From Football to Formula 1: How the Middle East Conflict is Affecting Sports

When the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, it was inevitable that this would affect many things, including sports. The conflict is not only affecting events in the region but also further afield, due to disruptions to travel arrangements.

Athletes Stranded and Events Disrupted

Many athletes who were about to participate in the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics on March 6 were already in Italy for training when the conflict began. Some had trouble with flights and needed assistance to get to the event. College paraplegics often receive support from college-based communities in cases like this.

The ATP had to fund charter flights out of the UAE, where the ATP Challenger event was taking place. It was too dangerous for the Fujairah Open to continue after a nearby oil terminal was hit.

Various top tennis players, including Daniil Medvedev, participated in the Dubai Tennis Championship. They had to stay in Dubai for about a week due to flights being cancelled. There were uncertainties that they would get to the Indian Wells Open by March 1. However, they managed to make it out via Oman. Medvedev went on to beat Alejandro Tabilo in his first match, so tiredness from the travel didn’t seem to affect him too much.

Indian women wrestlers returning after the Muhamet Malo 2026 tournament in Tirana were stranded for some time at Dubai airport.

Cricket teams participating in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India have been affected by flight delays due to the conflict. The Zimbabwean team was delayed in getting home.

The FIFA World Cup

The attacks on Iran obviously affect Iran’s participation in the FIFA World Cup. Matches will take place across the United States, Mexico, and Canada in a couple of months. Iran is supposed to play matches in Seattle and Los Angeles. If Iran decides to withdraw, FIFA is likely to get Iraq or the United Arab Emirates to play in its place.

Bettors can’t place wagers on individual games yet, but futures markets are available, and they can bet now on a team to win the competition. If Iran withdraws or is excluded, any unsettled wagers will have to be voided and refunded by sportsbooks. Should Iran pull out and another country participate in its place, sportsbooks would have to establish new betting lines.

Soccer

One match that will probably not happen anymore is the one in Doha between Spain and Argentina. It is supposed to take place at the end of March.

The start of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup wasn’t really affected, although it began the day after the attacks. This is because the matches were in Australia. South Korea easily won the first match against the Iranian women’s team, while Australia beat them in the second match.

Hockey

The U.S. men’s hockey team did not attend a World Cup qualifier in Egypt due to a state advisory.

Cricket

The Lions were busy touring the United Arab Emirates, but the tour was disrupted, and tickets have been booked back to England. The England women’s team is exploring other options after the cancellation of its training camp in Abu Dhabi.

Basketball

Youth League basketball players had to contend with travel problems due to the cancellation of a EuroLeague tournament.

Motorsports

The FIA World Endurance Championship was supposed to open in Qatar at the end of March, but this will no longer happen. It will now be held at the Italian circuit on April 17.

FI organizers are keeping up with live updates of the war. The Australian Grand Prix is going ahead as planned. But the F1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia could be cancelled. Both countries have been struck during the response to the U.S. and Israeli attacks. Bahrain had already hosted two preseason F1 tests before the attack, and all the grandstand tickets were already sold out before the conflict started.

If the Middle East events are cancelled, it would leave a hole of almost five weeks in the F1 calendar. Rescheduling will be difficult due to the heat and scheduling conflicts later in the year. Replacing them with European alternatives is more likely.