February 25th, 2024: This Week in Palestinian Football

Has the Women's National Team Arrived? Are Palestine set to play in Dublin? What next for domestically based players?

The big story this week involves Palestine’s Women’s National Team. After years in the doldrums and general neglect- Al-Fida’iyat are a relevant force in West Asia again.

Last year the team hit a nadir when they withdrew from Paris 2024 qualification and then proceded not to win a game in their four friendlies against Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. The two draws against Saudi Arabia were especially damning give Palestine’s two decade head start. It signalled that a nation that had only given women the right to drive a motor vheicle in 2018 had caught up with Palestine.

This past week’s Women’s WAFF Championship was meant to be the nail in this team’s coffin. In the background of the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the suspension of all football activity many feared the worst.

Whatever the narrative around the tournament, the Women’s National Team simply ignored it and went about their business. The team opened up with a 3-0 win over Iraq and then followed that up with a 1-0 win over Syria three days later.

The pair of wins meant Palestine clinched a spot in the semifnals where they will play either Jordan or Lebanon on February 27th depending on the result of their final group game against Nepal.

The formula for the team’s turnaround lies in their mining of the diaspora for talent. The team’s two clean sheets have been provided by Charlotte Phillips who plays for York University in Canada. The team’s top goal scorer, Nour Yousef, plies her trade for Union Berlin. The quality on either side of the pitch has helped the team pull out results and also provides a base to build on for the future.

Even if the team does not win another game at this tournament this should be a signal of the potential of the group. Investments should be made to ensure that Palestine keeps pace with its neighbour- Jordan- and work towards the goal of qualifying for major tournaments.

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