Seasonal tensions: war in the Middle East disrupts sports starts again

The conflict over the Strait of Hormuz is once again changing the global sports calendar. Insurers refuse to work with tournament organizers in the Arabian Peninsula, competitions are postponed or canceled, and the Persian Gulf countries risk losing their status as one of the main centers of world sports, in which billions of dollars have been invested. After the spring postponements, a new wave of adjustments begins, and the main question now is whether Formula 1 will be able to bring the season to an end and hold the final stages in Qatar and the UAE.

A threat to the end of the season

The truce concluded in June between Iran and the United States has been disrupted. American aircraft are attacking Iranian territory, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has resumed shelling military installations in Jordan, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait. The Strait of Hormuz is closed, transport logistics are disrupted, and insurers massively refuse to cover the risks of tournament organizers.

Against this background, Formula 1 has finally abandoned attempts to return the Bahrain Grand Prix to the calendar. After the June truce, the championship expected to hold a race in Sakhir in early October, but a new escalation made this impossible. There is no longer enough time for the stage to be organized, which is necessary for the preparation and delivery of equipment.

— It takes about 15 weeks to plan and transport the tires. Obviously, we don't have that time right now," said Pirelli Motorsport director Dario Marrafuschi. — The route through the Suez Canal and Saudi Arabia remains theoretical. Even bypassing Africa does not guarantee anything, since it is not yet clear whether the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.

The final stages of the season, the Qatar Grand Prix (November 29) and the final in Abu Dhabi (December 6), remain in question. Ethara, the promoter of the stage at the Yas Marina circuit, still expects to hold the race on time, but the safety of participants depends on the development of the military situation. The final decision should be made no later than August 23, when it is necessary to determine the routes for the delivery of equipment and tires.

Initially, the Formula 1 calendar included 24 races, but after the cancellation of the stages in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, there were 22 remaining. One of the options being discussed is to end the season on November 21 in Las Vegas, eliminating the two final stages. However, such a scenario threatens Liberty Media with multimillion-dollar fines from broadcasters and sponsors, so the championship management is considering alternatives.

Among them are the holding of double stages in Baku or Singapore, or the transfer of the season finale to Europe with an additional race in Porto or Barcelona. However, the late transfer of infrastructure from North America and Asia will be a major logistical challenge.

"To be honest, it seems to me that all of us — the teams, the FIA, the Formula 1 leadership - are in the same boat right now," Ferrari CEO Frederic Wasser told RacingNews365. — It is clear that we all want to go to races, we want to hold them more often and compete. But the situation is what it is. We fully trust the FIA and the management of Formula 1 in shaping the calendar of the season. They are working hard to find solutions, and I firmly believe that they are doing their best in the current situation.

The World Endurance Racing Championship (WEC) is also preparing changes. The series is considering abandoning the stages in Qatar and Bahrain, and the final part of the season may be moved to Europe — after the "6 hours of Fuji" to hold races in Barcelona and Monza. The World Motorsport Council is due to make a final decision at the end of July.

Naval glitch: exchange of blows between the US and Iran risks becoming protracted

The issue of passage through the Strait of Hormuz has temporarily overshadowed even the issue of Tehran's nuclear program.

Alternate airfields

In early March, many tennis stars found themselves at the epicenter of the Iranian attacks on the Persian Gulf countries. Therefore, the officials in this sport acted very decisively. The agreement with the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation has been terminated prematurely — the final WTA 2026 tournament (November 8-15) has been moved from Riyadh to Indian Wells in the United States. The official reason given is "insufficient operational stability of the region." Iran is not currently launching direct strikes against Saudi Arabia, but is putting pressure on this country through its allies, the Yemeni Houthi rebels, who are attacking the kingdom's navy, oil depots and airports, and threatening to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The crisis has also affected mixed martial arts. The PFL League postponed the tournament in Khobar, then canceled the competitions in Jeddah, and sent some of the fights to an indoor arena in Dubai. The UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi (July 25) is still valid, but the card has already suffered from problems with flights and visas. Russian Magomed Ankalaev replaced American Khalil Rowntree with Bogdan Guskov from Uzbekistan. Boxing shows are being massively relocated from the Middle East to the USA, Britain and Egypt. They want to keep Canelo Alvarez's fight with Christian Mbilli in Riyadh for now, but they postponed it from September to the end of October without guarantees of holding it if the crisis does not subside.

In football, the Gulf Cup of Nations (September 23 — October 6) is in question, and the Asian Football Confederation postponed the playoff matches in the Western Zone. The home meetings of the clubs of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iran may be moved to Central or East Asia. Esports is also forced to retreat. The largest Esports World Cup tournament with a prize pool of $75 million is currently taking place in Paris instead of Riyadh (from July 6 to August 23). The first ever Esports Nations Cup (November 2-29) also risks leaving the Middle East for Seoul or Singapore.

The military actions in the Middle East have indirectly affected golf. The Saudi Arabian Sovereign Wealth Fund (PIF) used them as an excuse to abandon the LIV Golf megaproject, which has turned the world of professional golf upside down in recent years. The Sheikhs will stop financial support for the competition after the end of the 2026 season, but some tournaments are already being canceled. The fund stated that "multibillion-dollar investments in sports in the long term are no longer consistent with the kingdom's investment strategy." Saudi Arabia is shutting down unprofitable sports projects, primarily LIV Golf and the Snooker Masters billiards tournament.

Until recently, the Middle East was one of the main centers of world sports: Formula 1, tennis, boxing, MMA, football and major esports projects have settled here. Now the organizers of the competitions and international federations are forced to evaluate not the commercial prospects, but the evacuation routes, the availability of airspace and the operation of air defense systems. While Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain on the Formula 1 calendar, the UFC is preparing for the Etihad Arena tournament. But each new escalation reduces the room for maneuver.