Football in the State of Palestine

Football in Palestine
Football in Palestine
Country	Palestine
Governing body	Palestinian Football Association (PFA); (formed in 1948, joined FIFA in 1998)
National team(s)	Palestine
Nickname(s)	أسود كنعان (Lions of Canaan); الفدائيون (The Fedayeen); الفرسان (The Knights)
First played	1950s
Clubs	See list of clubs
Club competitions
	Gaza Strip Premier League; West Bank Premier League; Gaza Strip First League; West Bank First League; Gaza Strip Second League; West Bank Second League; West Bank Third League; Palestine Women's League; Palestine Cup; Yasser Arafat Cup; Gaza Strip Super Cup
International competitions
	List National team AFC Asian Cup: Group stage (2015 & 2019); WAFF Championship (National Team): Group stage; AFC Challenge Cup (National Team): Champions in 2014; Arab Nations Cup (National Team): Group stage; ; National U-23 team AFC U-23 Championship (2018): Quarter-final; ; Women's national team WAFF Women's Championship (2014): Runners-up; ;

The sport of football in the of State of Palestine is run by the Palestinian Football Association.^[2]^[3] The association administers national teams and club competitions. They are members of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation.^[4] Women's football is popular also in Palestine. The opening match of the Palestine Women's National Football League on February 10, 2011, in the Feisal al-Husseini Stadium was attended by an estimated 8,000 people. The Women's league has six teams.^[5]^[6] Football is the most popular sport in Palestine.^[7] Honey Thaljieh is a pioneer in women's football.^[8]

^ Smale, Simon. "Who the Socceroos are facing as the Asian Cup kicks off, and when to watch". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
^ "Soccer Is Under Fire in Palestine". Vice. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
^ "For Palestine Soccer Even Coming Homer Is No Given". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
^ Shrestha, Manesh (March 8, 2012). "Palestine: A national soccer team without a nation". CNN. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
^ "Girls FC". aljazeera. 27 Jun 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
^ "Honey Thaljieh of FIFA has a dream for women's soccer - The Boston Globe". Retrieved 28 May 2018.
^ "About Palestine >> Culture". palestine-australia.com. Embassy of the State of Palestine (The General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific). Retrieved October 14, 2023. The most popular sport in Palestine is football
^ "Honey Thaljieh, de Bethleem à la Fifa". Opinion-Internationale. 6 March 2016.

[1] Smale, Simon. "Who the Socceroos are facing as the Asian Cup kicks off, and when to watch". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 January 2019.

[2] "Soccer Is Under Fire in Palestine". Vice. Retrieved 28 October 2014.

[3] "For Palestine Soccer Even Coming Homer Is No Given". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 October 2014.

[4] Shrestha, Manesh (March 8, 2012). "Palestine: A national soccer team without a nation". CNN. Retrieved July 14, 2012.

[5] "Girls FC". aljazeera. 27 Jun 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.

[6] "Honey Thaljieh of FIFA has a dream for women's soccer - The Boston Globe". Retrieved 28 May 2018.

[7] "About Palestine >> Culture". palestine-australia.com. Embassy of the State of Palestine (The General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific). Retrieved October 14, 2023. The most popular sport in Palestine is football

[8] "Honey Thaljieh, de Bethleem à la Fifa". Opinion-Internationale. 6 March 2016.

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