President Joseph Aoun (R) with FIFA's President Gianni Infantino (L) in Baabda Presidential Palace on Nov. 25, 2025. (Credit: Lebanese Presidency)
BEIRUT — President Joseph Aoun granted FIFA President Gianni Infantino Lebanese citizenship during a meeting at Baabda Presidential Palace on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese Football Association (LFA).
In its statement, LFA noted that Infantino, who came to Lebanon accompanied by his Lebanese wife Lina al-Ashkar, was granted citizenship in a symbolic gesture that affirms "Lebanon's appreciation for his role in developing the game and his continued support for Lebanese football."
Later that day, Infantino confirmed the news. In comments to MTV, Infantino also announced that FIFA plans to build a stadium with international standards in Lebanon.
In Lebanon, a 100-year-old law still prevents women married to foreign men from passing Lebanese citizenship to their children, while children of Lebanese fathers automatically become citizens.
Citizenship may also be granted by presidential decree, a rare and exceptional procedure. Marriage is another route, but only for foreign women who marry a Lebanese citizen, who may apply for citizenship after one year of marriage. Foreign men married to Lebanese women are not eligible.
Infantino landed in Lebanon on Monday for a two-day official visit. His meeting in Baabda was attended by Lebanese Football Association President Hashem Haidar, Secretary-General Jihad al-Shahf and Ashkar. According to the Lebanese Presidency, Infantino said he would travel to Qatar for the Lebanon-Sudan match in the Arab Cup qualifiers.
Aoun noted that granting Infantino citizenship is in line with the "strong relationship between Lebanon and FIFA, and with the projects that Infantino has supported over the past years to strengthen the Lebanese football infrastructure," according to the LFA statement.
Moreover, Aoun "asked Infantino to complete the necessary legal documents and paperwork for the final signing of the Lebanese citizenship decree at a later date, in accordance with the applicable constitutional procedures."
Aoun also promised during the meeting to "secure land for the LFA to build a training ground and modern headquarters for the association, thereby contributing to the development of infrastructure and supporting the long-term trajectory of the sport."
During the meeting, Infantino presented Aoun with a 2026 World Cup ball. He also offered him the federation’s emblem and a jersey with the number 10.
Building a new stadium
"After obtaining Lebanese citizenship, I was honored to meet President Joseph Aoun. I love Lebanon; half of me is Lebanese. We will work on building a stadium with international standards, which we will offer to Lebanon and the Lebanese Football Association, headed by Hashem Haidar, who is doing tremendous work under the most difficult circumstances," Infantino told MTV.
Lebanon has several football stadiums, including Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut and Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh.
Haidar added: “We discussed with [Aoun] the stadium project, which will be fully funded by FIFA, modern, and represent an opportunity for Lebanon. The president supports this important step for the country.”
Infantino is expected to hold meetings with LFA representatives to discuss future plans for national teams and local leagues, and to review joint projects within FIFA's approved development programs.
Infantino's last visit to Lebanon was in 2019. He is FIFA's first Italian president and was first elected in 2016, then reelected in 2019 and 2023.
In the past months, amid the Israeli war on Gaza, Infantino has faced criticism for his handling of the situation. Amid the growing calls to suspend Israeli teams from soccer, he said in early October that the governing body could not solve political issues. He has also built close ties to Trump ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
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