The Lebanese national football team has announced its withdrawal from an upcoming international friendly tournament in Vietnam, citing the ongoing conflict in Lebanon as the primary reason.
Teams from Vietnam, India, and Lebanon were scheduled to play in the games, which were scheduled for October 10 and 16.
The Lebanese Football Association (LFA) had initially completed all necessary team participation arrangements. However, the current war situation in Lebanon, due to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, has led to a complete halt of sports activities across the country, forcing the LFA to apologize to their Vietnamese counterparts for their inability to attend.
This unexpected absence from the international stage is expected to negatively affect the Lebanese team's preparations for the Asian Cup. Under the guidance of Montenegrin technical director Miodrag Radoluvić, the team had hoped to use this tournament as part of their training regimen for the upcoming 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
The Israel-Hezbollah conflict has suspended official championships and prevented players from engaging in regular training sessions and matches. This disruption in the team's preparatory program raises concerns about their readiness for future competitions, potentially impacting their performance in the Asian Cup qualifiers.
For the first time since Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinian club football returns this weekend as 226 teams compete across three war-scarred regions.