Syrian Football Association

The Syrian Football Association (SFA), formally also known as the Syrian Arab Football Association, is the national governing body for association football in Syria. Established in 1936, it organizes and administers the principal structures of the sport in the country and represents Syrian football internationally. Its responsibilities include the administration of the Syria men's national football team, youth national teams, women's football teams, futsal, beach soccer, and domestic competitions. The association's domestic remit covers the Syrian Premier League and the lower levels of the national league system. The structure described for Syrian football includes the Premier League as the top tier, followed by the First Division, Second Division, and Third Division. The SFA also administers or oversees national cup competitions, including the Syrian Cup and the Syrian Super Cup. Through these competitions, it provides the primary formal framework for clubs and players participating in Syrian football. Internationally, the SFA has been affiliated with FIFA since 1937. It joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1970 and became a member of the Union of Arab Football Associations in 1974. In 2001, it joined the West Asian Football Federation, the regional sub-confederation serving football associations in West Asia. These memberships place Syrian football within the global, Asian, Arab, and West Asian football governance systems and allow Syrian representative teams and clubs to participate in relevant international competitions, subject to qualification and applicable regulations. The association's national-team portfolio extends beyond the senior men's side. It includes Syria's under-23, under-20, and under-17 men's teams, as well as the women's senior and under-20 teams. The SFA also administers Syrian national teams in futsal and beach soccer. The senior men's national team is commonly associated with the nickname “Nosour Qasioun,” meaning “Qasioun Eagles,” a reference to Mount Qasioun overlooking Damascus. As a football association rather than a consumer-facing commercial brand, the SFA's role is institutional. Its functions include competition organization, national-team representation, participation in confederation and FIFA structures, and the development and regulation of football within Syria. Publicly available reference material identifies the association's historical foundation and affiliations, but does not provide a complete current organizational chart, a definitive current list of executives, detailed financial information, or a confirmed headquarters address. Those fields are therefore left unspecified in this dossier.

The Syrian Football Association was founded in 1936 to organize association football in Syria. It became affiliated with FIFA in 1937, establishing the association's formal connection to the worldwide governing structure of football. This affiliation enabled Syrian football to participate within FIFA's international framework and provided the basis for the recognition and administration of Syrian representative teams. The association expanded its international institutional links over subsequent decades. Syria joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1970, aligning its national teams and football administration with the continental body responsible for Asian football. In 1974, the association became a member of the Union of Arab Football Associations, adding an Arab regional dimension to its international participation. The SFA later joined the West Asian Football Federation in 2001, connecting Syrian football with the regional sub-confederation for West Asia. Within Syria, the association's main historical function has been the organization and governance of the domestic football system. Its competitions include the Syrian Premier League, which occupies the top level of the national league pyramid, as well as lower divisions identified as the First, Second, and Third Divisions. The SFA also oversees the country's principal knockout and super-cup competitions, including the Syrian Cup and Syrian Super Cup. The association's remit extends across several forms and levels of the sport. In addition to the senior men's national team, it administers under-23, under-20, and under-17 men's teams. It also supports national representation in women's football, including a senior women's team and a women's under-20 team. Futsal and beach soccer are likewise included within its national-team structure. This broad portfolio reflects the association's role as the central national institution for football in Syria rather than merely the organizer of one professional league. The senior men's national team is commonly known as Nosour Qasioun, or the Qasioun Eagles. The name connects the national side with Qasioun, the mountain overlooking Damascus, and is part of the team's public sporting identity. The SFA represents and administers this team within FIFA, AFC, Arab, and West Asian football structures. Available reference material confirms the association's founding date, international memberships, competition structure, and national-team responsibilities. It does not provide a sufficiently detailed account of individual presidential terms, administrative reforms, headquarters history, financial operations, or a complete chronology of sporting milestones. Accordingly, this history records the documented institutional framework without adding unsupported claims about leadership, finances, or competitive achievements.

• 2001

  WAFF membership

  [1]Syrian Football Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The SFA joined the West Asian Football Federation, adding membership in the regional sub-confederation for West Asian football.

• 1974

  Union of Arab Football Associations membership

  [1]Syrian Football Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The association joined the Union of Arab Football Associations and became part of the Arab regional football network.

• 1970

  AFC membership

  [1]Syrian Football Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Syria joined the Asian Football Confederation, formalizing its participation in Asian football structures.

• 1937

  FIFA membership

  [1]Syrian Football Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The association became a member of FIFA, linking Syrian football to the global football governance system.

• 1936

  Association founded

  [1]Syrian Football Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The Syrian Football Association was established as the national body responsible for organizing association football in Syria.

The national governing and representative body for football in Syria, combining domestic competition administration with international representation across association football, youth football, women's football, futsal, and beach soccer.

• National-team administration

  Syrian national football teams

  The SFA administers Syria's representative association-football teams, including the senior men's side and the under-23, under-20, and under-17 teams. The senior men's team is commonly known as Nosour Qasioun, or the Qasioun Eagles. These teams represent Syria in competitions organized within FIFA, AFC, Arab, and West Asian football systems.

• Women's football

  Syrian women's national teams

  The association's national-team structure includes Syria's senior women's football team and women's under-20 team. These teams form the official women's representative pathway administered by the national football association.

• Domestic league competition

  Syrian Premier League

  The Syrian Premier League is the top tier of the domestic league system described by the SFA. It provides the highest-level national league competition for Syrian clubs within the association's domestic football framework.

• Domestic cup competition

  Syrian Cup

  The Syrian Cup is a national knockout competition administered within the SFA's domestic competition portfolio. It complements the league system by bringing clubs together in a cup format.

• Super-cup competition

  Syrian Super Cup

  The Syrian Super Cup is one of the national competitions overseen within the SFA system, providing a separate super-cup format alongside the league and Syrian Cup.

• Alternative football formats

  Syrian national futsal and beach soccer teams

  The SFA's national-team remit includes Syrian futsal and beach soccer teams. Their inclusion extends the association's representative responsibilities beyond traditional eleven-a-side football.

1. 1Syrian Football Associationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Syrian Football Association official websitesfa.sy