# Football in Syria

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Football in Syria Country Syria Governing body Fédération Arabe Syrienne de Football (SAFF) National team Syria Nicknames Nosour Qasioun[1] (Arabic: نسور قاسيون French: Les aigles de Qasyoun) First played 1900s Club competitions Syrian Premier League Syrian League 1st Division Syrian Cup Syrian Super Cup International competitions List Clubs AFC Champions League: Runners-up in 2006 (Al-Karamah SC) AFC Cup: Champions in 2004 (Al-Jaish SC) and in 2010 (Al-Ittihad SC) National team AFC Asian Cup (2023): Round of 16 WAFF Championship (2012): Champions FIFA Arab Cup (1963, 1966, 1988): Runners-up Mediterranean Games (1987): Champions National U-23 team AFC U-23 Championship (2013, 2020): Quarter-final National U-20 team FIFA U-20 World Cup (1991): Quarter-final AFC U-20 Championship (1994): Champions National U-17 team FIFA U-17 World Cup (2007): Round of 16 AFC U-16 Championship (2014): Semi-final Women's national team WAFF Women's Championship (2005, 2022): Third place Arab Women's Cup (2006): Group stage Women's national U-20 team WAFF U-18 Girls Championship (2022): Runners-up Women's national U-16 team WAFF U-16 Girls Championship (2023): Champions Women's national U-14 team WAFF U-14 Girls Championship (2023): Champions

The [sport](/source/Sport) of **[football](/source/Football_(soccer))** in the country of **[Syria](/source/Syria)** is run by the [Syrian Arab Federation for Football](/source/Syrian_Arab_Federation_for_Football).[2][3] The association administers the [national football team](/source/Syria_national_football_team) as well as the [Syrian Premier League](/source/Syrian_Premier_League). Football is the most popular sport in the country.[4][5][6] Approximately 30% of the people in Syria are considered association football fans.[7]

[Ri'ayet al-Shabab Stadium](/source/Ri'ayet_al-Shabab_Stadium) in [Aleppo](/source/Aleppo).

[Al-Hasakah Municipal Stadium](/source/Al-Hasakah_Municipal_Stadium) in [Al-Hasakah](/source/Al-Hasakah).

[Tishreen SC](/source/Tishreen_SC), [Al Wahda SC](/source/Al-Wahda_SC_(Syria)), [Al-Jaish SC](/source/Al-Jaish_SC_(Syria)) and [Al-Ittihad](/source/Al-Ittihad_SC_Aleppo) are amongst the most popular clubs in the country. All teams compete in the [Syrian Premier League](/source/Syrian_Premier_League), the highest tier of Syrian football.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Domestic football

Main article: [Syrian Premier League](/source/Syrian_Premier_League)

On 27 November 2004, [Al-Jaish](/source/Al-Jaish_SC_(Syria)) won the [2004 AFC Cup](/source/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](/source/Al-Wahda_SC_(Syria)), facing two Syrian clubs in the final. Both games took place in [Abbasiyyin Stadium](/source/Abbasiyyin_Stadium). Both clubs participated in 2005 in the AFC Champions League.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

In the [Arab Club Champions Cup](/source/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.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

In the Asian Champions League (AFC Champions League), [Al-Karamah](/source/Al-Karamah_SC) achieved the [2006 AFC Champions League](/source/2006_AFC_Champions_League) second place. The team lost in the final to [Jeonbuk Motors](/source/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 [Al-Kuwait](/source/Kuwait_SC) in the [2009 AFC Cup](/source/2009_AFC_Cup).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] [Al-Ittihad](/source/Al-Ittihad_SC_Aleppo) won the [2010 AFC Cup](/source/2010_AFC_Cup) against [Al-Qadsia](/source/Qadsia_SC) to become the second Syrian team to win the AFC Cup trophy.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Stadiums

Main article: [List of football stadiums in Syria](/source/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](/source/Abbasiyyin_Stadium) in Damascus, but when the [Aleppo International Stadium](/source/Aleppo_International_Stadium) was built, it replaced it.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## National team

Main article: [Syria national football team](/source/Syria_national_football_team)

Syrian national team before [2019 AFC Asian Cup](/source/2019_AFC_Asian_Cup) match against [Australia](/source/Australia_men's_national_soccer_team)

The Syrian national team won the [1957 Pan Arab Games](/source/Football_at_the_1957_Pan_Arab_Games), [1987 Mediterranean Games](/source/Football_at_the_1987_Mediterranean_Games) and [2012 WAFF Championship](/source/2012_WAFF_Championship), yet has never qualified for a football [World Cup](/source/FIFA_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 U20](/source/Syria_national_under-20_football_team) managed to win the [1994 AFC Youth Championship](/source/1994_AFC_Youth_Championship) by beating [Japan U20](/source/Japan_national_under-20_football_team) 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.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] In addition to the senior national team of men and various youth teams, there is also a [women's national team](/source/Syria_women's_national_football_team).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Women's football

Main article: [Syria women's national football team](/source/Syria_women's_national_football_team)

The first women's football team in Syria and the Middle East (Aleppo, 1950)

The first women's football team in Syria, the [Levant](/source/Levant) and the [Middle East](/source/Middle_East) was founded in [Aleppo](/source/Aleppo) in 1950. For a long time there was neither an organized women's league nor an organized cup competition.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

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](/source/2018_AFC_Women's_Asian_Cup_qualification).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Attendances

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

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](/source/List_of_football_stadiums_in_Syria)

- [List of football clubs in Syria](/source/List_of_football_clubs_in_Syria)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Smale, Simon. ["Who the Socceroos are facing as the Asian Cup kicks off, and when to watch"](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-06/socceroos-asian-cup-group-b-preview-when-to-watch/10685218). *ABC News*. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 January 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-auto1_2-0)** FIFA.com. ["Member Association - Syria"](https://web.archive.org/web/20201028032237/https://www.fifa.com/associations/association/syr/about). *www.fifa.com*. Archived from [the original](https://www.fifa.com/associations/association/syr/about) on October 28, 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-20.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-auto_3-0)** ["The AFC.com - The Asian Football Confederation"](https://www.the-afc.com/afc-home/member-associations/syria/syrian-football-association/). *The AFC*. Retrieved 2020-11-04.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Syria hope football success can provide lift from strife - World - Sports - Ahram Online"](http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/6/55/83981/Sports/World/Syria-hope-football-success-can-provide-lift-from-.aspx). English.ahram.org.eg. 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2013-12-02.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Soccer Players Aim To Bring Joy To Syria Through Sport « CBS Los Angeles"](http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/10/14/soccer-players-aim-to-bring-joy-to-syria-through-sport/). Losangeles.cbslocal.com. 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2013-12-02.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["For a Night, Iraqis Root for the Home Team, and the Visitors"](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/world/middleeast/for-a-night-at-least-soccer-unites-iraqis-and-syrians.html?_r=0). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved 2013-11-02.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["(Soccer) Football Fans by Country 2026"](https://countrycassette.com/rankings-sports-football-fans-by-country/). *countrycassette.com*. 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2026-01-02.

## Further reading

- Rizvi, Ahmed (20 July 2015). ["Football in times of crisis: Syrian game continues on as inspiration, propaganda, shadow"](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). *thenationalnews.com*. The National News Sport. Archived from [the original](https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football-in-times-of-crisis-syrian-game-continues-on-as-inspiration-propaganda-shadow-1.16805) on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2022.

v t e Football in Syria Syrian Football Association National teams Men Senior Under-23 Under-20 Under-17 Futsal Beach soccer Women Senior Under-20 League competitions Syrian Premier League Syrian League 1st Division Syrian League 2nd Division Syrian Women Championship Cup competitions Syrian Cup Syrian Super Cup Other competitions 1974 Kuneitra Cup (defunct)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Football in Syria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_in_Syria) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_in_Syria?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.