Racket sports rise as football stalls

Private sector drives padel and tennis boom, while football grapples with politics and decline

By AlZain AlSabah

Across Kuwait’s sports complexes, padel and tennis are buzzing while football that was once the nation’s pride – faces stagnation. The contrast raises an important question: Is the private sector the key driver of success, or must private and government bodies work together to build the infrastructure needed for Kuwaiti athletes to thrive?

Racket sports boom

Hussain Almosawi, a former national team football striker, discovered in padel what football never offered: Freedom, merit, and contracts based on performance. Once an unfamiliar sport in Kuwait, padel has now exploded in popularity thanks to private investors. Clubs are opening across the country, tournaments draw large crowds and social media has amplified its reach.

“In padel, I sign contracts. I get paid according to my performance. I have choices: If one club gives me a better offer, I can move. Nothing holds me back. In football, politics decided my fate. In padel, performance does,” Almosawi said.

At the same time, Abdullah Alabdulmohsen, founder of Champions Tennis Academy and a former Division 1 athlete in the US, is pioneering the revival of tennis in Kuwait. The sport nearly faded without tournaments and competitive programs, but private academies and international collaborations have reignited interest. “The private sector is a catalyst, speeding up the process of reviving the game on a local level. Community is what drives us now,” Alabdulmohsen explained.

Hussain Almosawi

Tennis and the missing pathways

Alabdulmohsen emphasized that talent is not Kuwait’s weakness; the real gap lies in the absence of tournaments and structured programs to nurture athletes. Without regular competition, development stalls. “We need proper pathways: infrastructure, tournaments, therapy and coaches who understand the player beyond the surface.”

He argued that imported coaches often miss the cultural nuances needed to connect with local players. “We have a tendency to bring in foreign coaches who don’t fully understand the culture. What we need is to trust and develop our local coaches, who can connect with athletes on a deeper level.” Reflecting on his journey, Alabdulmohsen added: “I was Abdullah from Kuwait, the tennis player. That identity gave me national pride and purpose, and that’s what I want young Kuwaitis to feel.”

Football’s struggles

While racket sports grow under privatization, football continues to struggle under favoritism and outdated structures. Almosawi recalls how politics overshadowed his years at Al-Arabi Club. “I was excluded from Al-Arabi because the manager thought I didn’t have enough connections to help him win the election,” he revealed.

Two athletes in conversation

Almosawi’s and Alabdulmohsen’s stories highlight the same challenge from different angles. For Hussain, football’s reliance on favoritism blocked potential. For Abdullah, tennis’ lack of tournaments and weak infrastructure limited growth. Together, their voices suggest that sports in Kuwait thrive when performance, not politics or favoritism, determines success. “That’s exactly why tennis is regaining momentum, because when performance is what matters, the sport can breathe again,” Alabdulmohsen told Kuwait Times.

What needs to change

The future of Kuwaiti sports depends on more than passion. Without competitive systems, a calendar of tournaments, and merit-based structures, athletes lack the platform to grow. Both Abdullah and Hussain agree that while the private sector has pioneered progress in racket sports, lasting success will come only if government bodies enable, rather than hinder, that progress. “The private sector alongside the government can make it flourish,” Alabdulmohsen concluded.

The question remains: Should Kuwait rely solely on the private sector’s disruptive energy, or build a partnership model that combines private innovation with government support? Either way, without stronger infrastructure and a more competitive landscape, Kuwait risks holding back its athletes.

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