Year in Search MENA 2025: AI, education & sports

With the year drawing to an end, we explore the moments, people, and trends that sparked curiosity across the Middle East and North Africa. The year 2025 was defined by a massive surge in AI literacy, a continued devotion to football and cricket, and a deep engagement with educational platforms and local drama hits.

Leading this technological wave, Google Gemini topped AI and technology lists across the board, showcasing a huge interest in Generative AI—from general models to specific creative tools like Nano Banana for editing images and Veo for generating videos from text or frames. Let’s have a look at the top trends!

United Arab Emirates

The UAE continues to stand out as a global hub for diverse interests. While cricket fever remained high with the IPL 2025 and the Asia Cup dominating sports searches, the year was truly defined by a tech-savvy population. Google Gemini, DeepSeek, and ChatGPT were among the most searched terms, signaling a society fully embracing the AI revolution. Entertainment also played a huge role, with blockbusters like Coolie and War 2 capturing the nation’s attention.

Saudi Arabia

In the Kingdom, digital transformation was the headline. Saudis turned to Google Search to navigate an increasingly digitized lifestyle, with top searches for platforms like Qobool (https://www.uap.sa/), the National Guard registration, and the National Center for Assessment (Qiyas). Entertainment remained a staple of Saudi evenings, with the enduring popularity of Shabab Al Bomb 13 and the new hit Fahd Al Batal. Similar to its neighbors, Saudi Arabia showed a thirst for future-tech, with high interest in AI tools like Google Gemini and Hailuo AI.

Egypt

Football remains the undisputed king of Egyptian searches. The FIFA Club World Cup and matches involving Al Ahly (specifically against opponents like Palmeiras and Orlando Pirates) fueled passionate queries. On the news front, regional stability—specifically the Iran-Israel conflict, and local economic indicators like the gold price were top of mind. The cultural scene was vibrant, with the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum and the popularity of movies like Siko Siko and The Ghawe reflecting a nation deeply connected to its arts and history.

What other countries searched for!

• Palestine: Amidst challenges and the ongoing war, the focus on education and resilience shone through. Top searches included University portals (Al-Aqsa, Al-Azhar, Islamic University) and High School results, alongside a shared regional passion for Real Madrid matches.
• Iraq: A blend of tech enthusiasm and sports passion defined the year, with the Iraq vs. Jordan and Iraq vs. Kuwait matches gripping the nation. Personalities like the YouTuber Nour Stars, the media personality Ramez Jalal, and footballer Omar Marmoush also captured the public imagination.
• Jordan: Education and public services were a priority, with Jordanians seeking the Ajyal platform, Tawjihi results, and the Unified Admission Coordination Unit. However, the love for football remained strong with high searches for matches including Iraq vs. Jordan.
• Syria: Drama, AI & football led the conversation. Series like Nasamat Ayloul, Salma, and Al Batal were major talking points. In sports, the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona continued to dominate search bars. In terms of tech tools, Google Gemini, followed by ChatGPT amongst others were top searched in Syria.
• Morocco: Football fever is undying here, with the FIFA Club World Cup and the AFCON topping the charts. Interestingly, Morocco showed a sophisticated interest in a wide variety of AI tools, including BlackBox AI, Claude, and Manus.
• Algeria: Similar to its neighbor, Algeria’s focus was split between the pitch and the screen. Matches involving the national team (against Uganda and Niger) were top trends, alongside drama series like Layla and global hits like Squid Game.

Ready to Explore the full spectrum of the region’s curiosity?

Delve deeper into the region's search trends and uncover the full list of trending queries for each country on the Google Trends website.