Freedom on the Pitch: A New Era for Syrian Football

Syria has been engulfed in war and turmoil since Bashar al-Assad’s regime began at the turn of the millennium, extending a dictatorship that lasted for 53 years. Generations have grown up under oppressive rule, but with the regime now over, Syrians can finally celebrate their freedom, and they'll be hoping to have another win to celebrate tonight.

Throughout Assad’s reign, football was often used as a propaganda tool to project an image of normalcy to the world, even as chaos unfolded at home. In 2012, Assad hosted the Syrian national team to congratulate them on winning the West Asian Football Federation Championship, rewarding players with an apartment, 150,000 Syrian pounds (approximately $1,400), and a government job. This pattern of manipulation continued for years, forcing many players to flee the country in search of safety and truth beyond the regime’s control.

Fast-forward to 2025, Syria is set to play its first football match since the fall of the Assad regime, kicking off at 6 p.m. this evening at the Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Stadium in Saudi Arabia. The Syrian national team’s home ground, Abbasiyyin Stadium in Damascus, remains out of use. Originally opened in 1957, it has been closed to sporting events since 2013 after Assad repurposed it as a military training site during the Civil War. The stadium also suffered extensive damage from bombings. While several sports federations have attempted to restore it, all efforts have failed so far. Now, with a Free Syria finally a reality, hopes are high that Abbasiyyin Stadium can be rebuilt and once again serve as a symbol of national pride.

Tonight, Syria will face Pakistan in its first match as a free nation. The team’s last game under the Assad regime took place on November 19, 2024, ending in a heavy 4-0 defeat to Russia. While this match may appear to be just an Asian Cup qualifier on paper, for the newly liberated people of Syria, it represents much more—the start of a new era and the beginning of their sporting future.

For nearly 60 years, Syria has been shrouded in a dark cloud of detentions, torture, killings, disappearances, and mass surveillance. Between 2011 and 2021 alone, the Assad regime is estimated to have killed over 300,000 civilians, while 7.2 million Syrians were internally displaced and another 6.8 million fled the country. This is reflected within the national squad, where five of the 23 players were born abroad, in countries like Sweden and Germany. One notable example is Mahmoud Dahoud, who was born in Syria but chose to represent Germany at the international level. Dahoud’s family fled Syria in 1996, when he was a newborn, escaping the Assad regime. Raised in Germany, he was unable to grow up in his homeland due to the regime's oppression, which likely influenced his decision to represent Germany instead of Syria. Alongside that, 82.6% of the squad play outside of Syria, likely due to the dangers of living and being a public figure during a civil war, halting the betterment of the league. Syria's manager, José María Lana, was appointed in late August 2024, and has only managed four matches. With two wins and two losses under his belt, he will be eager to get Syria off to a strong start as a free nation.

Tonight, Syria's players will take to the field, carrying the hopes of an entire nation. They will fly a new flag—a flag of freedom, untainted by dictatorship, and one, that long last, belongs to the people. Through football, they seek to lift a country that has endured so much, ushering in a new era of unity and pride. For many countries, football is more than just a sport—it represents national identity, pride, and unity. However, for Syria, these feelings have been absent for a long time. Years of conflict have left the nation fractured, but as the country moves towards reconstruction, football offers a powerful source of hope. In stadiums and streets alike, the beautiful game can bring people together and remind Syrians of their shared resilience. More than just a pastime, football is becoming a symbol of renewal, proving that even after the darkest times, there is always a way forward. The only battles left to fight are on the pitch. The brightest era is yet to come for Syria.