Live Roundups Editor's Desk Insights Executive Ops Weather About 🔍
Home › Sport › Can Saudi Arabia’s 2034 Fifa World Cup survive the...
Sport

Can Saudi Arabia’s 2034 Fifa World Cup survive the Middle East’s escalating wars?

Can Saudi Arabia’s 2034 Fifa World Cup survive the Middle East’s escalating wars?
South China Morning Post Sunday 11 October 2026, 08:00 UTC By Tom Hussain 1 min read
Key Points

When 60,000 football fans gathered in Jeddah for the Arabian Gulf Cup on Tuesday, they inadvertently highlighted the vulnerability of major sports events hosted by Gulf monarchies to the wars raging across the region. The previous day, Saudi Arabia resumed strikes on Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi rebels after a four-year ceasefire collapsed. That truce had originally followed a Houthi attack on an oil facility near Jeddah’s Formula One track during a practice session.

When 60,000 football fans gathered in Jeddah for the Arabian Gulf Cup on Tuesday, they inadvertently highlighted the vulnerability of major sports events hosted by Gulf monarchies to the wars raging across the region. The previous day, Saudi Arabia resumed strikes on Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi rebels after a four-year ceasefire collapsed. That truce had originally followed a Houthi attack on an oil facility near Jeddah’s Formula One track during a practice session. While the two-week football...
Saudi Arabia’s (LOCATION) Fifa World Cup (EVENT) the Middle East (LOCATION) Jeddah (LOCATION) the Arabian Gulf Cup (LOCATION) Gulf (LOCATION) Saudi Arabia (LOCATION) Yemen (LOCATION) Iran (LOCATION) Houthi (ORG)
Originally published by South China Morning Post Read original →

Related Stories

Gea SHOCKS Shelton with impressive straight-sets win in Shanghai

Highlights of Ben Shelton against Arthur Gea from the Shanghai Masters.

Sky Sports Football 16m ago

History in Bangladesh! Shah creates record on first outing as Afghan Test captain

Rahmat Shah made history on his first outing as Afghanistan’s Test captain, scoring a century against Bangladesh in the one-off Test at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. His 105-run knock made him the first Afghan cricketer to score a hundred on his Test captaincy debut. Shah, who took over as Afghanistan’s Test and ODI captain from Hashmatullah Shahidi in July, faced 216 balls and struck 10 fours and two sixes.

Times of India 19m ago

'O'Neill unaware of trialist goalkeeper Inzalaco' - gossip

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill plays down training stints for Perth RedStar goalkeeper Sonny Inzalaco and free agent midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko while the SPFL says it hopes to re-introduce away fans at Old Firm derbies.

BBC Scotland 42m ago

Kipchoge, 41, breaks course record at Melbourne Marathon

Double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge says "his body is still peaking" after winning the Melbourne Marathon in a course record time at the age of 41.

BBC Sport 44m ago