Federation Cup (Lebanon) 2023/24

The Lebanese Federation Cup is a pre-season domestic league cup organized by the Lebanese Football Association. It serves as a preparatory tournament for the Lebanese Premier League, distinct from the primary national knockout competition, the Lebanese FA Cup. The Federation Cup is contested exclusively by the twelve clubs of the top-flight Lebanese Premier League, whereas the FA Cup includes teams from the second and third divisions. The competition has a discontinuous history, having been first held in 1969 and revived in 1999 after a hiatus. It was suspended again from 2005 to 2022, during which time other pre-season tournaments were held. In 2023, the LFA revived the Federation Cup to replace these predecessors. The current format involves all twelve Premier League teams divided into four groups of three. The group stage is a single round-robin. The top team from each group advances to a single-match knockout semi-final and final. Ties are decided by penalty shoot-outs after extra time. Most successful clubs are Al Ansar and Al Ahed, each with two titles. Other winners include Shabiba Mazraa and Riada Wal Adab. The current holders are Al Ahed, who won the 2023 edition. The Federation Cup is a secondary, pre-season league cup for top-flight teams only. The Lebanese Super Cup is contested between the League Champion and the FA Cup Winner. The Federation Cup does not determine the domestic cup champion, a role reserved for the FA Cup. The competition is not open to lower division teams. It is a league cup, not a knockout cup for the nation. The 2023 season featured clubs such as Al Ansar, Tripoli SC, Shabab Al Ghazieh, Racing, Al Ahed, and Shabab Al Sahel. The tournament is organized annually. It is not a permanent fixture, having seen suspensions. The format has remained consistent since the 2023 revival. The group stage is followed by a knockout phase. There are no replays in the knockout stage.