Picture this: a women’s football club that has within its squad players with a combined eight UEFA Women’s Champions League titles, one each of the Women’s Euros, Copa America Feminina, and an Olympic Gold Medal and a combined 379 international caps for the likes of Brazil, France, Germany, Iceland and Cameroon.
All overseen by a Canadian who has coached in Denmark, Mexico and the United States, as well as her native Canada, with whom she won almost 100 caps as a player.
Now where might this club play? Perhaps a leading club in France or Germany, or maybe even Italy or Portugal? Wrong.
Perhaps in the NWSL in the United States, then? Wrong again.
The answer is Saudi Arabia, and the club is Al Qadsiah.
If that surprises you, then welcome to a new era of women’s football, one in which Gulf nations play an increasingly influential role in the development of professional women’s football.
While thousands of headlines, and even more column inches have been dedicated to the emergence of the Saudi Pro League as leading league and destination of choice for many men’s stars, less told is what is happening in the women’s game.
Only formed in 2022, the Saudi Women’s Premier League has quickly emerged as an attractive destination for players who have spent the bulk of their careers at the top of the women’s game in Europe or the Americas.
From Dzsenifer Marozsán, Kathellen, and Ashleigh Plumptre to Asisat Oshoala, Amel Majri and Jéssica Silva, the league is now awash with talent that wouldn’t look out of place in any of the major leagues in Europe or North America.
Also included in that is Icelandic international Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir, who herself won the UEFA Women’s Champions League twice with French giants Olympique Lyonnais (now OL Lyonnes).
“What people maybe don’t know,” Gunnarsdóttir explained to The Asian Game, “the structure and the facilities that we are given, especially in our club, it’s probably better than many top teams and top leagues in Europe.
“I’ve been in many top clubs… (and) I think what they’ve done here in three (or) four years, you know, Europe is still, decades trying to fill that gap.
“It’s not really about financially, (and the) players’ contract. It’s also about the investment, what the club gives the players, the opportunity to just play. You have a good structure, you have those facilities, with everything you need to be able just to thrive as a player and be the best you know player you can be.”
The 35-year-old, who played with Lyon, Juventus VfL Wolfsburg throughout an illustrious career, admitted the financial side was one factor in her move, but that there were more powerful forces than just money for her and those like her that have made the move in recent years.
It’s a point also made by the club’s recently appointed Sporting Director of Women’s Football, Russ Fraser, who arrived at Al Qadsiah having held similar positions in the UK with Women’s Super League sides Liverpool and Leicester City.
“The thing that I’ve been most kind of buoyed by is the fact a lot of the players have come here, not just to see out their playing days, enjoy the sun and play football,” he explained.
“A lot of them have come here because they understand there’s a greater calling. Or, you know, the legacy piece, and it’s beyond just about them playing now. It’s about what they leave for other players.”
According to Assile Toufaily, a former Lebanon international, who now lives in France having just completed her PhD titled ‘I was born to play Football’, comparing the social structures between France and Lebanon that help or hinder the development of female players, the impact of the Saudi investment is already being felt across the region.
“I genuinely believe that what Saudi Arabia is doing is different from every single thing that has ever been done in the Middle East or in the region, for one reason – money,” she remarked.
“Having 70,000 girls playing in the regional camps is no joke. It’s because this money exists, it means that they’re able to offer camps, to offer training sessions for the girls, for the girls to be able to take the plane to go play a match abroad or in another city.
“Can you imagine that the girls that play with Al Qadsiah, for example, when they go from Al Khobar to Riyadh, they take the plane. Even here in France, sometimes clubs with smaller budgets were forcing their players to take the bus for 10 hours, while the men’s team took the plane.
She continued: “That’s why we’re seeing a more professionalised league in Jordan, that’s why we’re seeing the Lebanese federation investing, that’s why Al Ahly are investing in Egypt.
“So they kind of pushed this, this momentum on the right path because of the fact that they can base all this investment on money.”
The curious case of Qatar
While Saudi Arabia charges ahead with the development of its own league and national team, which has won seven of their last nine games, neighbouring Qatar is taking a different approach.
Despite having no recognised women’s league or national team, the country is rumoured to be the front runner to host the inaugural edition of the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup in 2028.
The subject of women’s football in the tiny Gulf state is a thorny one. While there are unofficial leagues and matches, very few people are willing to discuss it, on or off-the-record, while questions and approaches to official bodies go unanswered.
But there are some who have made their voices heard over the years.
Aya Jurdi is a former Lebanese international, a former international teammate of Toufaily’s, who now works coaching the women’s football program at the PSG Academy in Doha.
Over the past few years she is one who has been vocal about the state of women’s football in Qatar, criticising authorities for not doing more, telling German outlet DW in 2022 that the PSG Academy offered to help with the national team, but were rebuffed.
“We tried to give them that idea but nothing happened from their side,” she said in 2022, as the eyes of the world were on Qatar for the men’s World Cup.
“There is a good number of girls and clubs. There is no proper management. They are not interested yet in investing in women’s football. They have a league for girls and women but it is played behind closed doors.”
In the same piece, Hajer Saleh, a former player on the women’s national team, shared the concerns of those who want a brighter future.
“Of course we are feeling sad and want to participate,” she told DW. “I don’t think we have a ranking now, because we didn’t play a proper match for such a long time. If you aren’t playing, you can’t improve.”
Almost four years on, Jurdi told The Asian Game, there has been growth at grassroots level, but it remains frustratingly detached from the professional game.
“There was some opportunities for women’s football to grow before and during the World Cup time, but in my opinion there was not enough resources to make it grow as it did in Saudi,” she claimed.
“There has been a big boost in the number of participation for female players in different academies and clubs, which led to starting the Junior Premier League for girls of different ages, but there’s still no impact on official foundations like QFA or QSL.
“Clubs have not shown interest in developing female teams, and the last time there was an active senior national team was in 2014, and under these officialdoms there’s nothing recent for women’s football.
“But I can assure you that internally in different academies and in the JPL, it is growing.”
While the bright lights of the World Cup have come and gone, Qatar is still positioning itself as a ‘hosting nation’, with the FIFA Arab Cup, along with the now annual U17 FIFA World Cup, helping the Gulf state make use of the infrastructure developed for the 2022 showpiece.
The Women’s Club World Cup looks like being the next international tournament to be added to the list.
Education City Stadium, which hosted eight games at the World Cup, and has played host to the Arab Cup in 2021 and 2025, as well as the AFC Asian Cup in 2024, was even earmarked to be “the future home of women’s football” in Qatar, according to the stadium’s architect, although how much that is the case is up for debate.
Photos on Jurdi’s Instagram page show the stadium being used for multiple girls tournaments at underage level in which the PSG Academy has participated, but much beyond that, like a lot of things around women’s football in Qatar, is shrouded in mystery.
“We are looking at the structural changes as a consequence of the World Cups,” Dr. Kamilla Swart-Arries, associate professor and director of the Sport and Entertainment Management master’s degree program at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, told Al Kass English in 2024.
“So the increased awareness of this also has led to maybe more parents allowing the girls to go and play football as an example. That’s the behavior change. Once they start playing, they may have an interest in playing more competitively.”
For Toufaily, she hopes any potential Women’s Club World Cup in Qatar can act as a catalyst for change.
“I know that Qatar is doing a lot of investments with the Qatar Foundation,” she told The Asian Game, “but you can still feel that there’s some sort of a governmental barrier preventing women’s football from developing in Qatar.
“(Qatar hosting the Women’s Club World Cup) is a surprise, but I do look at it from another point of view, that maybe it’s the catalyst to push the Qatari federation or the Qatari government into really investing in women’s football.”
While the reports drew fierce criticism from human rights activists in the US and Europe, FIFA’s chief football officer, the legendary Jill Ellis, warned about ‘throwing stones in glass houses’.
“I’m going to put my personal hat on,” she said in recent comments quoted by The Times.
“There are over 500 bills in the US with anti-gay legislation on them. That was last year when I started researching. I say that because I also think more broadly, we all have to look at how we can continue to create different perceptions.
“I think sport is a powerful conduit to do that. I’m very, very careful not to throw stones in glass houses. We certainly will look at all of the bidding that comes in.
“Sport has an incredible ability to transform, educate, and enlighten. I think the more people that can have access to this incredible game and see women play it, it’s for the betterment of everybody. That’s my personal opinion.”
She added: “There’s a bidding process the council has to vote on. We want to get as many people interested in this to want to host it. I think that would be pretty cool. We’ve got to look at where we can visibly grow the game and have the most impact.”
A bigger, brighter future
The evidence suggests the impact, of which Ellis speaks, is increasingly in the Gulf.
“Make no mistake, women’s football is exploding in the Kingdom and wider region right now,” Andy Jackson, the senior vice-president Middle East at Footballco, one of the world’s leading football digital marketing agencies, explained to The Asian Game.
“It’s critical to remember the women’s game is in its infancy here still with the national team and the domestic professional women’s league only established in 2022. It’s going to take time of course, but the interest is there and the audience is growing.
“We released some research (last year) into women’s football fandom in Saudi Arabia and what’s striking is how fast this fandom is emerging compared to some of the more established women’s football markets around the world, such as the 21 percent of Saudi fans who said women’s football is now a huge part of their life, second only to the US where 23 percent of our sample claimed the same.
“We’re seeing a lot of interest from brands as a result in using football as a vehicle to reach young, female audiences at scale here.”
And, like in neighbouring Qatar, that could quite possibly include hosting major tournaments. In an alternate universe, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup would be taking place in the country right now, with the Kingdom initially bidding for either the 2026 or 2029 Women’s Asian Cup.
While they withdrew from the process at the eleventh hour, it is clear they harbour ambitions of hosting major tournaments in the Kingdom.
“We have huge ambitions for the development of the women’s game in Saudi Arabia and the recent progress has been incredible,” said Lamia Bahaian, board member of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and the Women’s Football Department Supervisor, when Saudi Arabia initially launched their bid for 2026.
“We really are entering a new and exciting era for women’s football.
In a separate speech, she continued: “Hosting such a major women’s sports event would inspire and motivate women across the country to pursue their athletic dreams and ambitions, and break down gender barriers in sports and beyond.”
“It is really encouraging to see what’s happening in Saudi Arabia,” said Jessie Dai, the Head of Competitions & Strategy, at the Asian Football Confederation.
“It would always be good to bring our competitions to more places, (which) will also benefit, I believe, the awareness or the perspective of the women’s game locally, and also to benefit the host as well.
“They have this ambition to win the (Women’s) Asian Cup, and then to qualify for the World Cup. Of course, we know these are not short term (goals) that you can achieve (quickly). But with constant efforts, hard training, and the correct strategies in (place) for development, for sure if they continue doing what they are doing now, we will see another strong side in Asia.”
The West pushes back
Despite the booming nature of the game, however, there remains resistance from the women’s football establishment across Europe and the US to increased Gulf involvement.
A proposed sponsorship from Visit Saudi for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand was ultimately scrapped after backlash from leading players, and even the host nations themselves.
Leading Dutch international Vivianne Miedema said FIFA should be “deeply ashamed” for even considering such a proposal, while legendary US striker, Alex Morgan, also chipped in with her views.
“I think it’s bizarre that FIFA has looked to have a Visit Saudi sponsorship for the Women’s World Cup, when I, myself, Alex Morgan, would not even be accepted and supported in that country,” Morgan said.
“I just don’t understand it. I think that what Saudi Arabia can do is put an effort into their women’s team that was only formed a couple of years ago, and doesn’t even have a current ranking within the FIFA ranking system because of how few games they’ve played.
“That would be my advice to them, and I really hope that FIFA does the right thing. I mean, pretty much everyone has spoken out against that, because morally, it just doesn’t make sense.”
Curiously, Football Australia, who like Saudi Arabia is a member of the Asian Football Confederation, also raised their objections, commenting after FIFA confirmed the sponsorship wouldn’t go ahead:
“We welcome clarification from FIFA regarding Visit Saudi,” former chief executive, James Johnson, said at the time.
“Equality, diversity and inclusion are really deep commitments for Football Australia, and we’ll continue to work hard with FIFA to ensure the Women’s World Cup is shaped in this light and it is a historic event for our nation, showcasing the world’s greatest female players and advancing the game globally.”
In 2024, meanwhile, a group of over 100 players signed a letter to FIFA demanding they scrap their sponsorship with Aramco for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, due to the nation’s human rights record.
“Saudi authorities have been spending billions in sports sponsorship to try to distract from the regime’s brutal human rights reputation, but its treatment of women speaks for itself,” read the letter.
“It is because we stand alongside the citizens of Saudi Arabia whose human rights are violated that we are speaking out. We don’t want to be part of covering up these violations.
“We urge FIFA to reconsider this partnership and replace Saudi Aramco with alternative sponsors whose values align with gender equality, human rights and the safe future of our planet.
“A corporation that bears glaring responsibility for the climate crisis, owned by a state that criminalises LGBTQ+ individuals and systematically oppresses women, has no place sponsoring our beautiful game.”
So as the Gulf looks to increase its investment in women’s football over the next decade, through the development of leagues and national teams, through the hosting of tournaments and through sponsorship, which can provide valuable revenue streams for a women’s game that still struggles to generate sufficient revenue around the world, the question is whether women’s football is ready to accept the Gulf as part of the women’s football landscape.
“I think women’s football is not really ready to accept greater involvement from the Gulf,” Toufaily proffered.
“But at the same time, I don’t really think players (will) have the final word. FIFA will tell them, ‘OK, give me another source of money’, because at the end of the day, Aramco is putting on the table a bigger number than any other (company).
“And this is something I’ll always stand by; they spend their time talking on social media, and then their club is sponsored by Etihad Airways or Emirates, and they take their salaries from there.
“So if they think that this is bad money or whatever, let them change their club. But they won’t, because it’s their business at the end of the day. So I believe it’s the same, if this is what they’re doing, then maybe they should all boycott the US.
“Each country or each region has its own speed of development, or moment to change and develop, so I think that also should be taken into consideration.”
Gunnarsdóttir, however, takes a slightly more optimistic view.
“I think there’s space for everyone,” she remarked.
“I believe in football, it is a global game that continues to grow, including in the Gulf region. There’s going to be opinion in football, especially women’s football, but I think what truly matters is the work being done.
“From my experience in the Saudi Women’s Premier League, I’ve only seen investment, and I’ve seen commitment in developing players and trying to put this professional environment in place.
“So if the goal is to support and grow (the game), why not?”
Listen to Episode 267 of The Asian Game Podcast LIVE from Stadium Australia at the final of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup
