Thousands of miles from North America, where the FIFA World Cup is bringing together football fans from countries that are otherwise at odds, one of football’s least heralded nations is experiencing its own moment of unity.
In a stadium in the ancient city of Sanaa, hundreds have turned out to watch a match between two teams from areas controlled by different factions in Yemen’s 12-year-old civil war.
Since May, a truce signed in 2022 has seemed firm enough to allow a resumption of the professional Yemen National League for the first time since 2014.
Fans cheer during a football match in Sanaa, Yemen on June 28, 2026. — Reuters
Photos are taken and pennants are exchanged between the captains of Wahda Sanaa, whose city is under the control of the Houthi militia, and Shaab Hadramout, whose province is controlled by a regional coalition and separatists.
