Rugby union has become the latest sport to be impacted by the ongoing conflict and unrest in the Middle East, with Qatar withdrawing from its hosting agreement for the finals of the 2028 Nations Championship tournament.
Qatar had been due to host the six-game 2028 Nations Championship finals, as well as in 2030 and 2032, but now both parties have mutually agreed to end the deal, according to The Guardian news outlet.
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Paris’ Stade de France is reportedly the most likely venue to replace Qatar.
Furthermore, Qatar Airways, the country’s flag carrier, which would have been the title sponsor of the event, has also pulled out of its commitment.
The Qatar Airways deal is reportedly worth between £15 million and £20 million ($20.1 million to $26.8 million) to the event’s organizers, alongside a further £60-65 million for the hosting rights to the biennial event.
Currently, the 2026 Nations Championship Finals are set to begin on November 27, running through November 29 at Twickenham Stadium in London, England, with three more rounds of fixtures to play before then.
Eight months of conflict between Iran and a US-Israel coalition, as well as increasing tensions in Saudi Arabia with the Houthi rebel group (which has recently claimed credit for multiple attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia), have left confidence in the region from a hosting perspective low, despite the large sums of money that countries in the Middle East can dedicate towards hosting fees.
Just this week, the 2027 AFC Asian Cup soccer tournament, which was due to be begin in Saudi Arabia in January 2027, was postponed to December 2027 due to the continued unrest.
The third edition of Six Kings Slam, a big-money exhibition event featuring the top six ATP men’s tennis players, was due to be held in Riyadh from October 21 to 24 but has been pushed back to December 27–30.
Furthermore, golf's Asian Tour indefinitely postponed its season-ending Saudi International in Riyadh, which was due to take place this month.
Motor racing’s elite Formula 1 had already cancelled the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix earlier in the year due to the Iran war, and other future sporting events could be affected by the regional conflict, including races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The MotoGP motorcycle racing series is already facing significant pushback from teams, constructors, and riders against the prospect of racing in Qatar later this month.
The Nations Championship is a joint venture run by the European Six Nations collective (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, and Italy), and the main southern hemisphere rugby union nations known as SANZAAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina).
