Sporting events in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and the wider Middle East have been postponed, cancelled, moved or left in doubt amid conflict in the region. The 2027 Asian Cup has been delayed after the 24-team tournament had been scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia from 7 January to 5 February next year, and it will now be held between 23 December, 2027 and 21 January, 2028.
Asian Cup and Saudi football changes
Following the postponement of the Asian Cup, the full round of Saudi Pro League matches has been called off. Several Saudi Pro League domestic league games had already been postponed, including three fixtures.
Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates opted not to fly to Saudi Arabia to play Al-Nassr, and the match will be rearranged.
BBC Sport reported that Cristiano Ronaldo and Kingsley Coman were among Al-Nassr's players who did not fly to Uzbekistan "given the pressure of matches and the amount of travel involved".
Motor sport schedule hit by cancellations and uncertainty
According to BBC Sport, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends in April this year were cancelled after the US-Iran conflict. The 2026 season is due to end with Formula 1 races in Qatar on 27-29 November and Abu Dhabi on 4-6 December, which are in doubt.
BBC Sport reported that Formula 1 is pressing ahead with plans to go to the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races after being given security reassurances from various governmental sources that it should be safe. BBC Sport reported that if the situation in the Middle East deteriorates, the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races could be called off and replaced with a single event in Imola in Italy on the Abu Dhabi weekend.
The Dakar Rally was due to take place in Saudi Arabia in January but has been moved "following recent developments in the region". The 2027 Dakar Rally will begin in Loule-Faro in Portugal and end in Marrakech in Morocco. Rally Saudi Arabia, part of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, which was scheduled for 12-15 November, has been cancelled.
MotoGP will still take place at the Lusail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar. MotoGP will go ahead without the Yamaha team, which has been advised against travelling from Japan.
Tennis, boxing and WWE affected
The Six Kings Slam, which should have begun in Riyadh, has been postponed by two months. It is now scheduled to run from 27 December to 30 December at the ANB Arena.
The season-ending championship of the women's tour will not take place in Saudi Arabia. A mutual agreement was reached to terminate a hosting agreement early, and it will instead take place at Indian Wells in the United States.
Lindolfo Delgado withdrew from his IBF lightweight title fight against Arthur Biyarslanov over safety concerns. The Zuffa Boxing event featuring Carlos Adames against Gerome Warburton in Riyadh Season 13 is scheduled for 14 November.
WWE Crown Jewel 2026 will still take place, but at a new venue after being switched from the Kingdom Arena to the ANB arena.
Other events moved or called off
The FIFAe Finals, which should have taken place in Jeddah, was cancelled. The UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Riyadh was called off. The PIF Saudi International will not be held between 18-21 November at Riyadh Golf Club.
On Tuesday, the Professional Triathletes Organisation said it was moving the Saudi Arabia T100 and World Triathlon Cup in Jeddah to 16-17 April.
Ellie Watkins posted on TikTok: "We've had a bit of a plot twist," and "I have come back to the UK for a little bit."
She added: "There's just a little bit of conflict and things going on over in Saudi and we basically decided just to stay here." Watkins also said: "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."
