Women's Football Academies Across the MENA Region

For the growth of women’s football in the Middle East and North Africa, what matters is not only visibility at national-team level, but the ecosystem beneath it: girls’ academies, federation training centres, club pathways, and year-round coaching environments that allow players to start young and see a credible route into the professional game. 

Across the region, that infrastructure is taking shape in different ways. In some countries, the growth is being driven by federations establishing regional centres and formal development programmes. In others, private girls’ academies and women’s clubs are filling the gap, creating the first generation of pathways tailored specifically to female players. 

Saudi Arabia has rapidly expanded its development structure through SAFF’s girls’ regional training centres, while Morocco’s model is anchored more visibly in federation infrastructure and elite national development systems around the Mohammed VI complex. Jordan has mostly federation-backed pathways, while countries such as the UAE, Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon show a more mixed landscape of private academies, club systems, and emerging women-focused training platforms. The result is not one uniform model, but a snapshot of a region steadily building the foundations required for a stronger professional future for female athletes.

PSG Academy (Multiple locations across the region)

Offers elite training for girls aged 4-16, with a dedicated U15 and U17 Elite team that competes in local leagues and the PSG Academy World Cup in Paris.

Banaat FC Academy (UAE)

Dubai-based girls academy with a stated pathway from academy to women’s first team. Launched in 2023, it is the first independent women's football club in the Arab region.

Al-Nassr FC Academy (Saudi Arabia)

Defending champions of the Saudi Women’s Premier League, accepts girls aged 6–12 and has a structured setup for developing top-level talent.

Right to Dream Egypt Academy (Egypt)

Elite residential academy in Badya, West Cairo. It operates as a fully residential, scholarship-based school, integrating rigorous academic curriculum with professional football training.

Juventus Academy (Multiple locations across the region)

Delivers year-round training for boys and girls through the official Juventus methodology, with age-specific programmes, elite coaching, and competitive pathways that can extend to regional tournaments and international training experiences.

SAFF Girls’ Regional Training Centers (Saudi Arabia)

Federation-run elite development centres targeted for girls 6-17 years old, part of Saudi Arabia’s women’s 2021 initiative to expand women's football from an early age.

Alliance Girls Dubai (UAE)

Girls-only football club and academy in Dubai, with local league and tournaments and girls-exclusive facilities. Some of its players are currently representing the UAE National Team.

Mohammed VI Football Academy (Morocco)

Morocco’s flagship elite development hub and a key part of the country’s broader football system. FIFA and CAF both point to the academy as central to Morocco’s talent development.

TFA Girls Football Academy (UAE)

Girls-specific academy programme in Dubai for girls aged 5-18. Includes pathways to college soccer/NCAA and professional opportunities. 

Girls Football Academy (Jordan)

Girls-only academy in Amman. Players train with coaches from the Jordan Football Association as part of the Grassroots Girls Project 2026/27.

Beirut Football Academy (Lebanon) 

Founded in 2004, the academy is recognised as one of Lebanon's premier football academies for youth, focusing on training for boys and girls aged 4 to 18. They have Lebanese Women’s League fixtures on FIFA+, including BFA women’s matches in 2026.

FRMF Federal Training Centres (Morocco) 

Federation-run development centres under the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, which are part of the national elite pathway rather than a single standalone girls-only academy.