{"id":5891,"date":"2026-03-24T13:03:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T02:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/?p=5891"},"modified":"2026-08-14T22:02:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T12:32:59","slug":"better-than-europe-is-womens-football-ready-for-a-new-gulf-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/better-than-europe-is-womens-football-ready-for-a-new-gulf-era\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Better than Europe!’ Is women’s football ready for a new Gulf era?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Picture this: a women\u2019s football club that has within its squad players with a combined eight UEFA Women\u2019s Champions League titles, one each of the Women\u2019s 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.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now where might this club play? Perhaps a leading club in France or Germany, or maybe even Italy or Portugal? Wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps in the NWSL in the United States, then? Wrong again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is Saudi Arabia, and the club is Al Qadsiah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If that surprises you, then welcome to a new era of women\u2019s football, one in which Gulf nations play an increasingly influential role in the development of professional women\u2019s football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s stars, less told is what is happening in the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only formed in 2022, the Saudi Women\u2019s 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\u2019s game in Europe or the Americas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Dzsenifer Marozs\u00e1n, Kathellen, and Ashleigh Plumptre to Asisat Oshoala, Amel Majri and J\u00e9ssica Silva, the league is now awash with talent that wouldn\u2019t look out of place in any of the major leagues in Europe or North America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also included in that is Icelandic international Sara Bj\u00f6rk Gunnarsd\u00f3ttir, who herself won the UEFA Women\u2019s Champions League twice with French giants Olympique Lyonnais (now OL Lyonnes).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat people maybe don’t know,\u201d Gunnarsd\u00f3ttir explained to The Asian Game<\/em>, \u201cthe 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’ve been in many top clubs\u2026 (and) I think what they’ve done here in three (or) four years, you know, Europe is still, decades trying to fill that gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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