In the midst of a long-running and ruinous war, Syrians may finally have something to be joyful about.
Syria’s national soccer team has a chance to qualify for next year’s World Cup — what would be the Arab nation’s first ever appearance in the sport’s most prestigious event. The team, referred to by many Syrians as the “Qasioun Eagles” after a mountain overlooking the capital Damascus, has been on an impressive run despite being forced to play all its games in other countries.
The Syrians beat Qatar 3-1 on Thursday in Malaysia, moving into third place in Group A of Asian qualifying. The top two finishers in the six-team group will automatically qualify for next year’s tournament in Russia, while the third-place team will enter a play-off.
If the Syrians beat Iran in Tehran in their final group match on Tuesday, they will be guaranteed to finish at least third. But Syria could finish second and qualify directly depending on the result of the match between South Korea and Uzbekistan.
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The qualification would come as a welcome surprise for millions across the war-torn country, which has been devastated by the conflict. The war has negatively impacted the country’s soccer industry, the country’s most popular sport. As the nation descended into conflict, sports stadiums were trashed and many of the national team’s players moved to Arab or Asian countries.
The politics of Syria’s run has not been lost on anyone.
For Syria to qualify for the World Cup in Russia, its chief international ally, it must defeat Iran, its regional political ally. Both countries have provided crucial political and military support to shore up Bashar Al-Assad’s forces in the war.
Mowaffak Joumaa, the head of Syria’s Olympic committee and sports federation, told The Associated Press in Damascus that “every citizen has become a soldier in his own profession” and the soccer players are doing their best for the country.
“We are hopeful”, Mr. Joumaa said, “that they will achieve a good result in the match against Iran and would bring happiness to all Syrians on Tuesday”.
