On Saturday morning, the US and Israel attacked Iran, and the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed. A new armed conflict has erupted in the Middle East.
On Sunday, the Qatar Football Association announced that all matches were canceled indefinitely, according to the AP news agency.
Several F1 races in the Middle East
Formula 1's Italian tire supplier Pirelli has canceled testing in Bahrain, according to ESPN. The F1 season begins in Australia next weekend. In April, F1's fourth and fifth world championship rounds are scheduled to be held in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, across the Persian Gulf from Iran.
"Our next three races are in Australia, China and Japan and not in the Middle East. Those races are not for several weeks," an F1 spokesperson said, according to several media outlets.
“Highly uncertain”
Just like F1, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) says it is closely monitoring developments in the Middle East. One question many are asking is whether Iran will be in the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, which begins in just over three months. The team has been drawn in Group G with matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Los Angeles and Seattle in June.
According to Hans Kristian Hognestad, a professor at the University of Southeast Norway with expertise in the areas of sports policy and society, it depends on how long the conflict has been going on.
"Whether Iran can participate in the World Cup is highly uncertain. It's about how long this will last. It's a targeted attack on the leaders, but it could quickly result in the entire region being set on fire," he told NRK.
