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Jun 19, 2026
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For one Yemeni, World Cup serves as a marker of war and peace

AI Summary
A Yemeni man, Adel Mohsen, has been watching the World Cup since 1982, despite the country's decades-long war and economic hardship. This year, he faces challenges in watching the games due to power cuts and financial struggles, but remains determined to continue the ritual.

The Struggle to Watch the World Cup in War-Torn Yemen

Mukalla, Yemen – Weeks before this year’s World Cup started, Adel Mohsen’s backup battery broke down, and he couldn’t afford to replace it, meaning he wouldn’t have power at home when the electricity regularly goes out.

A fuel shortage also struck his home city of Mukalla, in eastern Yemen, leaving him struggling to secure enough for his motorbike, and restricting his ability to get around and watch games outside.

Adel's Love Affair with Football

Adel is frustrated. The 56-year-old football enthusiast has watched every World Cup since 1982, defying wars, economic collapse, and political turmoil. But this year, he can’t escape the reality that more than a decade of war and economic hardship has brought to Yemen.

“I think this is the worst World Cup,” Adel told Al Jazeera, settling into a wooden bench as his eyes fixed on a giant public screen at a local stadium. “I might miss a lot of matches because of the power cuts.”

Football Through Decades of War

In 1982, the FIFA World Cup was hosted in Spain, only a few years after television first arrived in Mukalla and other cities of the former People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY), more commonly known as South Yemen.

Adel was 12 years old at the time, and he remembers clearly where he and other fans gathered to watch the matches.

“That was like a first lover engraved in memory,” he said with a smile. “Although I was just a child at the time, I still remember the names of the players and the stadiums where those matches were played.”

The Impact of War on Football

As Adel got older, he settled back into his role as a spectator of the game, rather than a player.

Yemen was also going through a less tumultuous period following the 1994 civil war, when then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his predominantly northern forces emerged victorious. Relative stability followed, and the tournaments of 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010 were easy to watch for Adel.

But then came the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, arriving just as Yemen was sliding deeper into instability.

A Brief Escape from Hardship

But despite the power cuts, the mounting economic pressures, and criticism from those who view sport as a luxury in a country beset by crises, Adel remains determined to continue a ritual that has sustained him for more than four decades.

“I see sports as relief from hardship,” he said, shifting on the wooden bench as the glow from the giant screen illuminated his sweat‑soaked face. “People ask why we talk about football when there are so many problems. What do they want us to do – commit suicide? Sports give us a brief escape from all the hardships around us.”