After more than seven years of war, football remains one of the few areas that can unite Yemenis, with training camp for the country’s under-20 men’s national team, which began May 17, drawing players to Marib city from northern and southern governorates. Marib was chosen for the facilities it has available, while players were selected based on their participation in previous junior national teams. The team is preparing for the Arab Cup U-20, which begins at the end of July in Abha, Saudi Arabia, followed by qualification matches set to be held in Laos in September for the 2023 Asian Football Confederation U-20 Asian Cup.
The Yemeni under-20 men’s national football team holds a training session in Marib city on May 28, 2022, in preparation for the Arab Cup U-20 and qualification matches for the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup // Sana’a Center photo by Abdulmajeed Al-Khadhmi