Multiple sporting events scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia soon were postponed this week, some as late as into the next year, in apparent response to the ongoing onslaught of missile and drone attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis of Yemen.
A major tennis tournament, several club soccer matches, and an “esports” event have all announced they will move their dates around, most citing “logistical” challenges. The concerns surfaced after the Houthi terrorists escalated their attacks this year to include targeting high-traffic civilian areas, in particular international airports and holy sites.
The Houthis, a Shiite jihadist terror organization, launched a civil war in Yemen in 2014, seizing the capital Sana’a and forcing the legitimate government to move to the southern port city of Aden. Saudi Arabia has supported the legitimate government for over a decade with military backing against the Houthis, prompting retaliation.
While the Houthis and Saudi government had successfully maintained a ceasefire between 2022 and 2026, the Houthis announced this summer, in the context of the ongoing war between America and Iran, that they would end the truce in response to Saudi officials denouncing the Iranian government for apparently restocking Houthi weapons arsenals. What began as an alleged maritime “blockade” of Saudi ships has evolved into strikes against Islam’s holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, and major civilian casualties.
The conflict appears to be causing significant economic disturbances in Saudi Arabia. The postponement of several sporting events in the country directly targets a burgeoning industry that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has prioritized in his “Vision 2030” plan to diversify the nation’s economy away from oil and make it a global cultural superpower.
The most prominent event to be postponed at press time is the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament, an exhibition competition in which top male players — Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Learner Tien, and Alex de Minaur — were expected to play. Saudi authorities announced that they would move the tournament to December, instead of the end of October, due to “organizational and logistical challenges.” The updated plan for the event is December 27 and it is expected to be streamed live on Netflix.
Another event rescheduled is the FIFAe Finals 2026, which was scheduled to begin on Friday. The event, jointly hosted by the international soccer federation FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation, was postponed after two teams, Japan and Brazil, withdrew due to the conflict with the Houthis this weekend.
“The decision follows an assessment of recent developments in the region and their impact on the logistical arrangements required to stage the tournament,” organizers announced, according to Reuters.
Locally, the Saudi Pro League, a soccer organization now featuring top world player Cristiano Ronaldo, also announced the postponement of several matches in the context of the attacks on Saudi civilian sites. It, too, cited unspecified “logistical considerations.” One of the matches delayed, featuring Ronaldo’s Al Nassr team, is now rescheduled to take place in March 2027. Several other games have been pushed back to December.
Other sporting events appear to be considering rescheduling. Reuters noted that Saudi Arabia is expected to host the soccer Asian Cup in January 2027, but organizers are keeping open the possibility of delaying the event for a year.
One high-profile event appears to remain on schedule for October 31: a world title prize fighting match between Mexican boxing star Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez and Christian M’billi in Riyadh. Organizers are touting the fact that the boxers reportedly did not request a reschedule to promote the event.
Riyadh was the site of the deadliest attack during the current Houthi siege of Saudi Arabia so far: the strike on the capital’s King Khalid International Airport on Sunday, which killed 14 people and injured hundreds. The strike hit an airport gate hall and forced the closure of the airport, as well as closures for several other similar facilities to prevent another potential attack.
The creation by the Houthis of a sense that traveling to Saudi Arabia is unsafe is a direct attack on “Vision 2030” and Crown Prince MBS’s goal of turning the country into a global tourism destination. The “Vision 2030” core text specifically mentions “widespread and regular participation in sports” as a goal of the program.
“The country’s esteemed leadership are truly invested in the impact sport can have in improving the lives of its people, and we are fully aligned to support the transformation,” Prince Fahd bin Abdulaziz, speaking then in his capacity as spokesman for a top boxing championship, said in August 2022. “Alongside this we want to showcase the true Saudi Arabia to the rest of the world: the wonderful people, the country’s transformation, the beauty of the landscape on the Red Sea.”
Saudi Arabia is expected to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. The website Semafor reported on Wednesday that its sources claim the government is planning to abandon plans to construct five new stadiums for the event. The report did not clarify the exact reason for doing so, though disruptions in oil and other revenues as a result of Houthi attacks could have contributed to that decision.