Beirut Football Academy
 | |
| Full name | Beirut Football Academy |
|---|---|
| Short name | BFA |
| Founded | March 2004 |
| Based in | Beirut |
| Colors | Red and blue |
| President | Ziad Saade |
| Website | bfa-lebanon.com |
Beirut Football Academy (Arabic: أكاديمية بيروت), or simply BFA, is a football academy based in Forn El Chebbak, a district in Beirut, Lebanon. Founded in 2004 as the first football academy in the country, they play their games at the Al Sharq Stadium.[1]
They operate a women's team, which compete in the Lebanese Women's Football League, and a men's team, called BFA Sporting, which compete in the Lebanese Third Division.
Academy
History
Beirut Football Academy (BFA) was founded in March 2004 as Lebanon's first football academy.[2] Over the years, BFA expanded from its original base in Furn El Chebbak into a nationwide academy network. The academy operates branches in several areas of Lebanon, including Hazmieh, Sin El Fil, Mansourieh, Beit Meri, Selaata (Batroun), Hadat, Kfarshima and Sour.[2]
On 29 December 2019, BFA signed an agreement with Cypriot club AEK Larnaca, with the two clubs becoming affiliates.[3] The partnership included cooperation between the two academies, with AEK Larnaca coaches visiting Lebanon to conduct training sessions and seminars for BFA coaches and players.[4]
On 10 December 2025, BFA was recognised as an AFC One Star Academy, becoming one of the Lebanese academies accredited by the Asian Football Confederation for youth football development standards.[5]
International competitions
BFA regularly participates in international youth tournaments, including the Gothia Cup in Sweden, which it has entered since 2007. In 2024, BFA Elite's 2013 team reached the semi-finals of the tournament and finished as runners-up, with the academy describing the achievement as the first time a Lebanese team had reached the semi-final stage of the competition.[6]
Women's team
| Full name | Beirut Football Academy | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short name | BFA | ||
| Founded | 2016 | ||
| Manager | Samer Barbari | ||
| League | Lebanese Women's Football League | ||
| 2025–26 | Lebanese Women's Football League, 2nd of 9 | ||
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Beirut Football Association's women's football club was founded in 2016, and compete in the Lebanese Women's Football League.[7][8]
BFA were crowned league champions in the 2023–24 season, after finishing first with 18 wins out of 18 matches.[9] They also finished runners-up in the 2020–21 Lebanese Women's FA Cup, losing on penalty shoot-outs to EFP in the final.[10] They retained their title the following season, in 2024–25.[11] With their league title, they qualified to participate in the 2026 WAFF Women's Clubs Championship.[12]
Players
- As of 10 May 2025[13]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours
- Lebanese Women's Football League
- Lebanese Women's FA Cup
- Runners-up (1): 2020–21
Men's team
In addition to its academy teams, BFA has operated BFA Sporting since 2023, a senior men's team competing in the Lebanese Third Division.[14]
See also
References
- ↑ "BFA". Copa Official. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- 1 2 "About #BFAmily – BFA". Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ↑ "Agreement Signed With AEK Larnaca". beirutfootballacademy.com. 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ↑ Academia, Football (28 March 2023). "ΑΕΚ | Προπονητές της Ακαδημίας στο Λίβανο – Football Academia" (in Greek). Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ "الاتحاد اللبناني يحصل على تجديد عضوية النجمة الواحدة في برنامج النخبة الآسيوي للشباب". the-AFC. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ "Beirut Football Academy | Youth Football Training in Lebanon". Beirut Football Academy. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ "Lebanese league - women". www.goalzz.com. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- ↑ "Lebanon (Women) 2018/19". RSSSF. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- ↑ في أسباب الأزمة واستعصائها
- ↑ "ايليفن فوتبول برو بطل كأس لبنان للسيدات". The LFA (in Arabic). Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ↑ "بيروت فوتبول أكاديمي (BFA) يحتفظ بلقب بطل لبنان للسيدات". elsiyasa.com. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ↑ "سحب قرعة بطولة أندية السيدات الثالثة - اتحاد غرب آسيا لكرة القدم" (in Arabic). 30 June 2026. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ "Beirut Football Academy". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ بيان اعلامي صادر عن ادارة نادي سبورتينغ الرياضي (in Arabic). BFA Sporting. 27 June 2023. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023 – via Facebook.