'Sock ball', once a poor man's game in Egypt, now a football celebration


Players take part in a 'Sock Ball' match during a Ramadan soccer tournament held on a street in Alexandria, Egypt, March 23, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Sock ball was long considered a poor man's game for Egyptian football lovers, but more recently it's become a show of celebration during Islam's holy month of Ramadan that takes over the streets.

Originally played with some old socks or scraps crammed inside of each other to form a ball, sock ball is likely to have been the first football played by both Egypt's massive soccer stars and the fans who root for them.

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