Yemen focus on football despite Gulf Cup exit amid conflict

Yemen's national football team was eliminated from the Gulf Cup after losing 1-0 to Qatar in Saudi Arabia, despite a clear penalty being denied to them. Coach Noureddine Ould Ali refrained from making excuses and instead focused on the football, highlighting the remarkable achievement of Yemen competing in international tournaments whilst their country endures ongoing civil conflict.

Yemen has not played a home match since 2012, with the capital falling under Houthi control in 2014 followed by years of Saudi-led military intervention. Though a UN-brokered truce in 2022 temporarily reduced hostilities, fighting escalated again in September with major Houthi military advances and missile strikes. Yemen have never won the Gulf Cup in its 26 previous editions and have never progressed beyond the group stage; the squad beat Bahrain 5-2 in their final fixture after losing 4-0 to the UAE in their opener. Most players remain based domestically where the restarted football league is functioning, though they struggle to concentrate fully due to concerns about their families amid the ongoing conflict.