Art & Culture

The Best Arab Football Films to Get You Hyped For the 2026 FIFA World Cup

BYKhaoula Ghanem

June 1, 2026

There’s no escaping football fever this time of year. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicking off on June 11, this year’s tournament feels especially significant for the Arab world, with more Arab nations represented than ever before, marking a historic moment on football’s biggest stage. Whether you’re the type to plan your schedule around kickoff times or someone who inevitably gets swept up in the excitement once the first whistle blows, there’s something infectious about World Cup season. And if ninety minutes of football isn’t enough to satisfy your obsession, these Arab football films prove that some of the sport’s most compelling stories happen far beyond the pitch.

Voy! Voy! Voy! (Egypt, 2023)

Inspired by true events, Omar Hilal’s 2023 dramedy follows Hassan (portrayed by Muhammad Farrag), a struggling security guard who dreams of leaving Egypt for Europe. When he discovers a blind football team preparing for an international tournament, he fakes a visual impairment to earn a spot on the squad and a one-way ticket out of the country.

Nefta Football Club (Tunisia, 2018)

Clocking in at just 17 minutes, Nefta Football Club manages to pack more charm into its runtime than some feature-length films. Set near the Tunisian-Algerian border, the Oscar-nominated short follows two brothers who stumble upon a donkey wandering through the desert wearing headphones and carrying a mysterious bag of white powder. What follows is a wildly entertaining chain of events involving drug smugglers, mistaken identities, and an impromptu football club.

El Harreef (Egypt, 1983)

Directed by Mohamed Khan and starring Adel Emam in one of his most acclaimed dramatic roles, the 1983 classic follows Fares, a factory worker whose extraordinary football skills earn him money in Cairo’s underground amateur matches. But as his talent becomes a means of escape from financial hardship, the line between passion and exploitation begins to blur. More than four decades later, it remains one of Egyptian cinema’s most enduring portrayals of football and the people whose lives revolve around it.

Maradona’s Legs (Palestine, 2021)

Set during the feverish build-up to the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the Palestinian coming-of-age film follows two young brothers on a mission to find the final missing sticker needed to complete their World Cup album: Diego Maradona. What begins as a seemingly simple quest soon turns into an adventure across the streets of the West Bank, revealing the everyday realities of life under occupation along the way.

Captains of Za’atari (Egypt, 2021)

Premiering at Sundance Film Festival before winning Best Arab Documentary Film at the El Gouna Film Festival, the documentary follows two teenage Syrian refugees living in Jordan’s Za’atari camp as they pursue their dream of becoming professional footballers. Over several years, the film documents the highs, setbacks, and difficult choices that come with chasing an unlikely goal while navigating displacement and uncertainty.

Khartoum Offside (Sudan, 2019)

Football is often described as a male-dominated world, but Khartoum Offside tells a different story. Directed by Marwa Zein, the 2019 documentary follows a group of determined Sudanese women fighting for the right to play the sport they love in a country where women’s football has long faced social and institutional barriers. As they work to build Sudan’s first national women’s football team, the film captures both the everyday challenges they encounter and the quiet acts of defiance that fuel their ambition.

Baghdad Messi (Iraq, 2012)

Few films capture the intersection of football, childhood, and conflict quite like Baghdad Messi. The acclaimed Iraqi short directed by Sahim Omar Kalifa follows Hamoudi, a football-obsessed boy who idolizes Lionel Messi and dreams of watching his hero play in the UEFA Champions League final. When an accident leaves him injured on the eve of the match, his determination to see the game sets off a touching journey through a village shaped by the realities of war.

The Best Arab Football Films to Get You Hyped For the 2026 FIFA World Cup

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The Best Arab Football Films to Get You Hyped For the 2026 FIFA World Cup

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