The new head coach of the Lebanese national team, Algerian Majid Bouguerra, has named his first squad following his appointment to oversee the “Men of the Cedars.” This team will face Yemen in a crucial match on June 4 at 19:00, taking place at the Al Arabi Stadium in Doha, Qatar. This match is part of the final round of the second group stage in the third round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

This will be the last game in the continental tournament qualifiers, which were postponed in March due to security conditions in the Middle East. However, despite the qualifiers not being fully completed, the draw for the finals was recently held in Saudi Arabia, which will host the tournament. The winner of the Lebanon versus Yemen match will be placed in Group E alongside South Korea, the UAE, and Vietnam.

Bouguerra and his assistant Jamal Msbah arrived in Beirut and observed matches in the National Solidarity Championship to assess the readiness of local players. They also monitored players active abroad before finalizing a list of 26 players who will participate in the training camp in Doha. The team is scheduled to arrive in Doha on Friday morning.

The squad features the return of several players who missed the national team’s last engagement at the Arab Cup for various reasons. Notable returns include Pedro Boudebouz from Pachuca in Mexico, midfielders Hassan Sarour and Jihad Ayoub, winger Ali Al-Hajj from Al-Najma, and forwards Karim Darwish from Duhok in Iraq and Leonardo Shaheen from Östersunds FK in Sweden.

Additionally, midfielder Mahdi Zain from Ansar makes his return for the first time since being called up for a friendly against Montenegro in October 2023. He last played an international match a month prior against India.

In parallel, due to the absence of key players affected by injuries or suspensions (Mohammed Safwan, Mohammed Hayek, Sami Marhaj, and Hussein Shukron), three new names are joining the national team for the first time. Bouguerra has called up midfielder Ali Al-Fadl from Al-Najma, young winger Jimmy Qazan, who plays for Anorthosis Famagusta in Cyprus, and winger Austin Ayoub from Adelaide United in Australia.

Here is the squad:

**Goalkeepers:** Mustafa Matar (Al-Najma), Mahdi Khalil (Al-Ahed), Ali Al-Sabaa (Joua)

**Defenders:** Hussein Zain, Khalil Khamis, and Qassem Al-Zain (Al-Najma), Nasar Nasar (Al-Ansar), Hussein Sharafeddine (Safaa), Hassan Farhat and Walid Shour (Joua), Pedro Boudebouz (Pachuca, Mexico)

**Midfielders:** Mohammed Haidar (Al-Ahed), Ahmad Khaireddine, Ali Tanish, and Mahdi Zain (Al-Ansar), Ali Al-Fadl (Al-Najma), Jihad Ayoub and Hassan Sarour (Joua), Gabriel Betar (York United, Canada)

**Forwards:** Zain Fran (Joua), Ali Al-Hajj (Al-Najma), Omar Shaaban (AFC Wimbledon, England), Leonardo Shaheen (Östersunds FK, Sweden), Karim Darwish (Duhok, Iraq), Jimmy Qazan (Anorthosis Famagusta, Cyprus), Austin Ayoub (Adelaide United, Australia).