The Syria national football team () represents Syria in international football and is controlled by the Syrian Arab Federation for Football, the governing body for football in Syria. Syria has never qualified for the World Cup finals but did reach the fourth qualification round in 2018. The team is currently banned by FIFA from playing at home, as they have not hosted a game since December 2010. Internationally, Syria won the 2012 WAFF Championship, 1957 Pan Arab Games and the 1987 Mediterranean Games. History From 1936 to 1969: The beginnings The Syrian Football Federation was founded in 1936, 10 years before independence from the French in 1946. It has been affiliated with FIFA since 1937 and has been a member of AFC since 1969. Syria played its first unofficial matches under the name of Damascus XI with Lebanon (5–4) in 1939 and with Iraq (1–2) in 1944. Syria played their first official game against Lebanon on 19 April 1942; Qasioun Eagles won 2–1. Syria's first official qualifying match was played in Ankara against Turkey, which ended in a Syrian defeat 7:0 on 20 November 1949. Thanks to that, the Syrian team participated in the 1950 World Cup European qualifiers as one of the first teams in the region to do so. One of the biggest defeats was played in Athens against the Greece, on 25 November 1949, 5 days after its first official match which ended in a score of 8:0 for the Greeks. At the 1951 Mediterranean Games in Alexandria, on 12 October 1951, one of Syria's biggest defeats was recorded against the Egypt which ended with a score of 8:0 for the Pharaohs. The first great success of the national team was silver at the 1953 Pan Arab Games, when they were defeated in the final by Egypt (4:0). At the 1957 Pan Arab Games in Beirut, they advanced to the finals after the semi-final defeat of Morocco, in which they defeated Tunisia with goals scored by Shamas and Awadis Kaoulakian 3:1. In the FIFA World Cup 1958 qualifiers, the Syrian football team was defeated by the Sudan in the 1st round of the playoffs. Between 1958 and 1961, the team combined with Egypt to form the United Arab Republic national football team, although the team's records are attributed only to Egypt by FIFA. They were twice a finalists in the Arab Cup: in 1963 (beaten by the