Libya national football team

Libya's national team was first initiated in 1918, but did not play an official international until 3 August 1953, when they defeated Palestine 5–2 in the first Arab Games in 1953. The team's first manager was Masoud Zantouny, and the first foreign manager was Englishman James Bingham, who took charge of the Libyan national team for the 1961 Arab Games. The first player ever to score for the Libyan national team in an official international was Mukhtar Ghonaay.

The first penalty ever scored by a member of the national team was in the 1953 Arab Games group stage; in the match against Egypt, Ali Zantouny scored in the 3–2 defeat. The national team's first participation in the Arab Cup was in 1964, the second edition of the competition, held in Kuwait.

The first ever player to score for the Libyan national team in a non-official international was Mustapha Makki in a warm-up friendly played prior to the 1953 Arab Games tournament, played against Palestine in Alexandria in 1952. The national team's first attempt to qualify for an Olympic football tournament was in 1967, where they played their first qualification match against Niger in an attempt to qualify for the 1968 Olympic football tournament in Mexico City.

Libya first entered the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 1970. Their early attempts failed, but during the 1980s the national side strengthened. The country's geopolitical position, however, affected the football team, who had to withdraw from qualifying for the 1982 and 1990 World Cups.

Libya came closest to qualifying for the World Cup in 1986. They came to within a game of reaching the finals in Mexico. After winning their match against Sudan in their first game, the Libyans beat Ghana in the next round before taking on Morocco for a place at the finals. Morocco won the first game 3–0 and went through, even though Libya won the return leg 1–0.

After not entering the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup competition, Libya came back in the qualifying competition for Korea/Japan. The Libyans advanced to the second round at the expense of Mali, who were beaten 4–3 on aggregate. In the group stage, Libya managed only two draws in eight games.

In the qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a 9–0 two-legged victory against São Tome and Principe put the Libyans through to the group stage. Libyan player Al-Saadi Gaddafi was banned from the team after failing drug test.

A difficult group followed containing Egypt, Cameroon and Ivory Coast, the eventual group winners and qualifiers for the World Cup. However, The Knights were able to secure good results against these sides, as they beat Egypt 2–1 in Tripoli, and held Cameroon and Ivory Coast to 0–0 draws, helping them to a 4th-place finish and a place at the 2006 African Cup of Nations finals in Egypt.

During the qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Libya defeated each side in the second round during home matches (they also defeated Lesotho away). However they were defeated by Gabon in an away match, and failed to qualify to the next round on goal difference.

In the qualifying campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Libya reached the final match in the group stage without a defeat. They were defeated 1–0 by Cameroon and failed to advance to the final round.

In the qualifying campaign for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Libya defeated Rwanda 4–1 on aggregate in the second round but were eliminated after losing the first three matches in the group stages.

The biggest football tournament to be held in Libya was the 1982 African Cup of Nations. Libya qualified automatically as hosts and were put in a group alongside Ghana, Cameroon and Tunisia. The opening match of the tournament saw the hosts take on Ghana in Tripoli in a 2–2 draw. A 2–0 win over Tunisia and a goalless draw against Cameroon saw Libya topping the group.

In the semi-finals, Libya came from behind to beat Zambia 2–1 and set up another match with Ghana, this time in the final on 19 March. Ghana scored first in the 35th minute, but Libya equalised in the 70th. This was followed by a tense period of extra time in which no goals were scored. In a long penalty shootout, Ghana came out triumphant 7–6.^[3]

Libya's second African Cup of Nations saw a return to the higher levels of the international footballing scene at the 2006 African Cup of Nations finals in Egypt. They qualified for the competition after a goalless draw with Sudan in their ninth qualifying match.

Libya were drawn in Group A with Egypt (the hosts and eventual winners), 2006 World Cup-qualifiers Ivory Coast and Morocco. Libya lost 3–0 to Egypt in Cairo, then lost 2–1 to Ivory Coast. A goalless draw against Morocco saw Libya finish bottom of the group.

Libya played its first match after the Battle of Tripoli (and thus the end of the Gaddafi era in Libya) on 3 September 2011, with a new uniform sporting the National Transitional Council flag of Libya.

The match, part of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, resulted in a 1–0 victory over Mozambique. The historic goal was scored by Rabee'a al Laafi. Like Libya's previous home match, a 3–0 defeat of Comoros in qualifying, played in Stade 26 mars in Bamako, Mali, a relocation was necessary due to the ongoing Libyan Civil War, and so the Petro Sport Stadium in Cairo, Egypt became the venue. The match was played behind closed doors for security reasons.^[4]

Prior to the team's final game in the qualification campaign, against Zambia, coach Marcos Paquetá claimed that the team was now "not only playing for football success but for a new government and a new country".^[5] The match was played on 8 October 2011, and resulted in a 0–0 draw which was good enough for both teams to qualify. Paquetá and his team danced and celebrated afterwards.^[6]

In November 2011 the team travelled to the United Arab Emirates to play a friendly match against Belarus organized by FIFA and broadcast Dubai Sports. The team members, along with the Libyan national chess team, also attended an event at the Libyan Consulate in Dubai organized to honour their contribution to their country in the field of sports.^[7]

On 7 June 2013, Libya met DR Congo in its first match on home ground in two years.

Having qualified, Libya were drawn into Group A with co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, qualification rivals Zambia and pre-tournament favourites Senegal.

The Mediterranean Knights' first game, the tournament's opening match, saw them lose to an 87th-minute winner from ex-Real Madrid winger Javier Ángel Balboa. Libya went on to secure a 2–2 draw with Zambia in terrible conditions at the Estadio de Bata, before two goals from Ihaab al Bousseffi guided them to a 2–1 victory over Senegal, their first Nations Cup win in 30 years and a first on foreign soil. After four points from three games Libya was eliminated at the group stage.

Libya played Ghana in the 2014 CHAN final. Extra time was given (two 15 minutes), however both teams failed to score. It was taken to penalty shootouts, where the Libyan team scored the first three penalties, missed two others and scored the final sixth and their Ghanaian opponents missed the first two, scored the next three then missed the final sixth penalty (resulting in 3 penalties scored). The match finished (0–0) and was won by the Mediterranean Knights by penalties (4–3).

After Javier Clemente's dismissal in 2016, Jalal Damja took over the national team. He left in 2017 after his contract expired. Omar Almaryami was later appointed as coach and led Libya to the semi-finals of the 2018 African Nations Championship. After Libya's elimination by Morocco, Adel Amrouche was appointed in May 2018. His goal was to help Libya qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He led Libya to a 0–0 draw against South Africa away from home. However, days before Libya's match against Nigeria, Amrouche suddenly left the team's camp and later resigned. During an interview with Reuters, Amrouche said that the reason for his resignation was that the Libyan Football Federation was repeatedly interfering with his work as a coach. He also cited unpaid wages as a reason for his resignation.

Omar Almaryami was again appointed as a caretaker coach of Libya. The team lost twice to Nigeria (4–0 away, 3–2 home) and Almaryami was replaced by former striker Fawzi Al-Issawi, who led Libya to an 8–1 away win over Seychelles. However, Libya later lost to South Africa 2–1, and Libya failed to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. It was noted during the match that al-Issawi's assistant, Abu Bakr Bani was the one who made substitutions and instructed players, leaving many to wonder who was the actual coach.^{[citation needed]}

After the match against South Africa, Jalal Damja was reappointed as the head coach for temporary matches in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification before Faouzi Benzarti was named as new coach of Libya. Under Benzarti, Libya opened their campaign with a disastrous 1–4 loss to Tunisia, the home of Benzarti, before managed to salvage an important 2–1 win over Tanzania to gain hope for qualifying to an AFCON tournament since 2012. Yet, managerial crisis once again erupted when Benzarti left the team and Libya had to appoint a local coach, Ali El Margini, in charge against Equatorial Guinea, a team that had not won a single game in the qualification. Internal instability proved to be a rupture, as Libya lost two consecutive games against the Central African opponent and fell out of top two position. El Margini left after losing all three of his games in charge. He was replaced by Zoran Filipović, who led a team of domestic players into the 2020 African Nations Championship. Libya were eliminated in the group stage after two draws and a loss in three games. Defeats in their final two AFCON qualifiers saw Filipovic sacked in May 2021.^[8] Javier Clemente was reappointed as head coach shortly afterwards.^[9][10]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Libya national football team kits.

In the Gaddafi era the National team used to play its home matches wearing the green coloured kit representing the Flag of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. However, after the Libyan Civil War in 2011, Libya changed its flag to the new one which was used from 1951 to 1969 back when Libya was a Kingdom. This change resulted in changing the national team's kit in order to represent the new flag. The team played its home matches with colours: Red, Black and Green (as in the flag). Red dominates the strip and is the sole jersey colour. The away colours were white in both eras. Since 2011, the LFF emblem and the national team's badge was changed into the current design. The previous badge was two balls in front of green coloured Libya's map which is also in front of a sun.

During late 2011 and early 2012 the Libyan team wore white jerseys temporarily in their qualification games and 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. However, in mid-2012 the team began to use red jerseys.In 2014, Libya replaced the green socks worn by the players with black ones.

Adidas is the supplier of the official team strip.

The Tripoli Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tripoli, Libya. It can hold 80,000 spectators.

It was the main venue used by the Libyan national football team in its FIFA World Cup and African Nations Cup qualifying matches as well as friendlies and other international games.

The stadium hosted many games of the 1982 African Cup of Nations held in Libya along with the 28 March Stadium in Benghazi.

The 28 March Stadium in Benghazi was also used by the national team sometimes.

FIFA lifted the ban on Libyan stadiums in 2013, during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification. However, it was re-imposed in 2014 due to increased security concerns. The Libyan national team was forced to host games in neighboring countries such as Algeria, Morocco, Egypt or Tunisia (Tunisia the most popular choice due to its close distance to Libya).

Libya played their first home game since 2013 at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benghazi against Tunisia on 25 March 2021.

Libya's only real rivalries are with its fellow North African footballing nations, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt and, mainly, Tunisia. Matches between Libya and any one of these opponents are highly charged encounters. Libya defeated Egypt 2–1 in a World Cup qualifier on 8 October 2004, the Pharaohs only managed to beat the Libyans on their own turf twice. The rivalry was rekindled at the 2007 Arab Games, where the teams drew 0–0; Egypt eventually claimed the gold medal on goal difference from the Libyans.

Libya also has a rivalry with Morocco. Libya's last win against Morocco was during the 1986 World Cup qualifiers, which Libya won 1–0. A friendly was played between both countries on the 11th of October 2019 in which they tied. Matches between Libya and Tunisia are also very tense, the last time they played was a 5-2 win from the latter in the African Cup of Nations qualification group stage round.

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win  Draw  Loss  Fixture

Libya  v  Equatorial Guinea

6 September 2023 AFCON qualification	Libya	1–1	Equatorial Guinea	Benina, Libya
21:00 UTC+2	Taqtaq 80'	Report	Elo 62'	Stadium: Benina Martyrs Stadium Referee: Alhadi Allaou Mahamat (Chad) Assistant referees: Issa Yaya (Chad) Assistant referees: Bogola Issa (Chad) Fourth official: Alfred Armi Pousri (Chad)

Liberia  v  Libya

14 October Friendly	Liberia	2–3	Libya	Khouribga, Morocco
19:30 UTC+1	Kamara 45' Dorley 64'	Report	Eisa 3' (pen.) Bosheba 48' Salama 66'	Stadium: Phosphate Stadium Referee: Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco)

Libya  v  Niger

17 October Friendly	Libya	1–1	Niger	Khouribga, Morocco
16:30 UTC+1	El Ghadi 59'	Report	Sabo 75'	Stadium: Phosphate Stadium Referee: Mustapha Kechaf (Morocco)

Somalia  v  Libya

19 October Friendly	Somalia	0–0	Libya	Khouribga, Morocco
19:00 UTC+1		Report		Stadium: Phosphate Stadium

Libya  v  Sudan

11 November Friendly	Libya	2–1	Sudan	Benina, Libya
18:00 UTC+2	Al Badri 16' Al Khouja 70'	Report		Stadium: Martyrs of February Stadium Attendance: 0

Eswatini  v  Libya

17 November 2026 World Cup qualification	Eswatini	0–1	Libya	Mbombela, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2		Report	Krawa’a 53'	Stadium: Mbombela Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Omar Artan (Somalia)

Libya  v  Cameroon

21 November 2026 World Cup qualification	Libya	1–1	Cameroon	Benina, Libya
18:00 UTC+2	Aleiyan 43'	Report	Ntcham 34' (pen.)	Stadium: Benina Martyrs Stadium Attendance: 13,450 Referee: Adissa Abdul Raphiou Ligali (Benin)

Indonesia  v  Libya

2 January Friendly	Indonesia	0–4	Libya	Antalya, Turkey
15:00 UTC+3		Report	Krawa'a 25' Al Khouja 58' Al-Qulaib 89' Al-Qajdar 90+2'	Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex Referee: Bahattin Şimşek (Turkey)

Libya  v  Indonesia

5 January Friendly	Libya	2–1	Indonesia	Antalya, Turkey
15:00 UTC+3	Al-Shuraimi 9' Krawa'a 20'	Report	Yakob 6'	Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex Referee: Kadir Sağlam (Turkey)

Libya  v  Kuwait

12 January Friendly	Libya	3–1	Kuwait	Cairo, Egypt
18:00 UTC+2	Al Khouja 30', 20' A. Saleh 90'	Report	Zayid 78'	Stadium: Cairo International Stadium

Libya  v  Burkina Faso

22 March Friendly	Libya	2–1	Burkina Faso	Casablanca, Morocco
22:00 UTC+1	Al Badri 35' Al Khouja 62'	Report	Bouda 37'	Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium Referee: Karim Sabry (Morocco)

Togo  v  Libya

26 March Friendly	Togo	1–1	Libya	Casablanca, Morocco
22:00 UTC+1	Tchakei 39'	Report	Krawa'a 37'	Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium

Libya  v  Mauritius

6 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Libya	2–1	Mauritius	Benghazi, Libya
18:00 UTC+2	Al Badri 20' (pen.) Krawa'a 40'	Report	Bru 34'	Stadium: Martyrs of February Stadium Referee: Brighton Chimene (Zimbabwe)

Cape Verde  v  Libya

11 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Cape Verde	1–0	Libya	Praia, Cape Verde
15:00 UTC−1	Diney 10'	Report		Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde Referee: Ibrahim Kalilou Traore (Ivory Coast)

The following 27 players were called up for the friendly games against  Burkina Faso and  Togo in March 2024.^[13]

Caps and goals correct as of 5 January 2024, after the match against  Indonesia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Aseel Al-Maqsabi	(2000-08-02) 2 August 2000 (age 23)	0	0	Al Nasr Benghazi
	1GK	Murad Al-Wuheeshi	(1997-02-28) 28 February 1997 (age 27)	9	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
	1GK	Miftah Al-Taeb	(1996-01-31) 31 January 1996 (age 28)	0	0	Al Akhdar
	2DF	Salah Fakroun	(1999-02-08) 8 February 1999 (age 25)	12	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
	2DF	Ali Yousef Al-Musrati	(2001-09-07) 7 September 2001 (age 22)	6	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
	2DF	Subhi Al-Dhawi	(2004-06-08) 8 June 2004 (age 20)	5	0	Al-Ittihad Tripoli
	2DF	Mehdi Al-Kout	(1999-08-29) 29 August 1999 (age 24)	3	0	Al Akhdar
	2DF	Abdelaziz Ali	(1997-02-04) 4 February 1997 (age 27)	2	0	Al-Ahli Tripoli
	2DF	Sanad Bin Ali	(2000-09-19) 19 September 2000 (age 23)	2	0	Al Nasr Benghazi
	2DF	Majdi Erteiba	(1990-11-26) 26 November 1990 (age 33)	0	0	Al Akhdar
	2DF	Ahmed Saleh	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Al-Ittihad Tripoli
	3MF	Faisal Al Badri	(1990-06-04) 4 June 1990 (age 34)	61	10	Al-Hilal Benghazi
	3MF	Omar Al Khouja	(2000-03-01) 1 March 2000 (age 24)	18	2	Al-Ittihad Tripoli
	3MF	Abouqassim Rajab	(1999-09-03) 3 September 1999 (age 24)	9	1	Alittihad Misurata
	3MF	Nouraldin Al-Qulaib	(2001-03-22) 22 March 2001 (age 23)	6	0	Asswehly
	3MF	Daniel Elfadli	(1997-04-06) 6 April 1997 (age 27)	3	1	1. FC Magdeburg
	3MF	Ziyad Al-Elwani	(2000-05-25) 25 May 2000 (age 24)	3	0	Al Nasr Benghazi
	3MF	Osamah Al-Shuraimi	(2001-02-20) 20 February 2001 (age 23)	3	1	Asswehly
	3MF	Younes Al-Hijazi	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Al Akhdar
	4FW	Abdussalam Tubal	(1993-06-23) 23 June 1993 (age 31)	28	0	Al Nasr Benghazi
	4FW	Fadel Ali Salama	(2002-02-21) 21 February 2002 (age 22)	9	2	Al-Ahly Benghazi
	4FW	Ahmed Krawa'a	(1989-04-21) 21 April 1989 (age 35)	8	3	Al-Ahli Tripoli
	4FW	Abdulmuyassir Boushibah	(2004-02-02) 2 February 2004 (age 20)	3	0	Al-Ittihad Misurata
	4FW	Talal Al-Shalawi	(1997-02-21) 21 February 1997 (age 27)	2	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi
	4FW	Ahmed Saad Al-Shelabi	(1996-01-01) 1 January 1996 (age 28)	0	0	Al-Hilal Benghazi
	4FW	Amjad Ben Abdi	(1999-03-07) 7 March 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Al Akhdar
	4FW	Faraj Ghaidan	(2001-07-15) 15 July 2001 (age 22)	0	0	Al Ta'awon

The following players have been called up to the Libya squad in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Mohamed Darebi	(2003-05-05) 5 May 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Abu Salim	v.  Cameroon; 21 November 2023
GK	Ayman Al-Tihar	(2002-04-27) 27 April 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Al-Ahly Tripoli	v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
DF	Mohamed Al-Takbali	(1999-04-12) 12 April 1999 (age 25)	5	0	Al-Hidd	v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
DF	Osama Al-Sareet	(2002-01-28) 28 January 2002 (age 22)	2	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi	v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
DF	Mahmoud Al-Awgaly	(1997-01-21) 21 January 1997 (age 27)	0	0	Al Ta'awon	v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
DF	Jaefar Adrees	(1997-02-21) 21 February 1997 (age 27)	2	0	Al-Hilal Benghazi	v.  Cameroon; 21 November 2023
DF	Tahir Bin Amir	(2000-04-16) 16 April 2000 (age 24)	6	0	Al-Ahly Benghazi	v.  Eswatini; 17 November 2023
DF	Taha Khalil	(2001-05-06) 6 May 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Darnes	v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
DF	Hamza Al-Mugsi	(2003-02-27) 27 February 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Olympic Azzaweya	v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
MF	Hussein Taktak	(2002-04-20) 20 April 2002 (age 22)	3	1	Al-Ahly Benghazi	v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
MF	Alaa Al Qajdar	(1998-02-15) 15 February 1998 (age 26)	1	0	Al-Ittihad Tripoli	v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
MF	Mohsen Al-Awjali	(1997-01-21) 21 January 1997 (age 27)	0	0	Al Ta'awon	v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
MF	Abdulsalam Dega	(2000-09-21) 21 September 2000 (age 23)	5	0	Al-Hilal Benghazi	v.  Cameroon; 21 November 2023
MF	Abdulmunem Aleiyan	(1997-01-11) 11 January 1997 (age 27)	3	1	Abu Salim	v.  Cameroon; 21 November 2023
MF	Osama Belaid	(1998-11-28) 28 November 1998 (age 25)	3	0	Al-Hilal Benghazi	v.  Cameroon; 21 November 2023
MF	Fahd Al-Mesmary	(2004-06-10) 10 June 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Sutjeska	v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
MF	Mahmoud Al-Shalwi	(2001-08-08) 8 August 2001 (age 22)	1	0	Darnes	v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
MF	Faraj Ghaydhan	(2001-07-15) 15 July 2001 (age 22)	0	0	Al-Khums	v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
MF	Malek Al-Andalusi	(2003-08-12) 12 August 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Al-Ahli Tripoli	v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
FW	Abdulsamie Diab	(2004-03-21) 21 March 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Al-Ahli Tripoli	v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
FW	Mohamed Adel		0	0	Al Murooj	v.  Kuwait; 12 January 2024
FW	Mohamed Elghadi	(1999-03-26) 26 March 1999 (age 25)	2	0	Abu Salim	v.  Cameroon; 21 November 2023
FW	Tarek B'Shara	(2000-01-22) 22 January 2000 (age 24)	1	0	Olympic Azzaweya	v.  Eswatini; 17 November 2023
FW	Muayid Jaddour	(2001-02-14) 14 February 2001 (age 23)	5	0	Al-Ahli Tripoli	v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
FW	Osamah Abu Jalidah	(2003-05-03) 3 May 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Al-Akhdar	v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023
FW	Mohamed Ayad	(2002-01-15) 15 January 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Asaria	v.  Equatorial Guinea; 6 September 2023

As of 21 November 2023^[14]

Players in bold are still active with Libya.

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1938	Part of Italy									Part of Italy
1950 to 1962	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1966	Withdrew									Withdrew
1970	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	3	5
1974	Did not enter									Declined participation
1978	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	0	1
1982	Withdrew									2	1	1	0	2	1
1986	Did not qualify									6	2	3	1	7	3
1990	Withdrew									Withdrew
1994	Disqualified									Disqualified
1998	Did not enter									Declined participation
2002	Did not qualify									10	1	2	7	11	22
2006										12	5	3	4	17	10
2010										6	4	0	2	7	4
2014										6	2	3	1	5	3
2018										8	3	1	4	8	11
2022										6	2	1	3	4	7
2026	Qualification in progress									4	2	1	1	4	3
2030	To be determined									To be determined
2034
Total		0/15								63	22	16	25	67	72

Africa Cup of Nations record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Not affiliated to CAF									Not affiliated to CAF
1959
1962
1963
1965
1968	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	4	5
1970	Did not enter									Did not enter
1972	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	3
1974	Withdrew									Withdrew
1976	Did not enter									Did not enter
1978
1980
1982	Runners-up	2nd	5	2	3	0	7	4		Qualified as hosts
1984	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	2
1986										4	2	0	2	5	4
1988	Withdrew									Withdrew
1990
1992	Did not enter									Did not enter
1994
1996
1998
2000	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	6
2002										8	3	0	5	8	14
2004										6	3	1	2	12	8
2006	Group stage	14th	3	0	1	2	1	5		12	5	3	4	17	10
2008	Did not enter									Did not enter
2010
2012	Group stage	10th	3	1	1	1	4	4		6	3	3	0	6	1
2013	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	0	3
2015										2	0	1	1	0	3
2017										6	2	1	3	8	6
2019										6	2	1	3	16	11
2021										6	1	0	5	7	15
2023										6	1	1	4	2	8
2025	To be determined									To be determined
2027
Total	Runners-up	3/34	11	3	5	3	12	13		72	23	12	37	89	99

Olympic Games record
Appearances: 0
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1896 – 1948	Did not exist
1952	Did not enter
1956
1960
1964
1968	Did not qualify
1972	Did not enter
1976	Did not qualify
1980	Withdrew during qualification
1984	Did not qualify
1988	Did not enter
1992
1996
2000
2004	Did not qualify
2008
2012
2016	Did not enter
2020	Did not qualify
2024
Total		0/28

• Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since the 1992 edition.

All-Africa Games record
Appearances: 1
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1965	Did not enter
1973
1978	Group stage 1	8th	3	1	0	2	3	4
1987	Did not enter
1991
1995
1999
2003	Did not qualify
2007
2011	Did not enter
2015
2019	To be determined
2023
Total	Group stage	1/11	3	1	0	2	3	4

• Prior to the Cairo 1991 campaign, the Football at the All-Africa Games was open to full senior national teams.
• ^1 Libya was disqualified from the tournament due to violence with the Egyptian team during the match in the group stage.

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 4
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2009	Group stage	7th	3	0	2	1	1	3
2011	Did not qualify
2014	Champions	1st	6	1	5	0	6	4
2016	Did not qualify
2018	Fourth place	4th	6	2	2	2	7	6
2020	Group stage	13th	3	0	2	1	1	2
2022		9th	3	1	0	2	1	2
Total	1 title	5/7	21	4	11	6	16	17

Mediterranean Games record
Appearances: 9
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1951	Did not enter
1955
1959
1963
1967	Group stage	8th	3	0	1	2	1	5
1971	Did not enter
1975	Group stage	7th	4	1	0	3	4	8
1979	Did not enter
1983	Group stage	9th	2	0	0	2	2	5
1987	Did not enter
1991
1993
1997	Group stage	10th	3	0	2	1	3	4
2001		7th	2	0	1	1	1	2
2005	Bronze medalists	3rd	5	1	2	2	3	10
2009			4	0	3	1	0	1
2013	Fourth place	4th	5	1	1	3	6	12
2018	Group stage	9th	2	0	0	2	1	8
2021	To be determined
Total	Bronze medalists	9/18	30	3	10	17	21	55

• Prior to the Athens 1991 campaign, the Football at the Mediterranean Games was open to full senior national teams.

FIFA Arab Cup record
Appearances: 4
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1963	Did not enter
1964	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	2	0	9	5
1966	Third place	3rd	5	2	2	1	20	4
1985	Did not enter
1988
1992
1998	Group stage	11th	4	0	0	2	2	4
2002	Withdrew
2012	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	2	0	11	8
2021	Did not qualify
Total	Runners-up	4/9	18	7	6	3	42	21

Arab Games record
Appearances: 9
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1953	Bronze medalists	3rd	3	2	0	1	10	14
1957	Group stage	8th	3	0	0	3	5	12
1961	Bronze medalists	3rd	5	2	1	2	13	13
1965			6	4	0	2	44	18
1976	Did not enter
1985	Group stage	5th	2	1	0	1	2	2
1992	Did not enter
1997	Group stage	6th	3	0	2	1	4	5
1999	Bronze medalists	3rd	6	3	2	1	11	6
2004	No tournament
2007	Silver medalists	2nd	4	3	1	0	7	1
2011	Group stage	7th	3	0	2	1	1	2
Total	Silver medalists	9/11	35	15	8	12	97	73

• Africa Cup of Nations
  • Runners-up (1): 1982
• Arab Cup
  • Runners-up (2): 1964, 2012^[15]
  • Third place (1): 1966
• African Nations Championship
  • Champions (1): 2014

• 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) (The closest Libya came to qualifying for the World Cup).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Libya national football team.

• Libyan Football Federation (in Arabic)
• Libya at CAF
• Libya at FIFA
• African Cup of Nations 82 – RSSSF