The seeds of rugby league in Lebanon lie in Australia. A group of Australian-born rugby league players with Lebanese heritage, mostly from inner-city Sydney formed a team with a view to entering the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. They were accepted into the qualifying tournament on the agreement that they would aim to develop rugby league within the country they represent. They subsequently went on to win the qualifying competition, earning their place by defeating Italy and Morocco of the Mediterranean group before travelling to Florida to defeat the USA, winners of the Pacific group. In 2002 a domestic league was set up in Lebanon, initially with four university-based teams. Players from the domestic competition now feature in the national team. A team composed entirely from Lebanese domestic players, known as Lebanon Espoirs has been formed. In 2011, Lebanon nearly qualified for 2013 Rugby League World Cup but lost to Italy who became the 14th and final nation to qualify for the event. In 2011, the government of Lebanon promised to increase its support and funding for rugby league. Governing body and competitions The Lebanese Rugby League Federation is based in Safra, Lebanon. It is an associate members of the Rugby League European Federation and a full member of the Rugby League International Federation. Lebanon Rugby League Championship There are eight teams that play in the Bank of Beirut Lebanon Championship domestic league. Media Media representation of rugby league has grown dramatically with the domestic competition now covered by all ten marquee Lebanese newspapers, two prominent radio stations and the country's major television stations. Lebanese rugby league is often featured on the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network. Al Jazeera televised the first game report of a game in Lebanon in 2007. 2007 Al Jazeera Feature on Youtube The National Team The Lebanon national rugby league team, nicknamed the Cedars, remains mostly composed of players of Lebanese ancestry from Australia. The Lebanon Espoirs team, made up of younger players from the domestic competition, has played a number of fixtures - this team has competed annually in the Rugby League Mediterranean Cup, which is hosted in Lebanon. Many of the Espoirs players have gone into represent Lebanon in full international matches. The Cedars have been largely successful in international competition - they were unbeaten in 12 tests between 2000 and 2007, a record which included two draws against Ireland. This winning streak ended