Key takeaways
– MENA’s sports strategy has successfully attracted global attention, but long-term growth now depends on strengthening domestic leagues and everyday fan engagement.
– Infrastructure upgrades and marquee signings raise visibility, yet consistent storytelling is essential to make local competitions culturally relevant.
– AI-powered content creation helps rights holders scale localized, multi-format storytelling that meets global standards and nurtures sustainable regional fandom.
On the second weekend of January, the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) was the place to be for football connoisseurs. In Morocco, the Africa Cup of Nations boasted a lineup of four high-quality quarter-final matches. In Kuwait, PSG won the Trophée des Champions (the French Super Cup) after beating Marseille in dramatic fashion. And in Saudi Arabia, Barcelona outdueled Real Madrid in a thrilling Clásico to retain the Supercopa de España.
This trend is only set to continue. The MENA region has established itself as the go-to destination for major sporting events: Morocco will co-host (with Portugal and Spain) the 2030 FIFA World Cup, with Saudi Arabia following four years later; the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be held in Qatar; and Egypt is preparing a bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics.
What distinguishes the region as a global hub for sports, said Mohamed Hashem, sports lead for Middle East and Africa at global management consultancy Kearney, “is its forward-looking approach. Free from legacy constraints, countries across the region are testing new frameworks that align sports with broader economic and societal ambitions.”
The investment playbook behind the momentum
These frameworks are exploring multiple avenues to invest in sports. According to global strategy consulting firm Altman Solon, which dedicated a chapter to the Middle East’s sports growth in a recent report, entities in the region take four investment pathways:
1. Acquiring stakes in international clubs and leagues
Early deals were often led by royal family members targeting elite football clubs, such as PSG and Manchester City. Over the past decade, this has evolved into a more strategy-driven approach where sovereign wealth funds and government-controlled vehicles deploy capital into properties that can hold annual events in the region (like LIV Golf, Formula 1 races, ATP & WTA tournaments), which generate local job opportunities and boost tourism.
2. Sponsoring international clubs and leagues
Middle Eastern entities leverage high-visibility partnerships – especially jersey sponsorships and naming rights – to attach their brands to the world’s biggest fan bases. State-owned airlines and oil companies are central actors, turning clubs, leagues, and competitions in different sports into global billboards for broader national projects.
3. Hosting top international events
By bringing in tentpole sporting events, countries in the region can compress years of brand building into a handful of moments that are broadcast worldwide. These events are not treated as one-off spectacles but as anchors in broader development plans, integrated with investments in infrastructure, real estate, and entertainment districts to ensure that venues and surrounding areas remain active long after the trophies are lifted.
4. Investing in growing domestic ecosystems
This involves channeling capital into facilities, academies, grassroots programs, and women’s and youth platforms. By investing heavily in local ecosystems, the region aims to gradually close that gap and deepen engagement with domestic leagues.
Early returns on a long-term bet
These investments yielded results. Altman Solon's report revealed that the region's focus on sports has led to increased interest in sports viewership, especially among younger generations:
– Among 16-24-year-olds, interest in watching sports rose from 27% in 2021 to 36% in 2024.
– Gen Zers in MENA generally show higher interest in sports compared to their European and American peers.
– Sports viewers in the region show greater interest in European football leagues than in domestic leagues.
Given this interest in sports, note the report's authors, the challenge facing MENA countries “is to further expand sports fandom domestically and strengthen the local sports ecosystems. Investment in local leagues, star signings, and improved fan experiences could help further increase engagement with regional teams.”
Scaling fandom through technology
That next step is already underway. Across the region, leagues are benefiting from world-class stadiums, elite training facilities, and marquee signings – Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League, Roberto Firmino in Qatar, to name of few – that raise both quality and visibility. To translate this into fandom, organizations must match global standards off the pitch too and deliver a constant flow of multi-format content that fits how modern fans follow sports.
This is where AI-powered content creation tech becomes essential. By automatically identifying key moments, generating platform-specific assets, and distributing them at scale, rights holders can stay present between matchdays. The result is a richer, more consistent fan experience that mirrors top leagues worldwide. With the right execution, MENA won’t just host football’s biggest moments – it will become a destination for connoisseurs because of its local leagues.
Actionable insights:
– Use short-form, platform-native video to spotlight local league moments between marquee events, keeping domestic competitions visible and relevant year-round.
– Treat star players as storytelling anchors, but build content ecosystems around clubs, rivalries, and matchday narratives to sustain engagement beyond signings.
– Leverage AI-powered workflows to create, format, and distribute content at scale, ensuring regional leagues meet the same content standards as top global competitions.
