12) 12 April 1999 (age 26)	5	0	Asswehly	v.  Cape Verde; 11 June 2024
DF	Osama Al-Sareet	(2002-01-28) 28 January 2002 (age 23)	2	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi	v.  Cape Verde; 11 June 2024
MF	Suhaib Shafshuf	(1991-01-19) 19 January 1991 (age 34)	17	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
MF	Nouraldin Al-Qulaib	(2001-03-22) 22 March 2001 (age 24)	12	0	Al-Ahli Tripoli	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
MF	Osama Belaid	(1998-11-28) 28 November 1998 (age 26)	3	0	Al-Hilal Benghazi	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
MF	Ahmed Saad	(1997-01-14) 14 January 1997 (age 28)	5	0	Al-Hilal Benghazi	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
MF	Abdussalam Tubal	(1993-06-23) 23 June 1993 (age 32)	32	0	Al-Nasr Benghazi	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
MF	Ismael Tajouri-Shradi	(1994-03-28) 28 March 1994 (age 31)	7	0	Asswehly	v.  Benin; 10 September 2024
MF	Tarek B'Shara	(2000-01-22) 22 January 2000 (age 25)	5	0	Al-Ahli Tripoli	v.  Benin; 10 September 2024
MF	Salem Boushaala	(2004-01-22) 22 January 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Al-Ittihad Misurata	v.  Benin; 10 September 2024
MF	Faraj Ghaidan	(2001-07-15) 15 July 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Al Ta'awon	v.  Benin; 10 September 2024
MF	Moatasem Al-Musrati	(1996-04-06) 6 April 1996 (age 29)	42	2	Beşiktaş	v.  Rwanda; 4 September 2024 WD
MF	Abdulmunem Aleiyan	(1997-01-11) 11 January 1997 (age 28)	5	1	Al-Ahly Benghazi	v.  Cape Verde; 11 June 2024
MF	Hussein Taktak	(2002-04-20) 20 April 2002 (age 23)	3	1	Al-Ahly Benghazi	v.  Cape Verde; 11 June 2024
FW	Abdullah Al-Meehoub	(1995-08-24) 24 August 1995 (age 29)	1	0	Al Nasr Benghazi	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
FW	Ahmed Elmsmari	(2006-01-21) 21 January 2006 (age 19)	0	0	Barcelona U19	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
FW	Fadel Ali Salama	(2002-02-21) 21 February 2002 (age 23)	14	2	Al-Ahly Benghazi	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
FW	Mouath Eissa	(1999-05-08) 8 May 1999 (age 26)	15	1	Al-Ittihad Tripoli	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
FW	Abdulmuyassir Boushibah	(2004-02-02) 2 February 2004 (age 21)	5	1	Al-Ittihad Misurata	v.  Nigeria, 11 October 2024
FW	Mohamed Bettamer	(1993-04-01) 1 April 1993 (age 32)	3	1	Asswehly	v.  Rwanda; 4 September 2024
Notes INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad / standby WD Withdrew due to non-injury issue

Records

As of 25 March 2025^[21]

Players in bold are still active with Libya.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Ahmed Saad Osman	80	20	2001–2013
2	Faisal Al Badri	73	14	2011–present
3	Muhammad Nashnoush	72	0	2011–2021
4	Motasem Sabbou	64	2	2013–present
5	Ahmed El Trbi	61	0	2013–2022
6	Younes Al Shibani	60	3	2003–2013
7	Ali Salama	59	2	2010–present
8	Mohamed Al Ghanodi	54	8	2013–2017
9	Muhammad Al Maghrabi	52	3	2006–2013
10	Tarik El Taib	50	11	1997–2011

Top goalscorers

Rank	Name	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Ali Al-Biski	35	44	0.8	1961–1970
2	Ahmed Saad Osman	20	80	0.25	2001–2013
3	Ahmed Al Masli	17	32	0.53	1998–2008
4	Faisal Al Badri	14	73	0.19	2011–present
5	Tarik El Taib	11	50	0.22	1997–2011
6	Nader Kara	9	32	0.28	2001–2009
	Muaid Ellafi	9	39	0.23	2014–present
8	Mohamed Al Ghanodi	8	54	0.15	2011–2017
9	Ahmed Krawa'a	7	20	0.35	2009–present
	Anis Saltou	7	28	0.25	2013–2023

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1938	Part of Italy									Part of Italy
1950 to 1962	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1966	Withdrew									Withdrew
1970	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	3	5
1974	Did not enter									Declined participation
1978	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	0	1
1982	Withdrew									2	1	1	0	2	1
1986	Did not qualify									6	3	2	1	7	3
1990	Withdrew									2	1	0	1	3	2
1994	Disqualified									Disqualified
1998	Did not enter									Declined participation
2002	Did not qualify									10	1	2	7	11	22
2006										12	5	3	4	17	10
2010										6	4	0	2	7	4
2014										6	2	3	1	5	3
2018										8	3	1	4	8	11
2022										6	2	1	3	4	7
2026	Qualification in progress									6	2	2	2	6	7
2030	To be determined									To be determined
2034
Total		0/15								68	25	16	27	73	76

Africa Cup of Nations

Main article: Libya at the Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Not affiliated to CAF									Not affiliated to CAF
1959
1962
1963
1965
1968	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	4	5
1970	Did not enter									Did not enter
1972	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	3
1974	Withdrew									Withdrew
1976	Did not enter									Did not enter
1978
1980
1982	Runners-up	2nd	5	2	3	0	7	4		Qualified as hosts
1984	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	2
1986										4	2	0	2	5	4
1988	Withdrew									Withdrew
1990
1992	Did not enter									Did not enter
1994
1996
1998
2000	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	6
2002										8	3	0	5	8	14
2004										6	3	1	2	12	8
2006	Group stage	14th	3	0	1	2	1	5		12	5	3	4	17	10
2008	Did not qualify									6	2	2	2	7	6
2010										6	4	0	2	7	4
2012	Group stage	10th	3	1	1	1	4	4		6	3	3	0	6	1
2013	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	0	3
2015										2	0	1	1	0	3
2017										6	2	1	3	8	6
2019										6	2	1	3	16	11
2021										6	1	0	5	7	15
2023										6	1	1	4	2	8
2025										6	1	2	3	3	7
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2029
Total	Runners-up	3/35	11	3	5	3	12	13		90	30	16	47	106	116

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Appearances: 0
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1896 – 1948	Did not exist
1952	Did not enter
1956
1960
1964
1968	Did not qualify
1972	Did not enter
1976	Did not qualify
1980	Withdrew during qualification
1984	Did not qualify
1988	Did not enter
1992
1996
2000
2004	Did not qualify
2008
2012
2016	Did not enter
2020	Did not qualify
2024
Total		0/28

• Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since the 1992 edition.

All-Africa Games

All-Africa Games record
Appearances: 1
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1965	Did not enter
1973
1978	Group stage 1	8th	3	1	0	2	3	4
1987	Did not enter
1991
1995
1999
2003	Did not qualify
2007
2011	Did not enter
2015
2019	To be determined
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

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 4[note 2]
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2009	Group stage	7th	3	0	2	1	1	3
2011	Did not qualify
2014	Champions	1st	6	1	5	0	6	4
2016	Did not qualify
2018	Fourth place	4th	6	2	2	2	7	6
2020	Group stage	13th	3	0	2	1	1	2
2022		9th	3	1	0	2	1	2
2024	Withdrew
Total	1 title	5/7	21	4	11	6	16	17

Mediterranean Games

Mediterranean Games record
Appearances: 9
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1951	Did not enter
1955
1959
1963
1967	Group stage	8th	3	0	1	2	1	5
1971	Did not enter
1975	Group stage	7th	4	1	0	3	4	8
1979	Did not enter
1983	Group stage	9th	2	0	0	2	2	5
1987	Did not enter
1991
1993
1997	Group stage	10th	3	0	2	1	3	4
2001		7th	2	0	1	1	1	2
2005	Bronze medalists	3rd	5	1	2	2	3	10
2009			4	0	3	1	0	1
2013	Fourth place	4th	5	1	1	3	6	12
2018	Group stage	9th	2	0	0	2	1	8
2022	Did not enter
Total	Bronze medalists	9/18	30	3	10	17	21	55

• Prior to the Athens 1991 campaign, the Football at the Mediterranean Games was open to full senior national teams.

FIFA Arab Cup

FIFA Arab Cup record
Appearances: 4
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1963	Did not enter
1964	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	2	0	9	5
1966	Third place	3rd	5	2	2	1	20	4
1985	Did not enter
1988
1992
1998	Group stage	11th	4	0	0	2	2	4
2002	Withdrew
2012	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	2	0	11	8
2021	Did not qualify
2025	To be determined
Total	Runners-up	4/9	18	7	6	3	42	21

Arab Games

Arab Games record
Appearances: 9
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1953	Bronze medalists	3rd	3	2	0	1	10	14
1957	Group stage	8th	3	0	0	3	5	12
1961	Bronze medalists	3rd	5	2	1	2	13	13
1965			6	4	0	2	44	18
1976	Did not enter
1985	Group stage	5th	2	1	0	1	2	2
1992	Did not enter
1997	Group stage	6th	3	0	2	1	4	5
1999	Bronze medalists	3rd	6	3	2	1	11	6
2004	No tournament
2007	Silver medalists	2nd	4	3	1	0	7	1
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

Main article: Palestine Cup of Nations

Honours

Continental

• Africa Cup of Nations
  • Runners-up (1): 1982
• African Nations Championship
  • Champions (1): 2014

Regional

• Arab Cup
  • Runners-up (2): 1964, 2012^[23]
  • Third place (1): 1966

Friendly

• LG Cup
  • Champions (1): 2004

Summary

Senior Competitions				Total
CAF African Cup of Nations	0	1	0	1
CAF African Nations Championship	1	0	0	1
Total	1	1	0	2

See also

• 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) (The closest Libya came to qualifying for the World Cup).

Notes

1. The Libya v Nigeria match, originally scheduled for 15 October 2024, was cancelled after the Nigerian team was allegedly left stranded at Al Abraq International Airport for more than 12 hours upon arrival, two days before the match.^[10] This led the Nigeria Football Federation to refuse to play and send their team back home.^[11] CAF later confirmed that the match would not take place and stated that a decision regarding its outcome would be made.^[12] On 26 October, CAF announced that Nigeria were awarded a 3–0 walkover win, and applied fines against Libya.^[13]
2. Libya played against Tunisia at the 2020 African Nations Championship qualification, home and away, and Libya lost both matches 0–1 and 1–2. On 20 December 2019, the Tunisian Football Federation withdrew from the finals due to the pressure of the calendar after the approval of the clubs. On 31 January 2020, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to replace Tunisia with Libya in the finals.^[22]