They were accepted into the qualifying tournament on the agreement that they would aim to develop rugby league within the country they represent.
[citation needed] In 2002 a domestic league was set up in Lebanon, initially with four university-based teams.
[3] 2007 Al Jazeera Feature on Youtube The Lebanon national rugby league team, nicknamed the Cedars, remains mostly composed of players of Lebanese ancestry from Australia.
[citation needed] The team qualified and played in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, winning their first ever world cup game against France in the qualifying group stage which resulted in the team competing in the quarter-finals.
In 2007 they beat the main Serbian national team 16-14 and went on to defeat a Serbia Development XIII 50–0.
The first game, played in Dubai at The Sevens stadium ended early with the UAE Falcons leading 16-6 because of a mass brawl.