Ал Ахед

Early history (1964–1989)

Ahed were founded in 1964 as Al Ahed Al Jadeed (Arabic: العهد الجديد, lit. 'The New Covenant') in Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut. Under the presidency of Muhieddine Anouti, the club initially competed in the Lebanese Third Division. During the 1970s, Ahed played in Msaytbeh, an area of Beirut, under the name Al Huda Islamic Club (Arabic: نادي الهدى الإسلامي). However, the club ceased activities as a consequence of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

In 1984, Anouti acquired a license under the name Nejmet Al Ahed Al Jadeed (Arabic: نجمة العهد الجديد, lit. 'The Star of the New Covenant') but did not establish a club. On 2 May 1985, the Lebanese Football Association granted membership to the club to resume playing football, with Mohammad Assi assuming the presidency. During the 1988–89 season in the Lebanese Second Division, the team qualified for a playoff match against Al-Majdi. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, preventing Ahed from securing promotion to the Lebanese Premier League.

Lebanese Premier League and first titles (1992–2011)

In 1992, Abdo Saad became the new president and changed the name of the club to Al Ahed (Arabic: العهد, lit. 'The Covenant') because its leaders wanted a name with a Quranic meaning. In 1996, Amin Sherri succeeded Saad as president after his resignation, despite Ahed reaching the Second Division promotion play-offs. On 20 December 1996, Ahed were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in their history. They won their first Premier League game on 18 October 1997, defeating Riada Wal Adab 1–0 at the Bourj Hammoud Stadium; Moussa Bedyan scored the lone goal in the 20th minute.

After two seasons in the Premier League, Ahed were relegated to the Second Division, before they earned promotion back to the Premier League. Following the club's second promotion to the Premier League, Sherri resigned as club president and was replaced by Osama Al-Halabawi. Under Al-Halabawi's tenure, Ahed reached the finals of the 2001–02 FA Cup and the 2002 Elite Cup, in addition to securing third place in the league during the 2002–03 season. Between 2004 and 2005, Ahed won two FA Cups, one Federation Cup, and one Super Cup.

Having won the 2004 FA Cup, Ahed first qualified for an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competition, the 2005 AFC Cup. They made their continental debut on 9 May 2009, defeating Indian club Dempo 1–0 at home. Ahed finished second in their group of three, which also included Al-Hussein of Iraq, and qualified for the quarter-finals. Despite a 1–0 home victory against Hong Kong club Sun Hei in the first leg, Ahed lost the second leg 3–1 and were eliminated.

Ahed won their first league title in 2007–08. They went on a 44-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League from 2 November 2008 to 30 October 2010, winning the 2009–10 league without defeats as a consequence. In the 2010–11 season, Ahed won the league, the FA Cup, the Super Cup and the Elite Cup, becoming the first team in Lebanon to accomplish both a domestic treble and quadruple.

Tamim Sleiman presidency and domestic dominance (2014–present)

In 2014, Tamim Sleiman was appointed president of the club by unanimous decision. In his first year as president, Ahed secured the 2014–15 Premier League, the club's fourth in total. Their 2016–17 league victory marked the beginning of a historic streak for Ahed, as they went on to win the league in 2017–18 (their second unbeaten) and 2018–19, securing their seventh title overall and establishing themselves as three-time defending champions, a position previously held only by Ansar in 1992.

Ahed reached the final of the AFC Cup – the AFC's second-tier club competition – for the first time in 2019, joining Nejmeh in 2005 and Safa in 2008 as the only Lebanese teams to do so. On 4 November 2019, Ahed beat North Korean side 25 April with a 1–0 win in the final, from a header by Issah Yakubu, thus becoming the first Lebanese team to win the competition. Throughout the tournament, Ahed conceded only three goals in 11 matches and achieved nine clean sheets, including five consecutive ones in all five knockout matches, as they maintained an unbeaten record.

In the 2021–22 season, Ahed cleaimed their third league title unbeaten, securing their eighth title overall. They continued their dominance by winning their ninth league title in 2022–23. The match between Ahed and Racing Beirut on 6 August 2023, the first matchday of the 2023–24 league season, marked the inaugural use of video assistant referee (VAR) technology in Lebanese football. On 5 May 2024, Ahed made it to the final of the 2023–24 AFC Cup for the second time, finishing runners-up after losing 1–0 to Australian side Central Coast Mariners. The game marked the conclusion of the AFC Cup, following changes made to the AFC's competition system.