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

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. …