ADEN, Yemen: A “miracle” winning streak has propelled Yemen’s senior and youth football teams to the Asian Cup, catching the war-torn nation’s attention and offering a common goal to a divided country.
Qualification is a first ever for the senior team, currently based in Qatar, and a rare achievement for the U-16s who still train in Yemen.
“Qualification has brought Yemenis together — they’re doing us proud,” said Ahmed Sabahi, a fan in the southern port city of Aden.
“All Yemenis are behind their team,” he said.
The conflict in Yemen has left nearly 10,000 people dead, tens of thousands wounded and created what the United Nations says is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, rife with once forgotten diseases like cholera and diphtheria.
“We hope the team will honor Yemen and give Yemenis some relief,” said Sabahi.
The senior team beat Nepal 2-1 on March 27, reaching the 2019 AFC Asian Cup to be contested in January-February in the Emirates — for the first time in Yemen’s history.
The U-16 tournament is to take place in Malaysia in September-October.
To build the youth team, selectors traveled the length of the country, including war zones and sectors controlled by rival factions.
Ranked 125 in the world by the sport’s governing body FIFA, Yemen’s senior team has never won a single match in the Gulf Cup against its neighbors since the competition was launched in 1970.
Yemen’s media used to congratulate the team for an “honorable defeat” if they avoided a hammering. Asian Cup qualification was hailed as nothing less than a “miracle.”
Paradoxically, Yemeni football has benefited from the war, with senior players relocated to a training camp in Qatar, which has the most up-to-date facilities as it builds up to hosting the 2022 World Cup.
Abd Al-Salam Al-Saadi, a coach in Sanaa, sees another key factor: “The players have not been drawn into politics.”
Yemen’s war has left infrastructure, homes, schools and ports in ruins. Dozens of stadiums have been bombed or turned into military camps for various armed factions.
For football fans back home, Yemen’s successful qualification offers a glimmer of hope and a distraction from everyday life in what was the Arab world’s poorest country even before the war.
It has “helped put a smile on the face of Yemeni youths, who need reasons to be happy and to forget,” said Saleh Hanash, another fan in Aden.
More than half of Yemen’s 27-million-population are aged under 18.
According to the UN children’s agency UNICEF, more than 1,500 children have been killed in the conflict, while hundreds of minors have been recruited into militias.
After a three-year hiatus, football is making a return to Aden, which Yemen’s internationally-recognized government has declared its provisional capital while Sanaa remains in rebel hands.
The national league has been suspended but football matches are being played in the southern port city, with local tournaments organized between districts.
Football in Yemen “doesn’t gather the crowds you see next door in Gulf states,” said Fadel Al-Wasabi, one of a handful of fans seated on green plastic chairs as two clubs battled it out on a dirt pitch beside a wall pocked by shellfire.
“Maybe that’s because Yemenis are preoccupied with securing their basic needs,” he said, glancing over at a nearby stadium, bombed out and filled with debris, its stands reduced to a heap of rubble.
Ahmed Hussein Husseini, head of Aden’s main sports organization, admitted it was a tall order: “In the shadow of war we are trying, as much as possible, to bring back the spirit and adapt our lives.”
Qualification for Asian Cup provides respite for war-torn Yemen
Qualification for Asian Cup provides respite for war-torn Yemen
- The national team beat Nepal to qualify for the tournament in the UAE
- Asian Cup qualification was hailed as a “miracle.”
E1 World Championship opens 2026 season in Jeddah with expanded field, growing global profile
- Season’s opener features record 10 teams
JEDDAH: The 2026 UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF will launch its new season in Jeddah, with the Red Sea city once again hosting the world’s first all-electric raceboat series, and champions Team Brady beginning their title defense against an expanded and competitive field.
Set against Jeddah’s Red Sea coastline, the season-opening E1 Jeddah GP 2026, which takes place over Jan. 23-24, will feature a record 10 teams racing the cutting-edge E1 RaceBirds, underlining the rapid growth of the championship and its ambitions as a global competition spanning four continents.
Team Brady are the outfit to beat, having claimed the Champions of the Water title in 2024 and 2025. However, competition is expected to be fiercer than ever, with several teams strengthening their lineups ahead of the new campaign.
Team Monaco and Sierra Racing Club join the championship for 2026, adding further depth to the grid with a mix of experienced and emerging pilots. Team Rafa, who finished just 11 points behind Team Brady last season after a title fight that went down to the final laps, are widely regarded as one of the leading contenders and will be aiming to make an early statement in Jeddah.
Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James also return to race on home waters, one year on from their E1 debut. Carrying local pride, the team will be looking to build on last season’s momentum in front of Saudi fans.
The world-class field is further strengthened by a roster of high-profile, celebrity-backed teams, including Will Smith’s Team Westbrook, DJ Steve Aoki’s Team Aoki, Team Drogba, led by football legend Didier Drogba and his partner Gabrielle Lemaire, and Team Miami, featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Marc Anthony.
Fans will be able to get close to the action across qualifying and race day, with on-water viewing available from the E1 Fan Zone. The area will give visitors the chance to see the E1 RaceBirds up close and will feature a gaming arena with simulator and virtual reality experiences, as well as a VOX cinema screening of “Zootopia 2.” Merchandise outlets and a range of food and beverage options will also be available, creating a family-friendly race-day experience.
Beyond the racing, E1’s return to Saudi Arabia reflects the Kingdom’s growing role in shaping the future of electric sport and sustainable mobility. The championship serves as a living laboratory for electric propulsion systems, accelerating innovation that can influence marine transport while also supporting broader conversations around ocean protection.
As part of its partnership with E1, Formula E’s Driving Force Presented by PIF E360 is hosting its educational program in Jeddah this week. The initiative aims to inspire students aged 8 to 18 to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as sustainability, through the lens of electric racing.
The program reached more than 60,000 students globally in 2025 alone, with a further 50,000 targeted this year, taking its reach to over 100,000 young people worldwide.
On the sporting side, PIF’s commitment to excellence will again be recognized through the PIF Pilot of the Day award, presented after finals day to honor standout skill and performance over the race weekend.
Alejandro Agag, founder and chairman of E1, said: “Starting our 2026 season in Jeddah is a powerful statement for E1. The region represents ambition, innovation and a clear vision for the future, and the Red Sea provides the perfect environment as our largest grid yet of 10 teams begin their battle to be crowned 2026 Champions of the Water.”
The Jeddah race is set to deliver high-intensity competition, renewed rivalries and an early glimpse into the future of high-performance racing on water.
