Asian Cup postponed and F1 races in doubt as Middle East conflict disrupts regional sport

The 2027 Asian Cup, Asia's 24-team continental football championship, has become the latest major event to be postponed in the Middle East amid concerns about missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement. The tournament, which had been scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia from 7 January to 5 February next year, has been delayed by almost a year and will now be held between 23 December 2027 and 21 January 2028. The postponement followed an escalation of the conflict that has already heavily affected sport in the region. The US-Iran conflict led to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends in April this year, and the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi at the end of the year are now also in doubt. If those two events are called off, Formula 1 would have lost four of its 24 races in 2026. Formula 1 is pressing ahead with plans for the closing races of the 2026 season, at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar on 27-29 November and in Abu Dhabi on 4-6 December, after receiving security reassurances from governmental sources. However, many people within the sport are understood to have misgivings about travelling. Should the situation deteriorate, the races could be called off and replaced with a single event at Imola in Italy on the Abu Dhabi weekend. The start of the 2027 season is also under threat. Bahrain is due to host the opener on 12-14 March, with Saudi Arabia following the next weekend, but that race is likely to be cancelled if nothing changes by December. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are linked by a causeway, at the Saudi end of which sits a facility belonging to state oil company Aramco that has been targeted by the Houthis, while the causeway joins Bahrain close to the F1 track. One option under discussion is to hold the Saudi race in Malaysia, as was done in October this year. Football in Saudi Arabia has been disrupted despite the Saudi Pro League largely carrying on as usual. Several domestic fixtures have been postponed, including three last month after the attack on a major airport in Riyadh, though the league attributed those changes to mandatory minimum rest periods and logistical requirements rather than the conflict. Following the Asian Cup postponement, this weekend's full round of Saudi Pro League matches has been called off, with the league saying the calendar would be recalibrated for a more balanced distribution of fixtures. The AFC Champions League has also been affected. Cristiano Ronaldo and Kingsley Coman were among the Al-Nassr players who did not fly to Uzbekistan this week, with the club citing the pressure of matches and the amount of travel involved. Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates opted not to fly to Saudi Arabia to face Al-Nassr, and that match will be rearranged. Elsewhere, the wife of Al-Hilal striker Ollie Watkins said on TikTok that she had returned to the UK with their two children until the situation calms down. Other prominent players in the Saudi league include Gabriel Martinelli, Tijjani Reijnders, Darwin Nunez, Ivan Toney, Alexandre Lacazette, Ruben Neves, Sadio Mane and Joao Felix. Motorsport beyond Formula 1 has been hit as well. The Dakar Rally, due to take place in Saudi Arabia in January, has been moved following recent developments in the region, with the 2027 edition now set to begin in Loule-Faro in Portugal and finish in Marrakech in Morocco. Saudi Arabia had hosted the previous seven editions, and the intention is to return in 2028. Rally Saudi Arabia, a round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship scheduled for 12-15 November, has been cancelled. MotoGP will, however, go ahead this weekend at the Lusail International Circuit in Doha, though without the Yamaha team, which has been advised against travelling from Japan. Tennis events in Riyadh have been reshaped. The Six Kings Slam, which should have begun on Saturday, has been postponed by two months and will now run from 27 to 30 December at the ANB Arena, about 31km from King Khalid International Airport, the target of an attack on 10 October that killed 13 people and injured 308. Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz and Learner Tien are due to compete. The 2026 WTA Finals, this weekend's season-ending women's tour championship, will not take place in Saudi Arabia after a mutual agreement to terminate the hosting agreement early, with the event moved to Indian Wells in the United States. Other sports have also been affected. Lindolfo Delgado withdrew from his IBF lightweight title fight against Arthur Biyarslanov on a recent Riyadh card over safety concerns, though Canelo Alvarez did reclaim the WBC super middleweight championship against Christian Mbilli there last week, and a Zuffa Boxing event featuring Carlos Adames against Welshman Gerome Warburton remains scheduled for 14 November. The WWE Crown Jewel 2026 event will still take place this weekend but has been switched from the 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 in Jeddah was cancelled last month, this week's UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Riyadh was called off, the PIF Saudi International, the Asian Tour season finale at Riyadh Golf Club, will not be held from 18-21 November, and 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.