Football in the State of Palestine

Football in Palestine
CountryPalestine
Governing bodyPalestinian Football Association (PFA)
(formed in 1948, joined FIFA in 1998)
National team(s)Palestine
Nickname(s)أسود كنعان (Lions of Canaan)[1]
الفدائيون (The Fedayeen)
الفرسان (The Knights)
First played1950s
ClubsSee 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

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]

  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.