Meet Team Lebanon

2024 Dream Nations Cup Results:

Did Not Participate

Team Lebanon Joins the Field

One of the most exciting aspects of the 2025 Dream Nations Cup is the opportunity to expand the field and feature a greater number and variety of teams. The 2024 event had four women’s teams and six men’s teams representing eight countries or regions. This year, the tournament will expand to six women’s and ten men’s teams representing 12 delegations.

One of the newest teams included in that field is Team Lebanon, which will send its women’s squad to compete in this year’s tournament. Lebanon Ice Hockey has been involved in several tournaments since its inception in 2018. Their men’s team has participated in the Kuwait Arab Cup and the Arab Nations Cup, while the program has also sent a women’s team to events like the LATAM Cup.

Lebanon Ice Hockey is already seasoned tournament veterans, but they’re still excited to join the Dream Nation’s Cup field of competitors. We had the chance to talk with the team’s leadership including Women’s Team Director Erin Tabah and another leader in the organization Inam Darwiche. In that interview, Darwiche expressed how excited she and the team are to participate.

“I’ve always been managing hockey teams at different levels, and I enjoy organizing tournaments. I’m interested in the level of professionalism that goes into this (the Dream Nation’s Cup) and how welcoming it is.” Darwiche said, “We surveyed our teams and our girls about whether they wanted to participate, and we usually don’t get feedback this quickly. They all jumped on and said yes, they’re excited about the event.”

Erin Tabah added to that sentiment, saying that tournaments like the Dream Nations Cup are great opportunities to build team culture and meet players and organizations from different countries.

“We’re always looking for opportunities that will be memorable and valuable experiences for our girls. Not only offering competition but the opportunity to have fun and meet new people.” Tabah said, “The other teams are also a great resource. We’re all walking the same path and doing this for the same reason. Having the chance to cheer on other teams and have them cheer for us is a great time.”

Building a Team Culture

The momentum built by Lebanon Ice Hockey’s success has led to a program that is building rapidly. Despite founding recently in 2018, the team already boasts an impressive number of players representing their country. The women’s program has roughly 80 players registered, while the men’s program has around 200. The players, ranging in age from 14-42, represent a wide variety of backgrounds and skills. The diverse background of Lebanon’s players allows everyone to build their skills in a team environment. Inam Darwiche spoke about how inspiring that is.

“My daughter plays for the team and is a house-league player, but when she’s on the ice with some of the elite talent in our program, it brings her game up. It’s a very supportive and team-focused environment.” Darwiche said, “That’s what’s mesmerizing about this program. Everybody works for the same purpose, supports each other and has fun on the ice.”

One of the unifying things for the team is having the opportunity to represent their country in a sport that is still developing in Lebanon. Erin Tabah spoke to us about the pride the team feels representing Lebanon.

“There’s a lot of pride when we put on that jersey. Whether the players were born in Lebanon, their parents were, or whatever their relation to our country is, the culture unites us all.” Tabah said, “Many of our players grew up in Canada or the States, but being Lebanese makes it so cool and unique for us.”

While the team is already tight-knit, they’re looking to add even more players and, hopefully, start developing talent in Lebanon. 

Working Towards a Greater Future

Lebanon Ice Hockey has accomplished a lot in its relatively short history, but the organization has even loftier goals for its future. Lebanon Ice Hockey is looking to increase its exposure by continuing to participate in international events. They hope to represent their country at the Asian Winter Games in the future and even have long-term goals of playing in IIHF and Olympic events. 

The team also wants to bring hockey closer to its home country. While all of the current players can trace their roots back to Lebanon, most are from the US or Canada. One of the program’s ultimate goals is to grow the game in its home country to the point of developing players and staff directly in Lebanon. 

Before that’s a possibility, the team will have to overcome several hurdles to hockey’s growth at home. One of those main hurdles is having the facilities to support ice hockey. Erin Tabah says that could be addressed in the near future. 

“One of the things I’ve been really excited about that I’ve watched the federation do over the last couple of years is work to support an ice rink in Lebanon. To be a full member of the IIHF, we’re really focused on building that rink.” Tabah said, “We’ve been part of that journey, and it’s exciting to see that progress made.”

According to the Lebanon hockey website, the goal is to have a multi-sport complex that includes at least one NHL-sized sheet of ice, a gym, pro shop, and more to accommodate developing players. The Lebanon Hockey Federation even hopes to someday create a Lebanon Hockey League to compete in the country with at least four teams. 

The program has already made significant progress in its short history and is clearly looking to make even bigger strides. The Dream Nations Cup is excited to be part of that journey as it works towards a bright future for hockey in Lebanon.

Follow Lebanon Ice Hockey’s journey on social media. Catch them at the 2025 Dream Nations Cup in New York City from May 27 to June 1.