Salem Al-Dawsari battles with Messi during the Green Falcons’ historic 2-1 first round win. AFP
Salem Al-Dawsari battles with Messi during the Green Falcons’ historic 2-1 first round win. AFP

2022 - FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the Saudi football revolution

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Updated 19 April 2025
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2022 - FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the Saudi football revolution

2022 - FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the Saudi football revolution
  • Incredible result for the Green Falcons sets the stage for unprecedented transformation of the Kingdom’s football landscape, including star-studded Pro League signings and a successful bid to host the World Cup in 2034

DUBAI: On Nov. 20, 2022, billions of viewers tuned in to watch Qatar take on Ecuador and make history as the first Arab country to host the FIFA World Cup.

The moment marked a turning point for football in the Arab world, and Saudi Arabia in particular as it set the stage for a revolution in the sport that would be fueled just days later by an unforgettable victory.

Hosting the World Cup was a monumental achievement for Qatar, after more than a decade of preparation and significant investment in infrastructure. The tournament showcased state-of-the-art stadiums, cutting-edge technology, and a commitment to delivering an unforgettable experience for fans from all around the world.

However, the significance of the event extended well beyond football as Qatar, together with the rest of the Gulf region, seized the opportunity to present itself as a modern, dynamic hub at the crossroads of tradition and innovation.

The tournament not only broke new ground by taking place during the winter, it also introduced the world to the warmth of Arab hospitality and culture, challenging preconceived notions and fostering a greater understanding of the region.

For the second World Cup in a row, and the second time ever, four Arab teams were taking part: Qatar, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.

On the pitch, Morocco shocked the football world by reaching the semi-finals, defeating Belgium, Canada, Spain and Portugal along the way before losing to reigning champions France. It was finest-ever performance by an Arab nation at the World Cup.

While hosts Qatar would disappointingly suffer an early exit, Tunisia at least managed the distinction of beating France 1-0 in the group stages.

How we wrote it




Arab News went viral with its front-page headline “Don’t cry for me, Argentina,” celebrating Saudi Arabia’s historic win.

For Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, the World Cup became a catalyst for the country’s football revolution, ignited by a historic result on the third day of the tournament.

On Nov. 22, as the great Lionel Messi stood scratching his beard in bewilderment, Salem Al-Dawsari celebrated a goal with his traditional somersault. Half of the fans at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar were thrown into utter delirium. The rest were shocked into stunned silence. Across Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and, indeed, the globe, screams of celebration could be heard in the vicinity of every television screen.

The world had just witnessed the greatest moment in Saudi football history, and arguably the most memorable at that point by any Arab nation on football’s biggest stage.

Just seven minutes into the second half of the Green Falcons’ opening match of the competition, Al-Dawsari scored what turned out to be the match-winning goal against eventual champions Argentina.

Messi had given the South Americans a 10th-minute lead from the penalty spot, and a procession to a comfortable victory was expected by most. But the Saudis had other ideas. After a goosebump-inducing half-time team talk from French coach Herve Renard, footage of which would later go viral, the Saudi players emerged after the break a team inspired.

Saleh Al-Shehri equalized just three minutes into the second half, followed by Al-Dawsari’s intervention five minutes later. Despite Argentina’s best efforts, some heroic defending helped secure what is undoubtedly the nation’s greatest football moment.

The superlative winning goal and the famous victory it claimed were worthy of any World Cup. In hindsight, the game also marked the moment Saudi football truly emerged onto the global stage.

Though Renard’s team would not progress to the round of 16 in Qatar, a revolution in Saudi Arabian football was nevertheless about to unfold.

Just over a month after the game, and only 13 days after Messi raised the World Cup trophy when Argentina beat France on penalties in the final, the world of football was again shaken to its foundations by the announcement that Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr would sign Cristiano Ronaldo during the winter transfer window.

Overnight, Saudi Arabia became the center of attention in the football world. What was going on in the Kingdom?

Key Dates

  • 1

    Newly formed Saudi Arabia women’s national team plays its first international match, beating Seychelles 2-0.

  • 2

    The Saudi Women’s Premier League kicks off.

  • 3

    The FIFA World Cup begins in Qatar, marking the first time the tournament has been held in an Arab country.

    Timeline Image Nov. 20, 2022

  • 4

    Saudi Arabia beat eventual champions Argentina 2-1 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a historic moment that sends shock waves throughout the footballing world.

    Timeline Image Nov. 22, 2022

  • 5

    Cristiano Ronaldo signs for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.

    Timeline Image Dec. 30, 2022

  • 6

    The Kingdom bids successfully to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027 for the first time.

  • 7

    FIFA confirms Saudi Arabia as host of the 2023 Club World Cup, which takes place in December that year.

    Timeline Image Feb. 14, 2023

  • 8

    Saudi Private Investment Fund takes ownership of four Pro League clubs: Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli.

  • 9

    Transfer of Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain to Al-Hilal completed.

    Timeline Image Aug. 15, 2023

  • 10

    By the end of the transfer window, Saudi Pro League clubs spend a collective $957m on new players, with the most notable signings including Neymar, Karim Benzema, Roberto Firmino, Aymeric Laporte, Fabinho, N’Golo Kante, Gabri Veiga, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ruben Neves.

  • 11

    Saudi Arabia confirmed as host of 2034 FIFA World Cup.

    Timeline Image Dec. 11, 2024

Long before that seismic event in late December 2022, Saudi Arabia already boasted a footballing history, at the domestic and international levels, that few countries in the Middle East and Asia could match. In fact, high-caliber foreign footballers were not a rarity in the country.

As far back as 1977, Al-Hilal had signed Roberto Rivellino, a member of the magical, World Cup-winning Brazilian team of 1970. More recently, the likes of Bafetimbi Gomis, Abderrazak Hamdallah and Anderson Talisca numbered among the outstanding foreign players who made the Saudi Pro League their home.

The signing of Ronaldo, however, was on a whole new level. And where the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus star goes, others follow. The arrival in the Kingdom of the Portuguese legend opened the floodgates and what had been a steady stream of foreign signings became a deluge.

In the summer of 2023, after the Saudi sovereign Public Investment Fund acquired majority stakes in four of the country’s top clubs, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli, along with other investments in the game, the Pro League became the hottest destination for some of the world’s best players.

Sadio Mane and Aymeric Laporte followed Ronaldo to Al-Nassr. Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino moved to Al-Ahli. Fabinho, N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema joined then-champions Al-Ittihad. And, in the capital, the arrival of Neymar, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic bolstered an already formidable Al-Hilal side.

Saudi clubs were not signing players at the end of the careers looking for one last big payday, they were having their pick of superstars from some of Europe’s top clubs.

And that was just the beginning. Many more would follow in the summer of 2023 and during the January 2024 transfer window.

It was not long before Ronaldo proclaimed that the Saudi Pro League was better than Major League Soccer in the US and Ligue 1 in France. Those who would have bristled at such a suggestion just a year earlier had to sit up and take notice.

The wider social changes that were sweeping through Saudi Arabia at the same time meant the rise of football in the country was also felt in the women’s game, which had barely existed in any organized form in the Kingdom just a few years earlier.

A Saudi women’s national team was established in 2022 and soon earned its place on the FIFA rankings. The Saudi Women’s Premier League was founded the same year and, like the men’s Pro League, now boasts some of the world’s top talents.

While the influx of superstars was changing the face of Saudi football on the pitch, a lot of game-changing work was also being done behind the scenes by the nation’s football authorities, with some very notable results.




Argentina’s captain and forward #10 Lionel Messi (R) kisses the FIFA World Cup Trophy as he stands on stage with FIFA President Gianni Infantino (L) and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani after Argentina won the Qatar 2022 World Cup. (AFP)

In 2027, the Kingdom will finally host the AFC Asian Cup for the first time. The Green Falcons will be among the favorites to win the trophy, for what would be the fourth time in their history but the first since 1996.

But even that exciting announcement was surpassed when Saudi Arabia was awarded hosting rights for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Fifteen futuristic stadiums are already in the pipeline for what will be the next World Cup hosted entirely by a single nation.

While many are speculating about what the tournament will look like a decade from now — with the competition expanding next year to include 48 teams, up from 32 — the chances are that by then, Riyadh, Jeddah and the other Saudi host cities will be even more familiar to foreign audiences than they already are.

Thanks to Saudi Vision 2030, the ambitious plan for national development and diversification, the sports sector has been a central part of the Kingdom’s remarkable progress in recent years. This is set to continue, thanks to similar advances in the business, tourism and entertainment fields.

One of the Vision’s crowning achievements looks set to arrive in the form of Riyadh Expo 2030, when the Saudi capital will throw open its doors even wider to the rest of the world.

By the time the World Cup rolls around four years after that, few people around the globe will be quite so surprised by any Saudi achievements in the way they were when Al-Dawsari made history that memorable evening at Lusail Stadium.

Qatar 2022 had changed the game. But it was just the beginning.

  •  Ali Khaled is the sports editor at Arab News. He previously worked as a writer and editor at The National and GQ Middle East. 


India rushes to contain oil spill as vessel sinks off Kerala coast

India rushes to contain oil spill as vessel sinks off Kerala coast
Updated 19 min 20 sec ago
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India rushes to contain oil spill as vessel sinks off Kerala coast

India rushes to contain oil spill as vessel sinks off Kerala coast
  • The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with ‘hazardous cargo’ and 12 with calcium carbide, coast guard says
  • The Kerala coast has been put on high alert, with local coastal authorities instructed not to touch or go near the containers

KOCHI/BENGALURU: Authorities in the southern Indian state of Kerala were scrambling to contain an oil spill on Monday after a container vessel sank, leaking fuel into the Arabian Sea and releasing 100 cargo containers into the water.

The Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA3 ship was traveling from Vizhinjam on India’s southern tip to Kochi when it capsized about 38 nautical miles off Kerala on Saturday, officials said, adding that all 24 crew members had been rescued.

The entire ship has since been “submerged,” the Kerala chief minister’s office said in a statement on Sunday without elaborating on the cause of the incident.

“The Coast Guard is taking steps to block the oil with two ships. A Dornier aircraft is also being used to spray oil-destroying powder on the oil slick,” the statement said.

The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with “hazardous cargo” and 12 with calcium carbide, the Indian coast guard said, without disclosing the contents of the containers that fell into the sea.

Cyprus-based MSC Shipmanagement, which owns the vessel, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Kerala coast has been put on high alert, with local coastal bodies instructed not to touch or go near the containers — some of which began washing up on beaches on Monday — and fishermen advised not to venture into the sea.

Authorities in the state’s Kollam region have encouraged people living nearby to move to safer places.

Accidental oil spills in the ocean can have far-reaching effects, putting marine ecosystems to the local fishing industry at risk.

The collision of a BW LPG vessel and a local ship carrying heavy fuel oil caused a similar oil spill in 2017 near the southern city of Chennai, which harmed aquatic life and affected the livelihood of thousands of fishermen. 


France’s Macron calls for world order ‘based on law’ in Vietnam

France’s Macron calls for world order ‘based on law’ in Vietnam
Updated 14 min 4 sec ago
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France’s Macron calls for world order ‘based on law’ in Vietnam

France’s Macron calls for world order ‘based on law’ in Vietnam

HANOI: France’s Emmanuel Macron called in Vietnam on Monday for the preservation of a world order “based on law,” as he started a tour of Southeast Asia, a region caught up in the confrontation between the United States and China.
During a press statement alongside his Vietnamese counterpart Luong Cuong in Hanoi, Macron said a rules-based order was necessary at “a time of both great imbalance and a return to power-driven rhetoric and intimidation.”
The president presented France as a reliable alternative for Vietnam, caught between Washington, which is threatening to impose enormous levies on its exports to the United States, and Beijing, an important trade partner with which it is also embroiled in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
After his arrival in Hanoi late Sunday, the first stop of a six-day trip that will take in Indonesia and Singapore, Macron emphasized a shared vision with Vietnam, a country of 100 million people experiencing stellar growth.
On Monday, around a dozen agreements were signed between the two countries, including in the field of nuclear power, which Hanoi is keen to develop as it seeks to meet soaring energy demands.
Budget airline Vietjet also announced an order for 20 widebody Airbus A330-900 planes, doubling its purchases of the model from the aviation giant in a deal worth an estimated $8 billion.
“It is truly a new page being written between our two countries... a desire to write an even more ambitious page of the relationship between Vietnam and France, between ASEAN and the European Union,” Macron said.
After paying tribute at a Hanoi war memorial to those who fought against French colonial occupation, Macron met his counterpart Cuong.
The president later had lunch with Communist Party General Secretary To Lam at the capital’s star attraction, the Temple of Literature.
Lam is considered the most powerful leader in Vietnam, a one-party state which tolerates no dissent and moves quickly to suppress any criticism.
Ahead of Macron’s first official visit to the country, Human Rights Watch pressed him to voice concerns about “the Vietnamese government’s worsening rights record.”
Vietnam has more than 170 political prisoners who have been charged and convicted under “draconian laws” that criminalize free expression and peaceful activism for human rights and democracy, HRW said.
A public appeal would be out of character for the French president, who regularly says he prefers to raise sensitive issues behind closed doors.


Macron hopes to sell Hanoi his offer of a “third way” between Washington and Beijing.
“Vietnam is really on the front line of all the tensions that are growing in the South China Sea,” a senior French diplomatic official told AFP.
Hanoi shares Washington’s concerns about Beijing’s increasing assertiveness in the contested waterway, but it has close economic ties with its giant neighbor.
Vietnam has also been threatened with a hefty 46 percent tariff by US President Donald Trump as part of his global trade blitz.
Macron’s “Indo-Pacific strategy” — which proposes a third way to the countries of the region — has gained new relevance due to Trump’s trade war, according to the aide.
He said the president was “defending the idea of international trade rules, we don’t want a jungle where the law of the strongest prevails.”
Vietnam has been careful to follow its own balancing act between China and the United States.
It has adopted a “bamboo diplomacy” approach of seeking strength through flexibility, or looking to stay on good terms with the world’s major powers.
 


Trump’s immigration crackdown unnerves Cuban exiles long shielded from deportation

Trump’s immigration crackdown unnerves Cuban exiles long shielded from deportation
Updated 41 min 41 sec ago
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Trump’s immigration crackdown unnerves Cuban exiles long shielded from deportation

Trump’s immigration crackdown unnerves Cuban exiles long shielded from deportation
  • US President Donald Trump intends to deport recent arrivals from Cuba back to their country
  • Many Cubans feel betrayed by the decision after supporting President Trump during his election

MIAMI: Immigration officials said Tomás Hernández worked in high-level posts for Cuba’s foreign intelligence agency for decades before migrating to the United States to pursue the American dream.
The 71-year-old was detained by federal agents outside his Miami-area home in March and accused of hiding his ties to Cuba’s Communist Party when he obtained permanent residency.
Cuban-Americans in South Florida have long clamored for a firmer hand with Havana and the recent apprehensions of Hernández and several other former Cuban officials for deportation have been extremely popular among the politically powerful exile community.
“It’s a political gift to Cuban-American hard-liners,” said Eduardo Gamarra, a Latin American expert at Florida International University. But many Cubans fear they could be next on Trump’s list, he said, and “some in the community see it as a betrayal.”
Some pleased among Trump fans, others worried
While President Donald Trump’s mass deportation pledge has frightened migrants from many nations, it has come as something of a shock to the 2.4 million Cuban-Americans, who strongly backed the Republican twice and have long enjoyed a place of privilege in the US immigration system.
Amid record arrivals of migrants from the Caribbean island, Trump in March revoked temporary humanitarian parole for about 300,000 Cubans. Many have been detained ahead of possible deportation.
Among those facing deportation is a pro-Trump Cuban rapper behind a hit song “Patria y Vida” — “Homeland and Life” — that became the unofficial anthem of anti-communist protests on the island in 2021 and drew praise from the likes of then Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, now Secretary of State. Eliéxer Márquez, who raps under the name El Funky, said he received notice this month that he had 30 days to leave the US
Thanks to Cold War laws aimed at removing Fidel Castro, Cuban migrants for many decades enjoyed almost automatic refugee status in the US and could obtain green cards a year after entry, unlike migrants from virtually every other country.
Support for Trump among likely Cuban-American voters in Miami was at an all-time high on the eve of last year’s election, according to a poll by Florida International University, which has been tracking the Cuban-American community since 1991. Trump rarely mentions Cubans in his attacks on migrant targets including Venezuelans and Haitians. That has given many Cubans hope that they will remain immune to immigration enforcement actions.
Politics of a crackdown
Democrats, meanwhile, have been trying to turn the immigration crackdown to their advantage. In April, grassroots groups erected two giant billboards on Miami highways calling Rubio and Republican Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez “traitors” to the Cuban-American community for failing to protect tens of thousands of migrants from Trump’s immigration policies.
The arrest of former Cuban state agents is one way to bolster Trump allies, Gamarra said.
In March, Giménez sent Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a letter with the names of 108 people he said were former Cuban state agents or Communist Party officials living unlawfully in the US
“It is imperative that the Department of Homeland Security enforce existing US laws to identify, deport and repatriate these individuals who pose a direct threat to our national security, the integrity of our immigration system and the safety of Cuban exiles and American citizens alike,” Giménez wrote, adding that the US remains a “beacon of hope and freedom for those escaping tyranny.”
A mission to topple the government
Giménez’s target list was compiled by Luis Dominguez, who left Cuba in 1971 and has made it his mission to topple Cuba’s government. In 2009, when the Internet was still a novelty in Cuba, Dominguez said he posed as a 27-year-old female sports journalist from Colombia to lure Castro’s son Antonio into an online romance.
“Some people dream with making money, or with growing old and going on vacation,” said Dominguez, who lives in Connecticut. “I dream with seeing my country free.”
With support from the right-wing Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba, he started combing social media and relying on a well-oiled network of anti-socialist sources, inside Cuba and outside the country, to dox officials allegedly behind human rights abuses and violations of democratic norms. To date, his website, Represores Cubanos — Cuban Repressors — has identified more than 1,200 such state agents, some 150 in the United States.
“They’re chasing the American dream, but previously they condemned it while pursuing the Cuban dream,” Dominguez said. “It’s the typical double life of any Communist regime. When they were in power they criticized anything about the US But now that they’re here, they love it.”
Dominguez, 62, said he regularly shares his findings with federal law enforcement but a spokesman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn’t comment on the agency’s relationship with the activist.
An elite spy department
Enrique Garcia, a former colleague, said he studied with Hernández in the former Soviet Union in the 1970s. Upon their return, Hernández was sent to work in the spy agency’s elite “North America” department, said Garcia.
Garcia, who defected to the US in the 1990s and has devoted himself to helping American spy catchers unmask Cuban agents, said one-time Cuban agents have infiltrated the current migration wave while hiding their past and even current loyalties to the Cuban government.
“You can’t be on both sides at the same time,” he said.
It’s not known when Hernández entered the US and why. US immigration law generally bars people who’ve belonged to Communist parties. Anyone caught lying on their green card application can be deported or prosecuted.
But removing Cubans who are no longer welcome in the US could prove challenging.
The Trump administration sends a single 60-passenger plane to Cuba every month as part of its deportation drive, unchanged from the past year’s average, according to Witness at the Border, which tracks removal flights. At that rate, it would take almost 700 years to send back the estimated 500,000 Cubans who arrived during the Biden administration and now lack protected status.
Crackdown on loyal fans
At Versailles Restaurant, the epicenter of Miami’s Little Havana, few among its anti-Communist clientele seemed poised to turn on Trump, who visited the iconic cafe twice during the recent presidential campaign. One regular retiree, 83-year-old Rafael Nieto, even wore a giant Trump 2024 hat and pin.
Most of the aging exiles applauded Trump’s migration crackdown overhaul but there were a few cracks in the GOP armor. As the late afternoon banter switched between talk of CIA plots to assassinate Castro and President John F. Kennedy’s failure to provide air cover during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, one retiree stood up and quietly stepped away from his friends.
“People are trembling,” Tony Freitas, who came to the US from Cuba in the 1980 Mariel boatlift, said in a hushed voice. “For any little thing, you could be deported.”


SILZ Company recognized for logistics excellence

SILZ Company recognized for logistics excellence
Updated 53 min 53 sec ago
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SILZ Company recognized for logistics excellence

SILZ Company recognized for logistics excellence

The Special Integrated Logistics Zone Company, a developer and operator of special integrated logistics zones in Saudi Arabia, has been honored with two prestigious industry awards, recognizing its achievements in logistics operational efficiency, advanced infrastructure, and technological innovation.  

At the Saudi Logistics Awards 2025, SILZ Company secured top honors in three categories — “Logistics Hub of the Year”, “Logistics Real Estate Company of the Year” and "Logistics Leader of the Year" awarded to Dr. Fadi Al-Buhairan, — underscoring SILZ Company’s commitment to transforming the Kingdom’s logistics landscape and solidifying its position as a global integrated logistics hub, in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030. 

The awards highlight SILZ Company’s success in creating a seamless and efficient operational environment for businesses. The flagship zone, Riyadh Integrated, exemplifies this commitment, offering a comprehensive one-stop shop for tenant services and a direct connection to King Khalid International Airport via a bonded corridor. 

“These awards are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire SILZ team,” said Dr. Fadi Al-Buhairan, chief executive of SILZ Company. “We are proud to be recognized for our efforts in building a world-class logistics ecosystem that empowers businesses to thrive. Our focus on cutting-edge technology, advanced infrastructure, ecosystem strength, and strong partnerships is driving unprecedented efficiency and setting new standards for the industry.” 

SILZ Company’s state-of-the-art infrastructure, technology, and its ability to attract leading global companies have been key factors in its success. The company leverages advanced smart systems for cargo tracking, digital documentation, and smart zone management. Its integrated cargo community system streamlines processes and enhances supply chain transparency. 

The awards also acknowledge the strong trust SILZ Company has garnered from key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services; General Authority of Civil Aviation; Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority; Matarat Holding Company; and its tenants. These partnerships are crucial to SILZ Company’s mission of creating a collaborative ecosystem that fosters innovation and drives value chain optimization. 

SILZ Company is committed to continuous improvement and strategic expansion. As it perfects its operational playbook in Riyadh Integrated, the company is already laying the groundwork for future zones, extending its transformative impact across the Kingdom. 

 


East Lane Partners invests in Cloudzlab to boost capabilities across Mideast

East Lane Partners invests in Cloudzlab to boost capabilities across Mideast
Updated 26 May 2025
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East Lane Partners invests in Cloudzlab to boost capabilities across Mideast

East Lane Partners invests in Cloudzlab to boost capabilities across Mideast

East Lane Partners, a private equity firm focused on growth and buyout strategies, has announced an investment in Cloudzlab, a leading Salesforce Summit Partner in the Middle East.

This investment will support Cloudzlab’s regional expansion, enhance its technology delivery capabilities and strengthen its position as a premier Salesforce partner across the region.

Founded in Cairo in 2015 and headquartered in the UAE, Cloudzlab has grown into one of the region’s top Salesforce Partners, having successfully delivered over 200 projects across more than 10 countries.

The company has experienced substantial growth in recent years, with revenue increasing fivefold over the past four years.

This surge has been driven by growing regional demand for Salesforce’s CRM, analytics, and AI-powered cloud solutions among both enterprises and SMEs.

Cloudzlab’s excellence has been recognized through multiple Salesforce Middle East Partner Awards, including: FY21 Rising Star Partner, FY22 & FY23 Overall Partner of the year, FY23 Customer Success Partner and FY24 & FY25 Sales Excellence Partner.

These awards highlight the company’s strong delivery record, client impact, and leadership in the Salesforce ecosystem in the region.

Cloudzlab’s team of over 90 professionals holds more than 350 Salesforce certifications, further demonstrating the company’s technical depth and regional expertise.

The partnership with East Lane Partners will provide Cloudzlab with growth capital and strategic guidance to scale operations, expand talent and capabilities, develop AI-powered solutions and enter new markets.

This includes the opening of a new office in Saudi Arabia with a dedicated local team to meet the Kingdom’s rising demand for cloud solutions.

Cloudzlab’s team plans to grow to over 250 professionals in the coming years.

Tarek Mounib, partner at East Lane Partners, said: “Our investment in Cloudzlab aligns with our strategy of backing market leaders with the potential to become regional and global champions. Cloudzlab’s proven track record, talent, and delivery capabilities make it one of the fastest-growing technology services companies in the region. We’re excited to support them in their next phase of growth and regional leadership.”

Nader Kozman, co-founder and CEO of Cloudzlab, said: “This partnership is a key milestone in our journey. With East Lane Partners’ support, we’re well-positioned to accelerate our growth and realize our vision of becoming the leading Salesforce systems integrator in the region. As we celebrate 10 years of partnership with Salesforce, we remain committed to scaling our impact, advancing our delivery capabilities, and delivering exceptional value to our clients.”