INTERNATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE · MEN’S TEAM

Lebanon national rugby league team

Cedars

Lebanon’s men’s national rugby league team is known as the Cedars. Its story developed through the Lebanese community in Australia and later through domestic rugby league in Lebanon.

International beginnings: 1997 sevens; 1998 international milestone
First men’s World Cup: 2000
World Cup record through 2022: Quarter-finalists in 2017 and the 2021 edition played in 2022

When did Lebanon’s team begin?

The Lebanese federation identifies the 1997 World Sevens in Sydney as the first appearance of a Lebanese representative rugby league team. The full international programme followed in 1998. These separate formats explain why accounts use different starting years. Lebanon made its World Cup debut in 2000, before the national side played its first home fixture in Lebanon in 2002.

Key milestones

1997 — A Lebanese representative side appeared at the World Sevens in Sydney.
1998 — The full international programme began.
2000 — Lebanon entered its first Rugby League World Cup.
2002 — The Cedars played in Lebanon for the first time.
2017 and 2022 — Lebanon reached the men’s World Cup quarter-finals at both tournaments.

Understanding this team

The Cedars’ history includes both heritage players overseas and the development of the sport in Lebanon. Sevens, thirteen-a-side internationals and domestic competitions are different milestones and should not be collapsed into a single unexplained “founded” date.

Sources and further reading

Profile researched: 24 October 2026. Dates distinguish representative-team origins from governing-body formation where the sources make that distinction.