How the Middle East crisis has affected sporting events and athletes

Next month’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Grands Prix are set to be cancelled due to the Middle East conflict.

Multiple sources told Reuters an announcement, seen within the sport as just a matter of time, was expected with a March 20 deadline looming for freight that has to be transported to Bahrain for logistical reasons.

US President Donald Trump said on March 12 that Iran’s soccer team were welcome to take part in this year’s World Cup but that he believed it was not appropriate they be there “for their own life and safety”.

Several athletes were unable to travel to the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympic Games due to travel disruption at several Middle Eastern airports.

Moreover, Iran are not competing at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, the International Paralympic Committee announced on March 6.

The ATP Challenger event in Fujairah was cancelled on March 3 due to safety concerns after a security alert halted play. The ATP Tour said a charter flight had been arranged “at no cost to players”.

Russians Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, who participated in the Dubai Tennis Championships, were among the players who faced difficulties before travelling to California for the Indian Wells Open.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu withdrew from the All England Open after being stranded for days at the Dubai airport. She returned to India on March 3.

The US men’s hockey team withdrew from a hockey World Cup 2026 qualifier in Ismailia, Egypt after an official advisory from the State Department urging all US citizens to leave nations within or close to conflict zones.

Round of 16 clashes featuring Middle Eastern clubs in the Asian Champions League Elite in the first two weeks of March have been postponed.

Quarter-final clashes in the Asian Champions League Two and the Asian Challenge League, featuring clubs from the region, are also postponed, AFC, the continental soccer body, said on Wednesday.

Iranian female footballers given asylum

Australia granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women soccer players on March 10 after they sought asylum, fearing persecution on their return home for their refusal to sing the national anthem at an Asian Cup match.

Australian police helped two more members of the Iranian women’s soccer delegation claim asylum on March 11, but one changed her mind and decided to go back to Iran.

Concerns about the players’ safety upon their return home grew after Iranian state television labelled the team “wartime traitors”.

Iraq soccer coach Graham Arnold called for the team’s inter-confederation World Cup playoff in Mexico in March to be postponed amidst the travel chaos triggered by the conflict in neighbouring Iran.

The Iraqis are concerned they might not be able to get their players and staff over to Mexico for their scheduled clash with either Bolivia or Suriname in Monterrey on March 31.

The limited-overs series between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka scheduled for March in the United Arab Emirates has been postponed due to the crisis in the Middle East, the Afghanistan Cricket Board announced on March 11.

The World Endurance Championship postponed its season-opening race, originally scheduled for March 28 at the Lusail circuit in Qatar.

Organisers announced new dates, with the race now set to take place between October 22 and 24.

All sporting events in Iran have been cancelled until further notice, including the country’s top-flight Persian Gulf Pro League. The Bahraini FA has also halted all domestic competitions.

Qatar’s top-flight football league resumed on March 12 after a nationwide suspension of sporting activity imposed amid regional security concerns, the Qatar Stars League Foundation said.

An update is awaited on the clash between Spain and Argentina set for Doha on March 27.

Al Sadd coach Roberto Mancini was not present for Friday’s Qatar Stars League match against Umm Salal as he was unable to return to Doha.