Women’s football in the Middle East

Football is widely seen as very much a male domain, but more and more women in the Arab world are now playing soccer. In Egypt, there are now first and second women’s football leagues, with steadily increasing numbers of players, where regular national and international tournaments are taking place. In Palestine, the situation is however not so easy. Two players of the national team live in Gaza and have to train by themselves as they are not allowed to travel to the West Bank where the rest of the team lives. Only at matches abroad they are united.