Lebanon back out of Vietnam Tri-Nation series

The nation cited internal strife as their primary concern ahead of the friendly tournament.

The Lebanon National Football Team has canceled their trip to Vietnam for the tri-nation friendlies scheduled to be held in the country from 9th October. Vietnam were set to host a series of friendly games and invited India and Lebanon to participate in the matches for the October 2024 FIFA international window.

According to a story by Vietnam Sports News, on 3rd October, “The Lebanon national football team has officially confirmed that they will be unable to travel to Vietnam for the scheduled FIFA Days matches in October 2024. In an official statement, they also extended their sincere apologies to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) for this unfortunate change.”

Effect of war on Lebanese domestic football

The Lebanese Football Association (LFA) has also suspended domestic football matches after Israel struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah targeted military facilities in northern Israel last month resulting in a hazardous crossfire and internal turmoil.

The LFA released a circular (42/42) stating, “In view of the current situation the country is going through, the Executive Committee of the Lebanese Football Federation decided to postpone enough matches for the championships to be determined later.”

The Lebanese Premier League, the first tier of professional football in the nation, kicked off its 2024-25 season on 20th September.

تـعمـيم رقم ٢٠٢٤/٤٢نـظـرا" للأوضـاع الـراهـنـة الـتـي تـمـر بـهـا الـبـلاد ، قـررت اللـجـنـة الـتـنـفـيـذيـة للإتـحـاد اللـبـنـانـي لـكـرة الـقـدم تـأجـيـل مـبـاريـات كـافـة الـبـطـولات الـى مـوعـد يـحـدد لاحـقـا" pic.twitter.com/NQR5L4ouhA

— Lebanese Football Association (@thelfadotcom) September 24, 2024

The national team also hosted their home FIFA World Cup Qualifier matches at Khalifa International Stadium, Qatar, and Canberra Stadium, Australia.

Last September, the team played at National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where they faced Tajikistan in a friendly match. The last time the team played on home soil was on 30th September 2023, at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut.

Impact on Vietnam’s preparations

This friendly tournament is crucial for the Vietnam football team as they are preparing for the ASEAN championship scheduled for December this year. In this tournament, Vietnam will face Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and the Philippines. 

On the other hand, the Indian football team is looking for the first win of the year. This year the team played nine games, out of which the national team managed to draw in only three games. On 30th September 2024, Blue Tigers’ head coach Manolo Márquez announced a 26-member probable list for the tri-nation friendlies.

All three nations’ FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification journey ended in the second round after each nation finished in third position on the points table.

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