As we bid adieu to 2025 and prepare to welcome another enthralling year of sports, here are some exciting and talented sportswomen from the Arab world to keep an eye on.
Ghizlane Chebbak (Morocco) – Football
2025 was a banner year for Moroccan footballer Ghizlane Chebbak, who made history in more ways than one.
During the summer, she won her second consecutive Golden Boot at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, becoming only the second woman to achieve that feat in competition history.
The Moroccan captain’s five goals helped her country reach the Wafcon final, where they came up just short against Nigeria to settle for the runners-up spot.
This season, Chebbak, whose father, Larbi Chebbak, won the men's Afcon with Morocco in 1976, joined Saudi Women's Premier League club Al Hilal, who are currently in second place behind table-toppers Al Nassr.
In November, the 35-year-old Chebbak was named CAF Women’s Player of the Year, the first Moroccan in history to win the award.
It will be interesting to see how the Moroccan veteran fares in the Saudi league and whether she can help Morocco go one better than their two previous runners-up finishes in the Wafcon when they host the tournament in March 2026.
Manon Ouaiss (Lebanon) – Alpine skiing
Preparing to compete in her second Winter Olympics this February, Lebanese skier Manon Ouaiss will be one to watch at Milano-Cortina 2026.
Unlike her previous Olympic appearance in Beijing four years ago, where she competed while working in a business law firm and studying law at a university in Paris, Ouaiss has been able to fully dedicate herself to training this past year, basing herself in Brides-les-Bains in the French Alps to prepare for the Games.
The 25-year-old is a multi-sport athlete and claimed a bronze medal at the World 2024 Muay Thai Championships.
She has high ambitions, including a dream to compete in the LA 2028 Olympics in boxing.
But first and foremost, she hopes to help give a boost to the competitive skiing environment back home.
“I really try to contribute to a better level in Lebanon,” she told The National in an interview.
“And I really want us to be more ambitious because we kind of have this culture in Lebanon of, it's great to participate and to raise the Lebanese flag on the world stage, etc. But I feel like we could be more competitive, aim for medals, and so on.”
Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) – Tennis
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Currently on maternity leave and expecting a baby boy with husband Karim Kamoun in April, Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur is already thinking about her comeback and recently said she hopes to return to the WTA Tour before the 2026 season ends.
Jabeur has long spoken of her desire to take a break to expand her family and join the growing group of travelling mothers on the tennis circuit.
The former world No 2 wishes to provide further inspiration for women across the region and beyond through her journey back t
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