Middle East conflict disrupts major sporting events across the region

The Qatar Grand Prix is scheduled to be held at the Lusail International Circuit between 27 and 29 November, as multiple high-profile sporting events across the Middle East have been postponed, cancelled or relocated amid concerns about missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement and earlier US‑Iran tensions.

The 24-team 2027 Asian Cup, which had been due to take place in Saudi Arabia from 7 January to 5 February, has been delayed by almost a year and will now run between 23 December, 2027 and 21 January, 2028. Sport in the region was already hit earlier this year when the US‑Iran conflict led to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends in April. With the end-of-year races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi now in doubt, Formula 1 would lose four of its 24 events this year if those rounds are cancelled.

The Saudi Pro League has, for the most part, continued but several domestic fixtures were postponed, including three matches last month in the immediate aftermath of the attack on a major airport in Riyadh; the SPL said they were switched "as a result of mandatory minimum rest periods between matches and to accommodate logistical requirements". Following the postponement of the Asian Cup, this weekend's full round of the Saudi Pro League has been called off, with the league saying the calendar would be recalibrated after the cancellation of the Asian Cup to achieve "a more balanced distribution of fixtures". Well-known players plying their trade in the country include Gabriel Martinelli, Tijjani Reijnders, Darwin Nunez, Ivan Toney, Alexandre Lacazette, Ruben Neves, Sadio Mane and Joao Felix.

The AFC Champions League has been disrupted by travel decisions from clubs and players. Cristiano Ronaldo and Kingsley Coman were among Al‑Nassr's star players who did not fly to Uzbekistan this week "given the pressure of matches and the amount of travel involved", and Al‑Wasl of the United Arab Emirates opted not to fly to Saudi Arabia to play Al‑Nassr, with that match to be rearranged. The wife of Ollie Watkins, who plays for Riyadh‑based Al‑Hilal, posted on TikTok that she would be staying in the UK with their two children "until it calms down" and said: "We've had a bit of a plot twist," said Ellie Watkins. "I have come back to the UK for a little bit. "There's just a little bit of conflict and things going on over in Saudi and we basically decided just to stay here. "I felt like I needed to do that for the kids so there is some form of normality until we can get back out there and all be together."

Formula 1 is pressing ahead with plans for the Qatar (27‑29 November) and Abu Dhabi (4‑6 December) races after receiving security reassurances from various governmental sources, but there remain misgivings within the sport about travelling to the region. Should the situation deteriorate, those events could be called off and replaced with a single event in Imola on the Abu Dhabi weekend. The 2027 season is scheduled to start in Bahrain on 12‑14 March, with Saudi Arabia hosting the following weekend, but as things stand between Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Houthi separatists that race could not go ahead and is likely to be cancelled if nothing changes by December; Bahrain is also in jeopardy because the causeway linking the two countries passes close to an Aramco facility that has been targeted by the Houthis. One option being discussed is to hold the race in Malaysia, as was done in October this year.

Several other motorsport events have been moved or cancelled. The 2027 Dakar Rally, originally due to take place in Saudi Arabia in January, has been moved and will now begin in Loulé‑Faro in Portugal and end in Marrakech in Morocco; Saudi Arabia had hosted the previous seven editions and the intention is to return in 2028. Rally Saudi Arabia, part of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship and scheduled for 12–15 November, has been cancelled. MotoGP will still take place this weekend at the Lusail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar, with three races left in the season, but it will go ahead without the Yamaha team, which has been advised against travelling from Japan.

Tennis exhibitions and season finales have also been affected. The Six Kings Slam, which should have begun on Saturday in Riyadh, has been postponed by two months and is now scheduled to run from 27 December to 30 December at the ANB Arena, located about 31km from King Khalid International Airport, the target of an attack on 10 October that killed 13 people and injured 308 others; Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz and Learner Tien are due to compete. The 2026 WTA Finals will not take place in Saudi Arabia after a mutual agreement to terminate the hosting arrangement early; it will instead be held at Indian Wells in the United States.

Combat sports, entertainment events and other championships have faced cancellations or changes: Mexican fighter Canelo Alvarez reclaimed the WBC super middleweight championship against Christian Mbilli last week, while Lindolfo Delgado withdrew from his IBF lightweight title fight against Arthur Biyarslanov over safety concerns. A Zuffa Boxing card featuring Carlos Adames versus Welshman Gerome Warburton is scheduled in Riyadh Season 13 on 14 November. WWE Crown Jewel 2026 will still take place this weekend but at a new venue, having been switched from Kingdom Arena to the ANB Arena, with Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Liv Morgan, Chelsea Green, Bron Breakker, Austin Theory, Penta, Je'Von Evans, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton on the bill. The FIFAe Finals, due to be held in Jeddah last month, were cancelled, and this week's UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Riyadh was called off, with a decision due "on the sporting consequences of this announcement". The PIF Saudi International, the Asian Tour season finale scheduled for 18‑21 November at Riyadh Golf Club, will not be held after "an assessment of the organisational and logistical challenges associated with hosting the tournament".

The Professional Triathletes Organisation has moved the Saudi Arabia T100 and World Triathlon Cup, in Jeddah, from the end of this month to 16‑17 April, providing a confirmed rescheduled date amid the wider slate of postponements and cancellations.