Palestine national football team

Palestine

Nickname(s)	أُسُودُ كَنعَان (Lions of Canaan) الْفَدَائِي (The Fedayeen) الْفُرْسَان (The Knights)
Association	Palestinian Football Association
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	WAFF (West Asia)
Head coach	Makram Daboub
Captain	Musab Al-Battat
Most caps	Abdelatif Bahdari (82)
Top scorer	Oday Dabbagh (17)
Home stadium	Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium
FIFA code	PLE
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	100 2 (24 October 2024)[1]
Highest	73 (February – March 2018)
Lowest	191 (April – August 1999)
First international
Egypt 5–0 Mandatory Palestine  (Cairo, Egypt; 4 April 1930)
Biggest win
Palestine 11–0 Guam  (Dhaka, Bangladesh; 1 April 2006)
Biggest defeat
Lebanon 9–1 Palestine  (Alexandria, Egypt; 8 August 1953)
Asian Cup
Appearances	4 (first in 2015)
Best result	Round of 16 (2023)
AFC Challenge Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 2006)
Best result	Champions (2014)
WAFF Championship
Appearances	10 (first in 2000)
Best result	Group stage (7 times)
Medal record Men's football AFC Challenge Cup 2014 Maldives Team Arab Games 1999 Amman Team

The Palestine national football team (Arabic: منتخب فِلَسطِيْن لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم), governed by the Palestinian Football Association, represents Palestine in association football. The squad is governed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) continentally, and FIFA worldwide.

A football federation in Mandatory Palestine was founded in 1928. The national team was not recognized by FIFA until 1998, after the creation of the Palestinian National Authority. The same year, Palestine played their first FIFA-recognized match in a 3–1 defeat to Lebanon in a friendly. The team has won the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup, thanks to a 1–0 win over the Philippines in the final. Their win in the competition qualified them to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, marking their first appearance in the competition. Palestine also qualified to the following edition of the Asian Cup in 2019, their first through regular qualification. They have yet to qualify for the World Cup.

The Palestinian team is known by various nicknames: "Lions of Canaan" (Arabic: أُسُودُ كَنعَان), "the Fedayoon" (Arabic: الْفَدَائِيُّون), "the Knights" (Arabic: الْفُرْسَان). Their main colours are red and white. The team reached an all-time high position of 73rd in the FIFA ranking in February 2018, after going on a 12-match unbeaten streak, from 29 March 2016 to 22 March 2018. Palestine's main venue is the Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in Al-Ram, although they have been forced to play in neutral stadiums for home matches on numerous occasions.

Football has a long tradition in Palestine. The game was originally introduced during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Palestinian Football Association was formed in August 1928, and joined FIFA in June 1929, but at the time, the association was made up of Arab clubs, Jewish clubs, and clubs representing British policemen and soldiers serving in the region during the British Mandate rule that spanned the period between World War I and the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948.^{[citation needed]}

The Mandatory Palestine national team made its debut against Cairo (Egypt) in 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification, losing 0–5 in Cairo, Egypt. The team played five international matches, including a friendly match against Lebanon that Palestine won 1–5; until the British Mandate for Palestine national team was dissolved. During those five games, the national team fielded only Jewish players.^[2]

Maccabi leader Yosef Yekutieli attempted for Maccabi Association's membership in the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) as early as 1925.^[3] The application was turned down, as only associations representing states could be admitted as members. Yekutieli thus decided to create the Palestine Football Association (PFA). Maccabi officials were obliged to include Arab teams. The association's first session was held in the summer of 1928. Notwithstanding the fourteen Jewish representatives that partook, one Arab delegate participated – an individual representing Arab Sports Club of Jerusalem.^[4] FIFA accepted the PFA on 17 May 1929 and during the first years of the PFA, Arab clubs partook in PFA sanctioned-matches.^[5] During this time, 11 of the 69 PFA teams were Arab, but after the mid-1930s, until its transformation into the IFA, its membership became largely Jewish with only minor Arab membership.^[6]

The Arab Palestinian Sports Federation (APSF) was born in April 1931 due to the belief that the PFA did not represent Arab interests. A Palestinian national team played its first match against a squad from the American University of Beirut in the same year according to Falastin.^[7] Due to the 1936 revolt, the activities of the APSF were hampered and the federation completely disappeared toward the end of the 1930s.^[8]

While the PFA was established in 1928, the first international match played by Palestine was an 8–1 defeat away to Egypt in 1953.^[9] The last game saw Palestine lose to Libya 5–2, to finish bottom of the group.^{[citation needed]}

At the 1965 Arab Games, Palestine were grouped with Aden, Iraq, Lebanon and the United Arab Republic. They finished second, thus advancing to the semi-finals for the first time. Palestine faced Sudan and were beaten 2–1. In the third place play-off, Palestine met Libya, where they lost 4–2. Palestine participated in the 1966 Arab Cup held in Iraq; they were drawn in Group B alongside Syria, Libya and North Yemen. Starting with a 0–0 draw to Libya, Palestine beat North Yemen 7–0 before losing 3–1 to Syria. They ended the tournament with four points and failed to qualify to the knock-out stages of the competition.^[10]

Palestine were drawn alongside Libya, North Yemen and Syria in the 1966 Arab Cup. With one win, a draw and a loss, Palestine was eliminated in the group stage.^[11]

The national team participated in the 1976 Arab Games, held in Damascus. Palestine started their campaign with two defeats to Morocco (3–0) and Saudi Arabia (3–1), before defeating Jordan (2–1). They lost to hosts Syria (2–0) in their fourth game of the tournament, drew against South Yemen (0–0), and finished with a win against Mauritania (1–0) to end the tournament in 6th place.^[12] Palestine participated in the 1992 Arab Cup held in Syria; they were drawn in Group B alongside the hosts and Saudi Arabia but were eliminated from the group stage after one draw and one loss.^[13]

In May 1995, the PFA was granted the status of provisional member in FIFA. Palestine eventually gained FIFA membership on 8 June 1998 after numerous attempts since 1946.^[14][8] Under Ricardo Carugati, Palestine played their first official matches in July 1998 against Lebanon, Jordan and Syria at the 1998 Arab Cup qualification.^[15]

In the next year, Palestine took part in the 1999 Arab Games held in Jordan. There, they won games against Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, drew with Libya and Syria, while only losing to hosts Jordan. Palestine finished in the third-place which is their best result to date. In their first ever Asian Cup qualification, Palestine was drawn into a five-team group with Jordan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Qatar. A single victory 2–0 against Pakistan proved to be not enough to qualify as they lost 1–0 to Qatar, 5–1 to Jordan before finishing the campaign with a 2–0 defeat to Kazakhstan.^[16]

Managed by Mustafa Yacoub, Palestine drew into Group C of the 2002 World Cup qualification along with Hong Kong, Malaysia and Qatar. The team finished in second place. In the 2002 Arab Cup, Palestine crashed out of the group stage. Under Nicola Hadwa Shahwan, the team were drawn alongside Kuwait, Qatar and Singapore. Palestine finished last with two points.^{[citation needed]}

After a failed Asian Cup qualifying campaign, the PFA hired Austrian coach Alfred Riedl to lead the team during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification. Palestine was included in a group with Uzbekistan, Iraq and Chinese Taipei. They won both games against Chinese Taipei, drew 2–2 with Iraq, however this was insufficient for Palestine to advance beyond the second round as they lost both fixtures versus Uzbekistan 3–0 apart from a 3–0 defeat at the hands of Iraq. Palestine took part in the inaugural AFC Challenge Cup held in Bangladesh. They were drawn alongside the host team, Cambodia and Guam. In the group stage, Palestine registered their biggest win ever, a 11–0 victory over Guam. Palestine advanced from Group C and met Kyrgyzstan in the quarter-finals. After playing a goal-lees first half, they were beaten with a last-gasp goal. In the summer of 2006, Palestine achieved its highest FIFA ranking at 115, placing them 16th in the Asian continent.^{[citation needed]}

Managed by Azmi Nassar, Palestine were drawn with China national football team, Iraq and Singapore during the 2007 Asian Cup qualification. Palestine finished in the bottom with 4 points. They achieved their only win against Singapore 1–0.^[17]

In 2008, with the help of FIFA's goal program, the PFA built the Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium, and on 26 October 2008. Palestine held a match at their home for the first time since they became a member of FIFA, a 1–1 draw with Jordan ahead of a crowd of over 7,000.^[18] Palestine entered the first round of 2010 World Cup qualification and were eliminated after only one match that finished 4–0 for Singapore. The second leg was not played as scheduled due to the Palestinian team being barred from traveling.^[19] However, the FIFA refused to reschedule the match and Palestine forfeited the game 3–0.^[20]

The 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualifying draw put Palestine in Group C, with Afghanistan (later withdrew), Kyrgyzstan, and Nepal. They started the run with a goalless draw against hosts Nepal.^[21] The final game finished in a 1–1 draw with Kyrgyzstan to miss the chance of qualification on goal difference.^[22]

Palestine drew into group C with Jordan, Libya and Sudan for the 2011 Arab Games. They lost the opening match 4–1 to Jordan in Doha. The team improved in the second match against Libya which finished 1–1. The last game against Sudan was won by Palestine 2–0 to clinch the second-place berth in the tournament.^[23] At the semi-finals they lost 3–1 to Bahrain. The team completed their campaign with a 3–0 loss to Kuwait.^{[citation needed]}

During the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Palestine were drawn with Afghanistan in the first round. The first leg was won 2–0,^[24] while the second leg ended in a draw 1–1.^[25] On 3 July 2011, the first World Cup qualifying match played at home, Palestine took the lead with a long-range shot by Houssam Wadi. Palestine reached the second round to face Thailand. The first match was lost 1–0 in Buriram, while the second match resulted in Palestine's elimination.^{[citation needed]}

The PFA chose not to renew Moussa Bezaz's contract after exiting the second round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Jamal Mahmoud, a former player and manager of Al-Wehdat, was announced as the national team manager in November 2011, after two disastrous friendly matches, without a permanent manager saw defeats against Indonesia and Iran 4–1 and 7–0, respectively. Palestine made history by playing and defeating their first UEFA rival Azerbaijan, on 2–0.^[26] The match was later registered as unofficial for unknown reasons.^{[citation needed]}

Mahmoud later led the team in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup. In the run-up, Palestine finished group play at the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup without conceding a goal after 2–0 wins over Nepal and Maldives alongside a 0–0 draw against Turkmenistan on the way to a semifinal exit at the hands of eventual champions North Korea. The third place play-off ended in a 4–3 loss against the Philippines. During the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification, Palestine drew into Group D with Bangladesh, Nepal and the Northern Mariana Islands. They started with a hard win against Bangladesh 1–0. The next game ended in a 9–0 rout over the Northern Mariana Islands. The qualifiers finished in a goalless draw against Nepal to earn a second straight AFC Challenge Cup berth.^{[citation needed]}

The team ended up winning the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup by drawing only one of the 5 matches without conceding a goal. In the opening match, Palestine won against Kyrgyzstan with a last-gasp goal by Abdelhamid Abuhabib.^[27] In the next group game, they played against Myanmar and won 2–0.^[28] The ended the first round with a 0–0 draw against hosts Maldives.^[29] Palestine advanced as group winners to the semi-finals where they faced Afghanistan. The match ended in favor of the Palestinians with a 2–0 win.^[30] At the final, Palestine clinched the win over the Philippines with a lone goal scored by Ashraf Nu'man through a free-kick.^[31] The victory gave the Palestine team their first major trophy and guaranteed their participation in the next year's AFC Asian Cup. Following its 2014 AFC Challenge Cup win and qualification for the Asian Cup, Jamal Mahmoud resigned as national team manager citing differences with the Palestine Football Association.^[32]

Palestine was placed in Group D along with Japan, Jordan and Iraq in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup having lost all three group matches. They started their campaign with a 0–4 defeat by Japan.^[33] In the second game Palestine were beaten 1–5, with the opposing team ending the first half with a 3 goals lead. In the second half, Palestine scored their first ever Asian Cup goal by Jaka Ihbeisheh six minutes before the end. However, at this point they were eliminated.^[34] The participation ended with a 0–2 defeat to Iraq.^[35] After a disastrous performance in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, the PFA appointed Olympic team manager Abdel Nasser Barakat as national team manager, who then decided not to pick several veteran players as the team moved to overhaul.^{[citation needed]}

Palestine registered two 6–0 wins over Malaysia during 2018 World Cup qualifying. Those results, combined with a 0–0 draw at home to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, placed Palestine close to qualification for the third round of Asian World Cup qualifiers. They were eliminated from the qualification following a 2–0 defeat to the UAE on 24 March 2016. They won their final FIFA World Cup qualification match at home 7–0 against Timor-Leste, five days later.^[36]

Although eliminated from the World Cup, Palestine advanced to the third round of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification. Drawn with Oman, the Maldives and Bhutan, Palestine came second in the group with five wins and one defeat, and qualified to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup for the first time through regular qualification. Between February and March 2018, Palestine reached their best ever FIFA ranking of 73rd, thanks to an unprecedented 12-match unbeaten streak (between 29 March 2016 and 22 March 2018), winning eight and drawing four. In February 2018, Palestine achieved their best-ever FIFA ranking (73rd).^[15]

On 19 December 2017, Julio César Baldivieso was hired after Abdel Nasser Barakat was released.^[37] The hiring was widely criticized by Palestinian fans.^[38] On 22 April 2018, the PFA appointed Noureddine Ould Ali as head coach to lead the team in the next period. Palestine was crowned champion of the 2018 Bangabandhu Cup as an invited country to the tournament. In the road to the final, they topped their group with 6 points, defeating Tajikistan 2–0 before winning against Nepal 1–0 with a Khaled Salem header.^[39] In the semi-final Palestine knocked out Bangladesh 2–0 with the goals coming in each half. At the final, Palestine played Tajikistan for the second time. The match ended 0–0 in regular time, to be decided in a penalty shoot-out which Palestine won 4–3.^[40]

Drawn with Australia, Syria and Jordan, Palestine started their 2019 AFC Asian Cup campaign on 6 January 2019 with a 0–0 draw to Syria.^[41] Five days later, Palestine faced title-holders Australia; a header by Jamie Maclaren and a goal by Awer Mabil sent Palestine trailing 2–0 at half-time. Australia sealed the win with a 90th-minute header from Apostolos Giannou. On 15 January 2019, Palestine headed into their last group-stage match needing all three points against Jordan, and hoping for a Syria win against Australia. In the 17th minute, Palestine came close to scoring when Amer Shafi produced a fingertip save to keep out Abdelatif Bahdari. In the second half, Oday Dabbagh failed to score from two headers, and the match ended in a 0–0 draw.^[42]

Between July and August 2019, Palestine participated in the 2019 WAFF Championship; they were drawn with hosts Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. Palestine ended the tournament with two wins, one draw and one defeat, and finished in second place in their group: however, this wasn't enough to reach the final.^[43]

Palestine were drawn with Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Yemen at the 2022 World Cup qualification. They kicked-off with a historic win over Uzbekistan 2–0 in Al-Ram.^[44] Five days later, Palestine were defeated 2–1 to Singapore.^[45] On 15 October 2019, Palestine drew 0–0 with Saudi Arabia, during which its decades-long boycott of play in the West Bank came to an end in protest against Israel's control over Palestinian territories.^[46] Thereafter, the team lost again to Yemen 1–0.^[47] This was later followed with another away loss to Uzbekistan, thus placing Palestine in the bottom and reducing the country's opportunity to reach the final round.^{[citation needed]}

Manager Noureddine Ould Ali lost his job after 2022 World Cup qualification resumed in 2021 following a 5–0 loss to Saudi Arabia. In April 2021, Tunisian coach Makram Daboub, who had previously worked as a goalkeeping coach under the leadership of Noureddine Ould Ali, who was dismissed, was assigned to supervise the national team on a temporary basis. Daboub led Palestine to victory over Singapore and Yemen.^{[citation needed]} In June 2022, Palestine qualified for their third straight AFC Asian Cup finals, winning all three games against Mongolia, Yemen and Philippines.^{[citation needed]}

On 23 January 2024, Palestine recorded their first ever Asian Cup victory and their first ever qualification to the Asian Cup knockout stage after a 3–0 victory over Hong Kong in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.^[48] They ended up losing 1–2 to the hosts Qatar in the quarterfinal despite taking the lead through Oday Dabbagh's goal in the 37th minute.^[49][50]

On 7 June 2024, Palestine qualified to the Third Round of FIFA World Cup qualification for the first time after a 0–0 draw against Lebanon, securing second place in their qualification group behind Australia.^[51] This result also saw them qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, their fourth consecutive qualification to the tournament.

The Palestinian Football Association faces problems in training and playing due to the Israeli conflict with the Palestinians.

Because of travel restrictions placed by Israel upon people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the difficulty in obtaining an exit visa from Israel, many players in the team are drawn from the Palestinian diaspora, from as far away as Chile and the United States.^[52] Recently, Israel's refusal to issue exit visas has resulted in players, or in some case the entire team, being unable to represent the territories. In November 2006 all players based inside the West Bank and Gaza Strip were denied exit visas. The AFC cancelled the match since both teams had been eliminated from the competition by virtue of their previous results against China and Iraq.^[53]

In October 2007, the second leg of a crucial 2010 World Cup qualifier between Palestine and Singapore was not played due to Palestine's inability to obtain exit visas. The AFC and FIFA decided not to reschedule the match despite protests from the PFA, and Singapore was awarded a 3–0 win in a walkover match.^[54] In May 2008, the team was not allowed to travel to the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup. After a 2011 World Cup qualifier against Thailand, two starters, Mohammed Samara and Majed Abusidu, were refused entry to the West Bank and therefore could not travel back with the team from Thailand.^[55]

Striker Ziyad Al-Kord was prevented from travelling and had his house destroyed.^[56] Tariq al Quto was killed by the Israel Defense Forces,^[57] and during Operation Cast Lead, three Palestinian footballers, Ayman Alkurd, Shadi Sbakh and Wajeh Moshtahe, were among the Palestinian casualties.^{[citation needed]}

Mahmoud Sarsak was administratively detained by Israel in July 2009 for being a member of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine; following a hunger strike and international pressure on his behalf from FIFA president Sepp Blatter, he was released in July 2012.^[58] In 2012, Olympic Team goalkeeper Omar Abu Ruways was arrested by Israel.^[59]

Sameh Maraaba was arrested in April after returning with his team from training in Qatar. The Shin Bet accused Maraaba of exploiting his status as a Palestinian football player to act as a courier for Hamas.^[60] Shin Bet released a statement in which it contended that Maraaba admitted that, before he left for Qatar, he met a senior Hamas operative in Kalkilya, asked him to meet an operative from Hamas' military wing in Qatar and received money, a cellphone and written messages which he brought back to Kalkilya.^[60]

Palestinian facilities, such as the Palestine Stadium, have been damaged in military conflicts.^[61]

In addition, there have been reports of Israeli forces intentionally shooting Palestinian footballers in the knees and feet,^[62][63] including on one occasion ten bullets in the feet of 19 year old footballer Jawhar Nasser Jawhar.^[64]

The team's former goalkeeper Omar Abu Rwayyis was arrested in connection with an attack on IDF soldiers in April 2012.^[65]

In 2023, the team had to pull out of the Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia due to the Israel–Hamas war in October. Later that year, all 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches had to be held in neutral venues for the same reasons, though Algeria offered to host and was accepted by the PFA until FIFA and the AFC rejected the deal stating that Palestine needed to play in AFC member venues, resulting in them going to Kuwait, Qatar, and other countries in the Islamic world.

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   Withdrew

Position	Name
Head coach	Makram Daboub
Assistant coach	Fahed Attal
Team manager	Jaber Al-Fathy
Goalkeeping coach	Ala'a Omar-Ud-Din
Physiotherapists	Ahmed Al-Mutauween Ayub Salih
Team doctors	Bilal Hussein Abdallah Al-Nader
Masseur	Saeed Jaber
Team manager	Hamdallah Al-Mansour
Technical director	Abdalaziz Fathy
Head of delegation	Abdalhamid Al-Ghannoush

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games against  South Korea on 19 November 2024.^[69]

Caps and goals as of 19 November 2024, after the match against  South Korea.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Tawfiq Ali	(1989-11-08) 8 November 1989 (age 35)	40	0	Unattached
16	1GK	Baraa Kharoub	(1998-03-20) 20 March 1998 (age 26)	1	0	Hilal Al-Quds
22	1GK	Rami Hamadeh	(1994-03-24) 24 March 1994 (age 30)	54	0	Unattached
2	2DF	Wajdi Nabhan	(2001-07-27) 27 July 2001 (age 23)	1	0	Al-Jazeera
4	2DF	Yaser Hamed	(1997-12-09) 9 December 1997 (age 26)	32	5	Unattached
5	2DF	Mohammed Saleh	(1993-07-18) 18 July 1993 (age 31)	35	0	Al-Rayyan
7	2DF	Musab Al-Battat (captain)	(1993-11-12) 12 November 1993 (age 31)	69	1	Al-Faisaly
12	2DF	Camilo Saldaña	(1999-07-13) 13 July 1999 (age 25)	15	0	Al-Madina
15	2DF	Michel Termanini	(1998-05-08) 8 May 1998 (age 26)	21	2	Unattached
17	2DF	Mousa Farawi	(1998-03-22) 22 March 1998 (age 26)	17	0	National Bank of Egypt
20	2DF	Ameed Mahajna	(1996-10-11) 11 October 1996 (age 28)	11	0	Al-Rayyan
3	3MF	Mohammed Rashid	(1995-01-29) 29 January 1995 (age 29)	50	2	Persebaya Surabaya
6	3MF	Oday Kharoub	(1993-02-05) 5 February 1993 (age 31)	36	0	Kelantan United
8	3MF	Jonathan Cantillana	(1992-05-26) 26 May 1992 (age 32)	34	10	Maziya
18	3MF	Ameed Sawafta	(2000-07-10) 10 July 2000 (age 24)	5	0	Al-Ittihad Tripoli
19	3MF	Moustafa Zeidan	(1998-06-07) 7 June 1998 (age 26)	5	0	Rosenborg
23	3MF	Mohammed Darweesh	(1991-06-02) 2 June 1991 (age 33)	48	0	Hilal Al-Quds
9	4FW	Tamer Seyam	(1992-11-25) 25 November 1992 (age 31)	66	13	Al-Nasr Benghazi
11	4FW	Oday Dabbagh	(1998-12-03) 3 December 1998 (age 25)	43	16	Charleroi
13	4FW	Omar Faraj	(2002-03-09) 9 March 2002 (age 22)	5	0	Zamalek
14	4FW	Alaa Aldeen Hassan	(2000-01-31) 31 January 2000 (age 24)	8	0	Al-Arabi
21	4FW	Zaid Qunbar	(2002-09-04) 4 September 2002 (age 22)	13	3	Al-Ahly Benghazi

The following footballers were part of a national selection in the past 12 months, but are not part of the current squad.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Mahdi Assi	(2004-12-24) 24 December 2004 (age 19)	0	0	Al-Bireh	v.  Kuwait; 15 October 2024 PRE
GK	Amr Kaddoura	(1994-07-01) 1 July 1994 (age 30)	3	0	Landskrona BoIS	v.  Iraq; 10 October 2024 INJ
GK	Naim Abuaker	(1995-01-20) 20 January 1995 (age 29)	1	0	Shabab Al-Dhahiriya	2023 AFC Asian Cup
DF	Mohammed Khalil	(1998-04-05) 5 April 1998 (age 26)	17	0	Al-Hilal Benghazi	v.  Oman; 14 November 2024 INJ
DF	Samer Jondi	(1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 (age 28)	12	0	Al-Nasr Benghazi	v.  Iraq; 10 October 2024 INJ
DF	Ali Rabei	(2002-10-09) 9 October 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Anwar Al-Abyar	v.  Jordan; 10 September 2024
DF	Al-Mahdi Issa	(1998-11-03) 3 November 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Al-Borouq	v.  Bangladesh; 26 March 2024
DF	Muath Barhoush	(2002-11-25) 25 November 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Thaqafi Tulkarem	2023 AFC Asian Cup PRE
MF	Mahmoud Abu Warda	(1995-05-31) 31 May 1995 (age 29)	40	3	Al-Tahaddy	v.  Oman; 14 November 2024 INJ
MF	Ataa Jaber	(1994-10-03) 3 October 1994 (age 30)	11	0	Qatar SC	v.  Oman; 14 November 2024 INJ
MF	Samer Zubaida	(2001-04-26) 26 April 2001 (age 23)	6	0	Hilal Al-Quds	v.  Jordan; 10 September 2024
MF	Hamza Hussein	(2002-05-02) 2 May 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Al-Ansar	2023 AFC Asian Cup INJ
MF	Ahmad Al-Taweel	(2001-02-10) 10 February 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Al-Bireh	2023 AFC Asian Cup PRE
MF	Sadeq Obaid	(2002-04-26) 26 April 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Hilal Al-Quds	2023 AFC Asian Cup PRE
FW	Wessam Abou Ali	(1999-01-04) 4 January 1999 (age 25)	6	2	Al-Ahly	v.  Oman; 14 November 2024 INJ
FW	Islam Batran	(1994-10-01) 1 October 1994 (age 30)	33	6	Sada	v.  Australia; 11 June 2024
FW	Mahmoud Eid	(1993-06-26) 26 June 1993 (age 31)	25	1	Bangkok United	v.  Bangladesh; 26 March 2024
FW	Shehab Qunbar	(1997-08-10) 10 August 1997 (age 27)	8	2	Jabal Al-Mukaber	v.  Bangladesh; 26 March 2024
FW	Anas Baniowda	(2001-09-07) 7 September 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Al-Ahli Amman	v.  Bangladesh; 26 March 2024
FW	Mahmoud Wadi	(1994-12-19) 19 December 1994 (age 29)	22	0	Asswehly	2023 AFC Asian Cup
FW	Mohammed Obaid	(1998-09-30) 30 September 1998 (age 26)	1	0	Jabal Al-Mukaber	2023 AFC Asian Cup PRE
INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad SUS Currently serving a suspension

As of 26 March 2024^[70]

Players in bold are still active with Palestine.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Abdelatif Bahdari	82	9	2007–2021
2	Khader Yousef	71	2	2008–2016
3	Ramzi Saleh	68	0	2000–2015
4	Musab Al-Battat	65	1	2013–present
	Tamer Seyam	65	13	2014–present
6	Abdallah Jaber	59	2	2014–2019
7	Ashraf Nu'man	57	15	2009–2016
8	Hussam Abu Saleh	56	3	2010–2015
9	Rami Hamadeh	52	0	2013–present
	Saeb Jendeya	52	1	1999–2008

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Oday Dabbagh	17	38	0.45	2018–present
2	Ashraf Nu'man	15	57	0.26	2009–2016
3	Fahed Attal	14	41	0.34	2004–2012
4	Tamer Seyam	13	65	0.2	2014–present
5	Sameh Maraaba	12	43	0.28	2014–present
6	Ziyad Al-Kord	10	29	0.34	1997–2006
	Jonathan Cantillana	10	30	0.33	2015–present
8	Abdelatif Bahdari	9	82	0.11	2007–2021
9	Ahmad Maher Wridat	8	29	0.28	2012–2018
10	Yashir Islame	7	20	0.35	2016–2019

As of 2 September 2021^[update], the complete official match record of the Palestine national team comprises 229 matches: 66 wins, 57 draws and 106 losses.^[71][72] During these matches, the team scored 291 times and conceded 357 goals. Palestine's highest winning margin is 11 goals, which has been achieved against Guam in 2006 (11–0). Their longest winning streak is 7 wins, and their unbeaten record is 12 consecutive official matches.

Overview
Event	1st place	2nd place	3rd place	4th place
World Cup	0	0	0	0
Asian Cup	0	0	0	0
AFC Challenge Cup	1	0	0	1
WAFF Championship	0	0	0	0
Arab Cup	0	0	0	0
Arab Games	0	0	1	2
Asian Games	0	0	0	0

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Outcome	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1998	Not a FIFA member										Not a FIFA member
2002	Did not qualify										2nd	6	2	1	3	8	9
2006											3rd	6	2	1	3	11	11
2010											1st round	2	0	0	2	0	7
2014											2nd round	4	1	2	1	5	4
2018											3rd	8	4	2	2	24	5
2022											3rd	8	3	1	4	10	10
2026	To be determined										TBD	10	2	5	4	8	11
2030											To be determined
2034
Total	Best: N/A	0/6	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		Total	42	14	10	18	65	55
Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place Home venue

AFC Asian Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Outcome	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1956 to 1996	Not a AFC member										Not a AFC member
2000	Did not qualify										4th	4	1	0	3	3	8
2004											4th	6	0	2	4	3	11
2007											4th	5	1	1	3	3	9
2011											AFC Challenge Cup
2015	Group stage	16th	3	0	0	3	1	11	Squad
2019	Group stage	18th	3	0	2	1	0	3	Squad		2nd	14	9	2	3	49	8
2023	Round of 16	14th	4	1	1	2	6	7	Squad		1st	11	6	1	4	20	10
2027	Qualified										2nd	6	2	2	2	6	6
Total	Best: Round of 16	4/19	10	1	3	6	7	21	—		Total	46	19	8	19	84	52
Champions    Runners-up    Third place/semi-finalists   Home venue

AFC Asian Cup history
Year	Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Stadium
2015	Group stage	12 January	Japan	L 0–4	Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle
		16 January	Jordan	L 1–5	Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne
		20 January	Iraq	L 0–2	Canberra Stadium, Canberra
2019	Group stage	6 January	Syria	D 0–0	Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah
		11 January	Australia	L 0–3	Rashid Stadium, Dubai
		15 January	Jordan	D 0–0	Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
2023	Group stage	6 January	Iran	L 1–4	Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
		11 January	United Arab Emirates	D 1–1	Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
		15 January	Hong Kong	W 3–0	Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Al Rayyan
	Round of 16	29 January	Qatar	L 1–2	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor

AFC Challenge Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Outcome	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2006	Quarter-finals	5th of 16	4	2	1	1	16	2	Squad		Qualified as invitees
2008	Withdrew										Withdrew
2010	Did not qualify										3rd of 3	2	0	2	0	1	1
2012	Fourth place	4th of 8	5	2	1	2	7	6	Squad		1st of 4	3	2	1	0	5	1
2014	Champions	1st of 8	5	4	1	0	6	0	Squad		1st of 4	3	2	1	0	10	0
Total	Best: champions	3/5	14	8	3	3	29	8	—		Total	8	4	4	0	16	2
Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place Home venue

Palestine's WAFF Championship record
Host nation(s) and year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2000	Group stage	7th of 8	3	0	1	2	3	5	Squad
2002	Group stage	5th of 6	2	0	0	2	1	4	Squad
2004	Group stage	5th of 6	2	0	1	1	2	3	Squad
2007	Group stage	5th of 6	2	0	0	2	0	3	Squad
2008	Group stage	6th of 6	2	0	0	2	0	4	Squad
2010	Group stage	9th of 9	2	0	0	2	1	6	Squad
2012	Group stage	8th of 12	3	1	0	2	3	4	Squad
2014	Group stage	7th of 9	2	0	1	1	0	1	Squad
2019	Group stage	3rd of 9	4	2	1	1	6	5	Squad
2023	Qualified as invitees
Total	Best: group stage	10/10	22	3	4	15	16	35	—
Champions    Runners-up    Third place/semi-finalists   Home venue

FIFA Arab Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Outcome	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1963 and 1964	Did not participate									Did not participate
1966	Group stage	5th of 9	3	1	1	1	8	3		No qualification
1985 and 1988	Did not participate									Did not participate
1992	Group stage	5th of 6	2	0	1	1	1	2		No qualification
1998	Did not qualify									4th of 4	3	0	1	2	3	6
2002	Group stage	9th of 10	4	0	3	1	7	9		No qualification
2012	Group stage	9th of 10	2	0	1	1	2	4		No qualification
2021	Group stage	15th of 16	3	0	1	2	2	10		1st of 2	1	1	0	0	5	1
Total	Best: Group stage	5/10	14	1	7	6	20	28		Total	4	1	1	2	8	7
Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place Home venue

Palestine's Arab Games record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
Alexandria 1953	Group stage	6th of 6	2	0	0	2	3	13	Squad
Beirut 1957	Did not participate
Casablanca 1961
Cairo 1965	Fourth place	4th of 10	6	2	1	3	7	9	Squad
Damascus 1976	Final group	6th of 7	6	2	1	3	4	9	Squad
Rabat 1985	Did not participate
Aleppo 1992	Group stage	5th of 6	2	0	1	1	1	2	Squad
Beirut 1997	Did not participate
Amman 1999	Third place	3rd of 11	6	2	2	2	6	9	Squad
Cairo 2007	Did not participate
Doha 2011	Fourth place	4th of 12	5	1	1	3	5	11	Squad
Total	Best: third place	6/11	27	7	6	14	26	55	—
Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place Home venue

Asian Games record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
New Delhi 1951	Did not enter
Manila 1954
Tokyo 1958
Jakarta 1962
Bangkok 1966
Bangkok 1970
Tehran 1974
Bangkok 1978
New Delhi 1982
Seoul 1986
Beijing 1990
Hiroshima 1994	Withdrew
Bangkok 1998	Did not enter
2002 to present	See Palestine national under-23 football team
Total	Best: N/A	0/13	0	0	0	0	0	0	—
Gold    Silver    Bronze Home venue

Tournament	Round	Ref
2018 Bangabandhu Cup	Winners	[73]
2020 Bangabandhu Cup	Winners	[74]

The list shown below shows the Palestine national football team all-time international record against opposing nations.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

As of 19 Nov 2024 after match against  South Korea

All friendly and international matches have been approved. A-level matches

Palestine national football team head-to-head records
Opponent	From	To	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Afghanistan	2011	2018	4	2	2	0	5	1	+4	050.00
Algeria	1969	2005	3	0	0	3	0	7	−7	000.00
Australia	2019	2023	3	0	0	3	0	9	−9	000.00
Azerbaijan	2012	2012	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100.00
Bahrain	2004	2023	8	4	1	3	8	7	+1	050.00
Bangladesh	2006	2024	8	7	1	0	16	1	+15	087.50
Bhutan	2017	2017	2	2	0	0	12	0	+12	100.00
Burundi	2020	2020	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	100.00
Cambodia	1966	2006	2	1	0	1	4	4	+0	050.00
Chile	2002	2002	1	0	0	1	1	3	−2	000.00
China	2006	2023	6	0	2	4	2	10	−8	000.00
Chinese Taipei	2004	2014	3	3	0	0	16	3	+13	100.00
Comoros	2021	2021	1	1	0	0	5	1	+4	100.00
Egypt	1953	1973	3	0	0	3	4	23	−19	000.00
Greece	1938	1938	2	0	0	2	1	4	−3	000.00
Guam	2006	2006	1	1	0	0	11	0	+11	100.00
Hong Kong	2001	2024	3	2	1	0	5	1	+4	066.67
India	2013	2014	2	2	0	0	7	4	+3	100.00
Indonesia	2011	2023	3	1	1	1	3	5	−2	033.33
Iraq	1965	2024	18	0	4	14	7	39	−32	000.00
Iran	2000	2024	6	0	2	4	3	18	−15	000.00
Jordan	1976	2024	16	1	6	9	13	42	−29	006.25
Japan	2015	2015	1	0	0	1	0	4	−4	000.00
Kazakhstan	2000	2000	2	0	0	2	2	5	−3	000.00
Kuwait	2002	2024	10	1	2	7	9	22	−13	010.00
Kyrgyzstan	2006	2021	7	1	3	3	6	8	−2	014.29
Lebanon	1940	2024	9	3	5	1	9	5	+4	033.33
Libya	1953	2011	7	0	5	2	7	12	−5	000.00
Malaysia	2001	2015	5	4	0	1	18	4	+14	080.00
Maldives	2012	2017	4	3	1	0	13	1	+12	075.00
Myanmar	2011	2014	3	2	0	1	6	5	+1	066.67
Morocco	1976	2021	3	0	0	3	1	10	−9	000.00
Mauritania	1976	2010	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1	050.00
Nepal	2009	2018	4	2	2	0	3	0	+3	050.00
North Korea	1966	2012	2	0	0	2	1	7	−6	000.00
South Korea	2024	2024	2	0	2	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Northern Mariana Islands	2013	2013	1	1	0	0	9	0	+9	100.00
Oman	2012	2024	5	1	0	4	4	7	−3	020.00
Pakistan	2000	2018	5	5	0	0	11	1	+10	100.00
Philippines	2011	2022	4	2	1	1	8	4	+4	050.00
Qatar	1972	2018	12	1	2	9	12	19	−7	008.33
Saudi Arabia	1976	2021	11	0	4	7	6	22	−16	000.00
Seychelles	2020	2020	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
Singapore	2003	2021	6	2	1	3	6	8	−2	033.33
Sri Lanka	2020	2020	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100.00
Sudan	1965	2010	8	0	4	4	8	14	−6	000.00
Syria	1966	2019	15	2	5	8	13	25	−12	013.33
Tajikistan	2016	2018	4	1	3	0	6	4	+2	025.00
Tanzania	2011	2011	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	000.00
Thailand	2011	2011	2	0	1	1	2	3	−1	000.00
East Timor	2015	2016	2	2	0	0	10	0	+10	100.00
Tunisia	1969	1973	2	0	1	1	3	7	−4	000.00
Turkmenistan	2012	2012	1	0	1	0	0	0	+0	000.00
United Arab Emirates	1999	2024	6	1	3	2	3	7	−4	016.67
Uzbekistan	2004	2023	6	1	0	5	2	10	−8	016.67
Vietnam[c]	1966	2023	3	1	0	2	3	7	−4	033.33
Yemen	2010	2022	7	5	0	2	13	5	+8	071.43
Total	1940	2024	256	73	65	118	323	403	−80	028.52

Last updated: Palestine vs Kuwait, 15 October 2024. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.^[75]

• AFC Challenge Cup
  • Champions (1): 2014

• Arab Games
  • Bronze medal: 1999

• Bangabandhu Cup
  • Champions (2): 2018, 2020

Competition				Total
AFC Challenge Cup	1	0	0	1
Arab Games	0	0	1	1
Total	1	0	1	2

• List of men's national association football teams
• West Bank Premier League
• Gaza Strip Premier League
• Football in Palestine
• Sport in Palestine

• PFA official website (in Arabic)
• Palestine at FIFA
• Palestine at AFC
• ELO team records