| Football in Yemen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Yemen |
| Governing body | Yemen Football Association |
| National team(s) | men's national team |
Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
Football inYemen is run by theYemen Football Association.[1][2] The association administers theYemen national football team, as well as theYemeni League.[3]
Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Yemen.[4] TheYemen national football team competes in theFIFA andAFC leagues. The country also hosts football clubs that compete nationally and internationally.
Yemen hosted the20th Arabian Gulf Cup in Aden in 2010. Yemen was defeated in the first three rounds.
The development of football in Yemen is often thought to be held by back many of Yemen's internal problems such as terrorist attack threats, political tension between the North and South, an unstable economy, and a high illiteracy rate.[2]
The Yemeni national team has never won a championship.
Despite a population of over 20,000,000 inhabitants, Yemen has only 9,200 registered players.[5] Many of the clubs in theYemeni League offer free admission to their matches, but despite this incentive attendance is declining and support is waning.
While football is the most popular sport in Yemen, itsdomestic league is overshadowed by the more popular European leagues of Spain'sLa Liga which Yemenis prefer to watch and support.[2]
Due to theYemeni Civil War, football in Yemen has stood at a standstill at a professional level.[6] TheYemeni League hasn't been active since 2014 despite the national team playing in competitions. It is unlikely that football in Yemen will continue professionally in the near future however popularity among locals in amateur matches still thrive.[7][8]
Yemen's greatest football achievement is qualifying for the2019 AFC Asian Cup.[9][10]
Note that many stadiums in Yemen are damaged because of the war.
| # | Stadium | City | Capacity | Tenants | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baradem Mukalla Stadium | Mukalla | 50,000 | Al-Sha'ab Hadhramaut | |
| 2 | Al-Wihda Stadium | Zinjibar | 30,000 | Hassan Abyan | |
| 3 | Al Ulufi Stadium | Al Hudaydah | 10,000 | Al-Hilal Al-Sahili |
| National teams | |
|---|---|
| League competitions | |
| Domestic cup competitions | |
| Defunct competitions | |
| South Yemen | |
