Majid Bougherra during a press conference in 2025, while serving as the coach of the Algerian national A' team. (Photo taken from Bougherra's Instagram account)
His name had been circulating persistently as the favorite for the job. After several weeks of talks, Majid Bougherra was officially appointed on Wednesday as the new coach of the Lebanese men's national football team, following an executive committee meeting of the Lebanese Football Association held that day at the federation’s headquarters.
The Franco-Algerian coach will assume his new responsibilities "as soon as possible," a member of the executive committee told L’Orient-Le Jour, while the Cedars’ next match is scheduled for a little over two months from now.
Free from any contract since leaving his role in December 2025 as coach of the Algeria A' team (composed exclusively of players in the Algerian league), a position he held for five years, Bougherra succeeds Montenegrin Miodrag Radulović, who was dismissed earlier in January after a string of failures since returning as head of the Lebanese team two years ago.
Born near Dijon in eastern France, the 43-year-old coach will be taking on his first experience as head coach of a senior national team. A former central defender, he notably played for FC Gueugnon in France and the Glasgow Rangers in Scotland during his playing career, during which he was capped 70 times for Algeria.
He was also the scorer of the crucial goal that secured the Fennecs’ qualification for the 2014 World Cup, before taking part in the tournament in Brazil.
First decisive appointment against Yemen
This decision was made while part of the federation’s executive committee favored appointing a local coach, after a succession of coaches from Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro).
The task ahead will be considerable for Bougherra, who takes charge of a team marked by several years of disappointing results and currently ranked 109th in the FIFA rankings.
After missing out on a spot for next summer’s World Cup and finishing bottom of their group at the 2024 Asian Cup, the Lebanese ended 2025 with another setback by failing to qualify for the Arab Cup.
The new Cedars coach will have to hit the ground running for his debut at the helm, on March 31 against Yemen. Lebanon must avoid defeat at all costs to keep hopes alive of clinching a spot in the next Asian Cup, set for 2027 in Saudi Arabia.
