Football in Syria

{{Short description|none}}  {{sport overview | title = Football in Syria | union = [[Syrian Arab Federation for Football|Fédération Arabe Syrienne de Football]] (SAFF) | country = Syria | sport = Association football | nickname = Nosour [[Mount Qasioun|Qasioun]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smale |first1=Simon |title=Who the Socceroos are facing as the Asian Cup kicks off, and when to watch |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-06/socceroos-asian-cup-group-b-preview-when-to-watch/10685218 |website=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=6 January 2019}}</ref> ({{langx|ar|نسور قاسيون}} {{langx|fr|Les aigles de Qasyoun}}) | first = 1900s | registered = | clubs = | national_list = | club_list = [[Syrian Premier League]] [[Syrian League 1st Division]] [[Syrian Cup]] [[Syrian Super Cup]] | intl_list = {{collapsible list | state=collapsed | '''[[Syrian football clubs in the AFC Cup|Clubs]]''' * [[AFC Champions League]]: Runners-up in [[2006 AFC Champions League|2006]] ([[Al-Karamah SC]]) * [[AFC Cup]]: Champions in [[2004 AFC Cup|2004]] ([[Al-Jaish SC (Syria)|Al-Jaish SC]]) and in [[2010 AFC Cup|2010]] ([[Al-Ittihad SC Aleppo|Al-Ittihad SC]]) | '''[[Syria national football team|National team]]''' * [[Syria at the AFC Asian Cup|AFC Asian Cup]] ([[2023 Asian Cup|2023]]): Round of 16 * [[WAFF Championship]] ([[2012 WAFF Championship|2012]]): Champions * [[FIFA Arab Cup]] ([[1963 Arab Cup|1963]], [[1966 Arab Cup|1966]], [[1988 Arab Cup|1988]]): Runners-up * [[Football at the Mediterranean Games|Mediterranean Games]] ([[Football at the 1987 Mediterranean Games|1987]]): Champions | '''[[Syria national under-23 football team|National U-23 team]]''' * [[AFC U-23 Championship]] ([[2013 AFC U-22 Championship|2013]], [[2020 AFC U-23 Championship|2020]]): Quarter-final | '''[[Syria national under-20 football team|National U-20 team]]''' * [[FIFA U-20 World Cup]] ([[1991 FIFA World Youth Championship|1991]]): Quarter-final * [[AFC Youth Championship|AFC U-20 Championship]] ([[1994 AFC Youth Championship|1994]]): Champions | '''[[Syria national under-17 football team|National U-17 team]]''' * [[FIFA U-17 World Cup]] ([[2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup|2007]]): Round of 16 * [[AFC U-16 Championship]] ([[2014 AFC U-16 Championship|2014]]): Semi-final | '''[[Syria women's national football team|Women's national team]]''' * [[WAFF Women's Championship]] ([[2005 WAFF Women's Championship|2005]], [[2022 WAFF Women's Championship|2022]]): Third place * [[Arab Women's Cup]] ([[2006 Arab Women's Championship|2006]]): Group stage |[[Syria women's national under-20 football team|Women's national U-20 team]] * [[WAFF Women's Championship|WAFF U-18 Girls Championship]] ([[2022 WAFF U-18 Girls Championship|2022]]): Runners-up |[[Syria women's national under-17 football team|Women's national U-16 team]] * [[WAFF U-16 Girls Championship]] ([[2023 WAFF U-17 Girls Championship|2023]]): Champions |[[Syria women's national under-14 football team|Women's national U-14 team]] * [[WAFF U-14 Girls Championship]] ([[2023 WAFF U-14 Girls Championship|2023]]): Champions }} }}

The [[sport]] of '''[[football (soccer)|football]]''' in the country of '''[[Syria]]''' is run by the [[Syrian Arab Federation for Football]].<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|last=FIFA.com|title=Member Association - Syria |url=https://www.fifa.com/associations/association/syr/about|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028032237/https://www.fifa.com/associations/association/syr/about|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 28, 2020|access-date=2020-08-20|website=www.fifa.com|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|title=The AFC.com - The Asian Football Confederation|url=https://www.the-afc.com/afc-home/member-associations/syria/syrian-football-association/|access-date=2020-11-04|website=The AFC|language=en-GB}}</ref> The association administers the [[Syria national football team|national football team]] as well as the [[Syrian Premier League]]. Football is the most popular sport in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/6/55/83981/Sports/World/Syria-hope-football-success-can-provide-lift-from-.aspx |title=Syria hope football success can provide lift from strife - World - Sports - Ahram Online |publisher=English.ahram.org.eg |date=2013-10-14 |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/10/14/soccer-players-aim-to-bring-joy-to-syria-through-sport/ |title=Soccer Players Aim To Bring Joy To Syria Through Sport « CBS Los Angeles |publisher=Losangeles.cbslocal.com |date=2013-10-14 |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/world/middleeast/for-a-night-at-least-soccer-unites-iraqis-and-syrians.html?_r=0|title=For a Night, Iraqis Root for the Home Team, and the Visitors|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2013-11-02}}</ref> Approximately 30% of the people in Syria are considered association football fans.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-04 |title=(Soccer) Football Fans by Country 2026 |url=https://countrycassette.com/rankings-sports-football-fans-by-country/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=countrycassette.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Tishreen SC]], [[Al-Wahda SC (Syria)|Al Wahda SC]], [[Al-Jaish SC (Syria)|Al-Jaish SC]] and [[Al-Ittihad SC Aleppo|Al-Ittihad]] are amongst the most popular clubs in the country. All teams compete in the [[Syrian Premier League]], the highest tier of Syrian football.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

==Domestic football== {{main|Syrian Premier League}} On 27 November 2004, [[Al-Jaish SC (Syria)|Al-Jaish]] won the [[2004 AFC Cup]]. Al Jaish was the first Syrian club to win a continental title, making it all the more interesting that the final opponent was [[Al-Wahda SC (Syria)|Al Wahda]], facing two Syrian clubs in the final. Both games took place in [[Abbasiyyin Stadium]]. Both clubs participated in 2005 in the AFC Champions League.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

In the [[Arab Club Champions Cup]] and the Arab Cup Winners' Cup forerunners of the Arab Champions League, it was Al Jaish who held up the banner of Syrian club football: between 1998 and 2000, the finals were scored twice in both competitions. but had to be defeated every four times.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

In the Asian Champions League (AFC Champions League), [[Al-Karamah SC|Al-Karamah]] achieved the [[2006 AFC Champions League]] second place. The team lost in the final to [[Jeonbuk Motors]] of South Korea (2–0 in Korea, 2–1 at home). In 2009, Al-Karama reached the AFC Cup final, but lost 1–1 to [[Kuwait SC|Al-Kuwait]] in the [[2009 AFC Cup]].{{fact|date=December 2023}} [[Al-Ittihad SC Aleppo|Al-Ittihad]] won the [[2010 AFC Cup]] against [[Qadsia SC|Al-Qadsia]] to become the second Syrian team to win the AFC Cup trophy.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

==Stadiums== {{main|List of football stadiums in Syria}}

Syria has a total of 35 football stadiums spread around the country. The main stadium used to be [[Abbasiyyin Stadium]] in Damascus, but when the [[Aleppo International Stadium]] was built, it replaced it.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

==National team== {{main|Syria national football team}}

The Syrian national team won the [[Football at the 1957 Pan Arab Games|1957 Pan Arab Games]], [[Football at the 1987 Mediterranean Games|1987 Mediterranean Games]] and [[2012 WAFF Championship]], yet has never qualified for a football [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]]. Even in the Asian Cup so far succeeded little. The youth selection participated three times (1989, 1995 and 2005) at the FIFA Youth World Cup and in 2005 reached the knockout stages. [[Syria national under-20 football team|Syria U20]] managed to win the [[1994 AFC Youth Championship]] by beating [[Japan national under-20 football team|Japan U20]] 2–1 in the final. The U-17 selection of the country qualified in 2007 for the World Cup in this age group and was also able to celebrate the knockout stages.{{fact|date=December 2023}} In addition to the senior national team of men and various youth teams, there is also a [[Syria women's national football team|women's national team]].{{fact|date=December 2023}}

==Women's football== {{main|Syria women's national football team}}

[[File:FirstFootballteam- Aleppo-1950.jpg|250px|thumb|The first women's football team in Syria and the Middle East (Aleppo, 1950)]] The first women's football team in Syria, the [[Levant]] and the [[Middle East]] was founded in [[Aleppo]] in 1950. For a long time there was neither an organized women's league nor an organized cup competition.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

Since the end of July 2006, the first official Syrian women's football championship runs in the form of a league with 7 teams. In addition, there is a women's national team, which, however, has not played any official international matches at FIFA level until the [[2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification]].{{fact|date=December 2023}}

==Attendances==

The average attendance per top-flight football league season and the club with the highest average attendance:

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Season !! League average !! Best club !! Best club average |- | 2023–24 || 1,577 || Al-Karamah || 3,781 |}

Source: League page on Wikipedia

==See also== *[[List of football stadiums in Syria]] *[[List of football clubs in Syria]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite web|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football-in-times-of-crisis-syrian-game-continues-on-as-inspiration-propaganda-shadow-1.16805|title=Football in times of crisis: Syrian game continues on as inspiration, propaganda, shadow|first1=Ahmed|last1=Rizvi|date=20 July 2015|access-date=27 September 2022|website=thenationalnews.com|publisher=The National News Sport|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522123205/https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football-in-times-of-crisis-syrian-game-continues-on-as-inspiration-propaganda-shadow-1.16805|archive-date=22 May 2021}}

[[Category:Football in Syria|Football in Syria]] [[Category:Sport in Syria by sport]] [[Category:Association football in West Asia by country|Syria]] [[Category:Association football in the Arab world by country|Syria]]