Adel Mohsen, a 56‑year‑old football enthusiast from Mukalla, Yemen, has been a fixture in front of a television set for every World Cup since 1982, watching the tournament through wars, economic collapse and political upheaval.
A lifelong love of the game
His devotion began in Spain, where the 1982 tournament sparked a lifelong passion, and continued in Mexico four years later while Aden was engulfed in infighting. By the time Italy hosted in 1990, Mohsen was playing amateur football in local clubs, feeling the sport’s rhythm even as the nation’s politics shifted.
The 1994 World Cup in the United States arrived amid Yemen’s civil war, yet Mohsen still found ways to follow the matches, a testament to his unyielding connection to the tournament.
Today, power cuts and fuel shortages threaten his routine, forcing him to watch on a giant public screen in Mukalla while jotting notes for later analysis. The scarcity of electricity has turned each match into a communal event, drawing neighbors together around a shared screen.
For Mohsen, football is more than a pastime; it is a brief escape from the hardships of daily life, a moment when the world narrows to the pitch and the ball. He predicts that France will lift the trophy this year, a hopeful forecast that reflects both his personal optimism and the broader yearning for stability.