Saudi Arabia’s women’s national team lost 2-3 to Lebanon in their second group stage match at the 2024 West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Women’s Championship on Wednesday night – effectively ending the women’s national team’s hopes of a semi-final berth this time around.

Another spirited performance where improvements under new head coach Lluís Cortés were again apparent, Lana Abdulrazak and Seba Tawfiq showcased their talent by scoring goals for Saudi Arabia but despite their efforts, Lebanon emerged victorious with goals from Christy Maalouf and Syntia Salha, securing a spot in the semi-finals and effectively ending Saudi goals from Christy Maalouf and Syntia Salha were enough for Lebanon to seal victory and send them through to the semi-finals.

While qualification from Group A is out of Saudi Arabia’s reach in the team’s first-ever appearance in the competition, they have another opportunity to showcase their talent against Guam on Friday night in the third and final group stage fixture.

Taking place in Jeddah until February 29, the 2024 WAFF Women’s Championship is the first official 11-a-side women’s tournament ever held in Saudi Arabia.

This year’s eighth edition is the latest international football tournament making its way to Jeddah, where both the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup and 2022 WAFF Futsal Championship have been held.