What does football mean to youth in the region?

What does football mean to youth in the region?

Published 2 July 2026

Football is more than just a game for many young people in the Middle East and North Africa. How do they express their passion for it? And what does this sport mean to them on a personal and social level?

In an era where football has become more than just a game, transforming into a platform for expressing identity, ambition, creativity, and content creation, this week on BBC Extra we ask a group of young men and women in the Middle East and North Africa: What does football mean to them? And how do they express their passion for this sport?

In this episode, we take you on a journey with Jordanian content creator Mahmoud al-Nashmi, who traveled to the United States to support the Jordanian national team in its first appearance on the World Cup stage. Mahmoud talks about his experience balancing the passion of cheering and content creation, and the atmosphere he lived among Arab fans, especially members of the Jordanian diaspora.

In the studio, we host Lebanese football player Laila Iskandar, who talks about her career in women's football, the challenges she faced on the path to professionalism, and her experience between some Arab and European countries.

In Algeria, we meet young woman Asmaa Sha'a, who transitioned from a passionate football fan to a sports content creator, challenging stereotypes and negative criticism.

In Gaza, we meet football player Rozan, who lost her leg in the war, but that did not stop her from pursuing her dream and joining the first women's amputee football team in the strip.

In Somalia, we meet professional football player Ahmed Abdullah Abdi, who, despite the harsh and difficult conditions his country has experienced due to war, continues to try to prove himself and represent his country through football.

Prepared and presented by Saif al-Din al-Rabai and Ghida Fayyad

Supervising producer: Samah Dakour

Editing: Farah Da'ja and Nadim Dimashqiya

The BBC Extra television program highlights unique human stories from our lives, lived and told by the youth of the Middle East and North Africa, weekly every Thursday on BBC Arabic at 5:30 PM GMT.