‘You’re history itself!’: how Arab World Cup commentators fuel fans’ passions

Iraq fans gather to watch a World Cup match outside the citadel in Erbil. Photograph: Sabur Rashid/Zuma Press/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Iraq fans gather to watch a World Cup match outside the citadel in Erbil. Photograph: Sabur Rashid/Zuma Press/Shutterstock ‘You’re history itself!’: how Arab World Cup commentators fuel fans’ passions Arabic’s rich history of poetry lends itself well to ‘beautiful commentary that … sounds like a love letter to football’ E ven before Cristiano Ronaldo’s close-range shot had hit the back of net, the commentator had begun shouting. “Allllllllaaaaaaah!!!!” exclaimed Amer al-Khudhiri, an Omani football announcer for BeIN Sports, as the Portugal star scored his first goal of the 2026 World Cup against Uzbekistan on Tuesday. He took a deep breath and then began his soliloquy. “I knew you were coming for revenge. I knew you would answer everyone, the world, the World Cup , the doubters, those who have lost their memory,” al-Khudhiri said. “Oh history, put Ronaldo here as Portgual’s all-time top scorer, through all its history. Allah, Allah, Allah!” Al-Khudhiri waxed philosophical for more than a minute and a half. “I knew my night would be long and I knew my words might fail me, and I knew my vocal cords might break, and yet I am ready for that, happy, embracing heaven, O Ronaldo,” he said, his voice growing hoarse towards the end. With a record number of Middle Eastern teams at the 2026 World Cup, more fans than ever are tuning in across the region. But it is Arab football announcers and their commentary, which verges on poetry, rather than the players, who are stealing the show. From crowded seaside cafes in Lebanon, where excited fans stretch the limits of tired plastic chairs, to air-conditioned restaurants in the Gulf, the booming voices of commentators such as al-Khudhiri and Tunisia’s Issam Chaouali are a soundtrack to the action. View image in fullscreen Issam Chaouali is one of the Arab world’s most famous commentators. Photograph: Facebook “The language does more than heighten the drama, it somehow stretches time. A two-second sequence becomes a full paragraph. The anticipation becomes the thing you are consuming, not only the goal,” said Hazar al-Kilani, 27, a public relations manager based in Doha. Clips of football matches often go viral in the Arab world not only for good play but also the drama of the commentary that accompanies it. Watching that commentary in real time motivates even those who are not usually World Cup fans. Cherly Abou Chabke, 25, a reporter for a Lebanese TV station, said: “We know how to put on a show, and I feel like even if you don’t understand football and you’re watching the game, hearing this beautiful commentary that basically sounds like a love letter to football, you’re bound to get excited.” Commentators such as Chaouali are famed for their passionate coverage, breaking with the clinical play-by-play expected in the English-language media world. They put audiences