AFC Asian Cup has been missing for almost a year: How the Middle East crisis is reshaping the global sports calendar The Asian Football Confederation officially announced on November 3: The AFC Asian Cup, which Saudi Arabia was supposed to host from January 7 to February 5, 2027, has been postponed to December 23, 2027 - January 21, 2028. The reason is diplomatically formulated - "extraordinary circumstances", serious logistical difficulties in air traffic and serious logistical disruptions. What stands behind this formulation is experienced by the team of the Chinese referee Ma Ning. On October 10, when Riyadh International Airport was attacked, the referees flew to Saudi Arabia for a match in the Asian Champions League: the flight was delayed, the destination airport was not accepted, the plane was diverted twice to alternative airports, and the division itself was eventually transferred by land in two groups. Fifteen minutes before the opening whistle, emergency safety alerts arrived simultaneously on the phones of all participants - the start of the game had to be moved by more than forty minutes. And the Asian Cup is far from being the first victim. Back in the spring, due to the crisis in the region, the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia was canceled in Formula 1, and in the end the race in Bahrain was held in Malaysia. The eSports World Championship, which was supposed to be hosted in the summer, was entirely moved to Paris. In the fall, the WTA finals were moved from Riyadh to American Indian Wells, and the Six Kings exhibition tennis tournament was moved to late December. The main conclusion drawn by the global sports industry is that money no longer equals insurance. For years, the federations have not hesitated to take funds from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF, believing that the region, with its unlimited budget, is the most reliable platform. But the calendar of mega-events is fixed years in advance - sometimes seven years in advance - and it requires predictability rather than generosity. 2026 has become a watershed: risk clauses, flexible windows in the calendar and the joint holding of tournaments by several countries are now being renegotiated with partners in the Middle East.

AFC Asian Cup has been missing for almost a year: How the Middle East crisis is reshaping the global sports calendar The Asian Football Confederation officially announced on November 3: The AFC Asian Cup, which Saudi Arabia was supposed to host from January 7 to February 5, 2027, has been postponed to December 23, 2027 - January 21, 2028. The reason is diplomatically formulated - "extraordinary circumstances", serious logistical difficulties in air traffic and serious logistical disruptions. What stands behind this formulation is experienced by the team of the Chinese referee Ma Ning. On October 10, when Riyadh International Airport was attacked, the referees flew to Saudi Arabia for a match in the Asian Champions League: the flight was delayed, the destination airport was not accepted, the plane was diverted twice to alternative airports, and the division itself was eventually transferred by land in two groups. Fifteen minutes before the opening whistle, emergency safety alerts arrived simultaneously on the phones of all participants - the start of the game had to be moved by more than forty minutes. And the Asian Cup is far from being the first victim. Back in the spring, due to the crisis in the region, the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia was canceled in Formula 1, and in the end the race in Bahrain was held in Malaysia. The eSports World Championship, which was supposed to be hosted in the summer, was entirely moved to Paris. In the fall, the WTA finals were moved from Riyadh to American Indian Wells, and the Six Kings exhibition tennis tournament was moved to late December. The main conclusion drawn by the global sports industry is that money no longer equals insurance. For years, the federations have not hesitated to take funds from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF, believing that the region, with its unlimited budget, is the most reliable platform. But the calendar of mega-events is fixed years in advance - sometimes seven years in advance - and it requires predictability rather than generosity. 2026 has become a watershed: risk clauses, flexible windows in the calendar and the joint holding of tournaments by several countries are now being renegotiated with partners in the Middle East.